Local B-L symmetry of electroweak interactions, majorana neutrinos, and neutron oscillations

Abstract

Interpretation of the U(1) generator of the left-right-symmetric electroweak model in terms of B-L enables us to study the spontaneous breaking of local B-L symmetry. The same Higgs mechanism at the "partial unification" level of SU(2)LSU(2)RSU(4′) that produces ΔL=2 processes (e.g., Majorana neutrinos) also yields ΔB=2 processes (e.g., "neutron oscillations"). The observation of "neutrinoless" double β decay and ΔB=2 nucleon transitions without proton decay would favor this model and an intermediate mass scale. © 1980 The American Physical Society.