Particle physics implications of F-theory

Abstract

We review recent progress in realizing Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) in a strongly coupled formulation of type IIB string theory known as F-theory. This review's main emphasis is on the expected low-energy phenomenology of a minimal class of F-theory GUTs. We introduce the primary ingredients in such constructions, then present qualitative features of GUT models in this framework such as GUT breaking, doublet-triplet splitting, and proton decay. Next, we review proposals for realizing flavor hierarchies in the quark and lepton sectors. We discuss possible supersymmetry-breaking scenarios and their consequences for experiments, as well as geometrically minimal realizations of F-theory GUTs that incorporate most of these features. © 2010 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.