Flipped Cryptons and the UHECRs

Abstract

Cryptons are metastable bound states of fractionally-charged particles that arise generically in the hidden sectors of models derived from heterotic string. We study their properties and decay modes in a specific flipped SU(5) model with long-lived four-particle spin-zero bound states called {\it tetrons}. We show that the neutral tetrons are metastable, and exhibit the tenth-order non-renormalizable superpotential operators responsible for their dominant decays. By analogy with QCD, we expect charged tetrons to be somewhat heavier, and to decay relatively rapidly via lower-order interactions that we also exhibit. The expected masses and lifetimes of the neutral tetrons make them good candidates for cold dark matter (CDM), and a potential source of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) which have been observed, whereas the charged tetrons would have decayed in the early Universe.

arXiv comment8 Pages RevTex. New version with expanded introduction to flipped SU(5). Accepted for publication in PRD

References in corpus (13)

• Extension of the Cosmic-Ray Energy Spectrum Beyond the Predicted Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min Cutoff
• Superheavy dark matter
• Measurement of the Flux of Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays from Monocular Observations by the High Resolution Fly's Eye Experiment
• GUT Baryogenesis after Preheating
• Inflaton Decay and Heavy Particle Production with Negative Coupling
• Natural Candidates for Superheavy Dark Matter in String and M Theory
• GUT baryogenesis after preheating: numerical study of the production and decay of X-bosons
• The Search for Stable, Massive, Elementary Particles
• Stable Superstring Relics and Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays
• Fermion Mass Textures in an M-Inspired Flipped SU(5) Model Derived from String
• A new scenario for string unification
• Flat Directions in Flipped SU(5) I: All-Order Analysis
• Search for massive rare particles with MACRO

Cited by in corpus (16)

• Dark Matter and Background Light
• What is the Discrete Gauge Symmetry of the MSSM?
• Flipped SU(5) from Z_{12-I} orbifold with Wilson line
• Isocurvature constraints on gravitationally produced superheavy dark matter
• Requiem for an FCHAMP?
• Realistic Yukawa Textures and SUSY Spectra from Intersecting Branes
• UHECR Particle Spectra from Crypton Decays
• Flipped SU(5) From D-branes With Type IIB Fluxes
• Sequestered Dark Matter
• Stringent Phenomenological Investigation into Heterotic String Optical Unification
• Free Fermionic Heterotic Model Building and Root Systems
• Note on a NAHE Variation
• Observable/Hidden Broken Symmetry for Symmetric Boundary Conditions
• Signals of Very High Energy Neutralinos in Future Cosmic Ray Detectors
• Randall-Sundrum and Flipped SU(5)
• Natural Four-Generation Mass Textures in MSSM Brane Worlds