"No GUTs, All Glory: Charge Quantization in the CP(1) Nonlinear σ-Model"

ABSTRACT:

We consider consistency conditions for charged matter fields in a supersymmetric CP(1) nonlinear sigma model. This leads us to a new way to quantize charge without introducing a Grand Unified Theory, magnetic monopoles, or other typical phenomenological problems. The U(1)_Y hypercharge of the Standard Model is identified with the U(1)_H of the SU(2)_G/U(1)_H of the sigma model. There is a fractionally charged, stable, and potentially light Nambu-Goldstone boson. This boson has possible implications as dark matter or applications in nuclear physics (such as fusion). CP(1) can also be extended to other models, like CP(k), which will be explored in a forthcoming followup paper.