Talk by Cohl Furey

Date: Monday, November 24th 2014
Time: 3pm
Place: 241 Nicholson
Speaker: Cohl Furey, Perimeter Institute

Title:  Charge quantization from a number operator

Abstract:

Here, we explain how an unexpected algebraic structure, the division algebras, can be seen to underlie a generation of quarks and leptons.  From this new vantage point, electrons and quarks are simply excitations from the neutrino, which formally plays the role of a vacuum state.

Using the ladder operators which exist within the system, we build a number operator in the usual way. It turns out that this number operator, divided by 3, mirrors the behaviour of electric charge. As a result, we see that electric charge is quantized because number operators can only take on integer values.

Finally, we show a simple hermitian form, which leads uniquely to the nine generators of SUc(3) and Uem(1). This gives a direct route to the two unbroken gauge symmetries of the standard model.