PIRSA:21040002

Can We Understand the Standard Model?

Baez, J. (2021). Can We Understand the Standard Model? . Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/21040002

Baez, John. Can We Understand the Standard Model? . Perimeter Institute, Apr. 05, 2021, https://pirsa.org/21040002 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:21040002,
            doi = {10.48660/21040002},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/21040002},
            author = {Baez, John},
            keywords = {Mathematical physics, Particle Physics, Quantum Fields and Strings},
            language = {en},
            title = {Can We Understand the Standard Model? },
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2021},
            month = {apr},
            note = {PIRSA:21040002 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

John Baez University of California, Riverside

Talk numberPIRSA:21040002
DOI10.48660/21040002
Collection
Talk Type Conference
Subject

Abstract

40 years trying to go beyond the Standard Model hasn't yet led to any clear success. As an alternative, we could try to understand why the Standard Model is the way it is. In this talk we review some lessons from grand unified theories and also from recent work using the octonions. The gauge group of the Standard Model and its representation on one generation of fermions arises naturally from a process that involves splitting 10d Euclidean space into 4+6 dimensions, but also from a process that involves splitting 10d Minkowski spacetime into 4d Minkowski space and 6 spacelike dimensions. We explain both these approaches, and how to reconcile them.