Abstract:
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We first highlight some of the (theoretical) shortcomings of the
Standard Model, and then consider hints at physics beyond the
electroweak scale. Grand Unification and theories in extra dimensions
are motivated, and string orbifolds are introduced as ultraviolet
completions of these theories. We present a general search strategy
for MSSM-like models based on a local SO(10) Grand Unified Theory. The
results of our search include 15 models with (i) 3 families of quarks
and leptons, (ii) only vectorlike exotics that decouple along D- and
F-flat directions, (iii) an exact R-parity, (iv) non-trivial Yukawa
matrices, (v) mass hierarchies. [Based on arXiv:0708.2691]
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