Particle Masses: A Simple Rule from the Depths of Physics ⚡ экспресс
Scientists have built a supersymmetric SO(10) model with a minimal Higgs sector that reproduces the masses and mixings of quarks and leptons. The key ingredient was non-renormalizable Yukawa interactions — effects not included in the simplest versions. The best solution led to quasi-unification of the third family: the t- and b-quark coupling constants are roughly equal, while for the tau it is 1.37 times smaller; this corresponds to the parameter tanβ≈58 in the MSSM. Variants with tanβ=10 were also found. The model predicts right-handed neutrino masses from 10^9 to 9·10^12 GeV, which allows for the existence of metastable cosmic strings.
In the boiling broth of the newborn Universe, all particles lost their distinctions, like vegetables at hellish temperatures. Recovering that simple recipe is the goal of modern physics.
The SO(10) theory — an extension of the Standard Model — offers such a recipe. It unifies all forces and links the masses of any particles with a single formula. Scientists refined the model and achieved record accuracy: the computed masses matched experiment. It turned out that at the energy of the Big Bang, the main characteristics of particles become almost the same.
If the model is confirmed, we will understand what predetermines particle masses and take a step towards a unified theory of everything.
🎯 The predicted heavyweight neutrino is about 500 times more massive than the top quark — and the top quark itself weighs almost as much as an entire gold atom.
🎬 The film 'The Theory of Everything' is about the search for a single equation. Work on SO(10) is a real step towards Einstein's dream.