Eur. Phys. J. C (2009) 63: 163-170
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-009-1089-9

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Fermion states on domain-wall junctions and the flavor number

¹ Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Caixa Postal 5008, 58051-970, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
² Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Caixa Postal 10071, 58109-970, Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil

^* e-mail: fabrito@df.ufcg.edu.br

Received: 22 December 2008
Revised: 24 May 2009
Published online: 9 July 2009

Abstract

In this paper we address the problem of localizing fermion states on stable domain-wall junctions. The study focus on the consequences of intersecting six independent 8d domain walls to form 4d junctions in a ten-dimensional spacetime. This is related to the mechanism of relaxing to three space dimensions through the formation of domain-wall junctions. The model is based on six bulk real scalar fields, the φ ⁴ model in its broken phase, the prototype of the Higgs field, and is such that the fermion and scalar modes bound to the domain walls are the zero mode and a single massive bound state, which can be regarded as a two-level system, at least at sufficiently low energy. Inside the junction, we use the fact that some states are statistically more favored to address the possibility of constraining the flavor number of the elementary fermions.