R.E. Marshak

Quark-lepton symmetry and B − L as the U(1) generator of the electroweak symmetry group

Abstract We seek an interpretation of the U(1) part of the electroweak symmetry group in terms of the quantum number B − L . We show that the electroweak symmetry group, for which U(1) can be interpreted as a local B − L symmetry, is the left-right symmetry group SU(2) L × SU(2) R × U(1) L+R . The equating of U L+R (1) to U B − L (1) should lead to physical consequences which are not shared by standard gauge theory. B − L may also help to explain the inversion of quark and lepton mass spectra.

Phenomenology of neutron oscillations

Abstract We have recently argued that gauge models with spontaneously broken local B − L symmetry can lead to large ΔB = 2 nucleon transition amplitudes for processes such as n − n oscillations and n + p → pions. We discuss the phenomenology of neutron oscillations both in vacuum and in the presence of external fields. These considerations indicate that neutron oscillation experiments can be much more sensitive to the ΔB = 2 amplitude than tests of nucleon instability.