A Supersymmetric D4 Model for mu-tau Symmetry

We construct a supersymmeterized version of the model presented by Grimus and Lavoura (GL) in [1] which predicts theta_{23} maximal and theta_{13}=0 in the lepton sector. For this purpose, we extend the flavor group, which is D4 x Z2^{(aux)} in the original model, to D4 x Z5. An additional difference is the absence of right-handed neutrinos. Despite these changes the model is the same as the GL model, since theta_{23} maximal and theta_{13}=0 arise through the same mismatch of D4 subgroups, D2 in the charged lepton and Z2 in the neutrino sector. In our setup D4 is solely broken by gauge singlets, the flavons. We show that their vacuum structure, which leads to the prediction of theta_{13} and theta_{23}, is a natural result of the scalar potential. We find that the neutrino mass matrix only allows for inverted hierarchy, if we assume a certain form of spontaneous CP violation. The quantity |m_{ee}|, measured in neutrinoless double beta decay, is nearly equal to the lightest neutrino mass m3. The Majorana phases phi1 and phi2 are restricted to a certain range for m3 < 0.06 eV. We discuss the next-to-leading order corrections which give rise to shifts in the vacuum expectation values of the flavons. These induce deviations from maximal atmospheric mixing and vanishing theta_{13}. It turns out that these deviations are smaller for theta_{23} than for theta_{13}.

theta_C from the Dihedral Flavor Symmetries D_7 and D_14

In [1] it has been shown that the Cabibbo angle theta_C might arise from a dihedral flavor symmetry which is broken to different (directions of) subgroups in the up and the down quark sector. This leads to a prediction of theta_C in terms of group theoretical quantities only, i.e. the index n of the dihedral group D_n, the index j of the fermion representation 2_j and the preserved subgroups indicated by m_u and m_d. Here we construct a low energy model which incorporates this idea. The gauge group is the one of the Standard Model and D_7 x Z_2 ^(aux) serves as flavor symmetry. The additional Z_2 ^(aux) is necessary in order to maintain two sets of Higgs fields, one which couples only to up quarks and another one coupling only to down quarks. We assume that D_7 is broken spontaneously at the electroweak scale by vacuum expectation values of SU(2)_L doublet Higgs fields. The quark masses and mixing parameters can be accommodated well. Furthermore, the potential of the Higgs fields is studied numerically in order to show that the required configuration of the vacuum expectation values can be achieved. We also comment on more minimalist models which explain the Cabibbo angle in terms of group theoretical quantities, while theta_{13}^q and theta_{23}^q vanish at leading order. Finally, we perform a detailed numerical study of the lepton mixing matrix V_{MNS} in which one of its elements is entirely determined by the group theory of a dihedral symmetry. Thereby, we show that nearly tri-bi-maximal mixing can also be produced by a dihedral flavor group with preserved subgroups.