Dai-Freed anomalies in particle physics

Abstract

Anomalies can be elegantly analyzed by means of the Dai-Freed theorem. In this framework it is natural to consider a refinement of traditional anomaly cancellation conditions, which sometimes leads to nontrivial extra constraints in the fermion spectrum. We analyze these more refined anomaly cancellation conditions in a variety of theories of physical interest, including the Standard Model and the $SU(5)$ and $Spin(10)$ GUTs, which we find to be anomaly free. Turning to discrete symmetries, we find that baryon triality has a $\mathbb{Z}_9$ anomaly that only cancels if the number of generations is a multiple of 3. Assuming the existence of certain anomaly-free $\mathbb{Z}_4$ symmetry we relate the fact that there are 16 fermions per generation of the Standard Model - including right-handed neutrinos - to anomalies under time-reversal of boundary states in four-dimensional topological superconductors. A similar relation exists for the MSSM, only this time involving the number of gauginos and Higgsinos, and it is non-trivially, and remarkably, satisfied for the $SU(3)\times SU(2) \times U(1)$ gauge group with two Higgs doublets. We relate the constraints we find to the well-known Iba\~nez-Ross ones, and discuss the dependence on UV data of the construction. Finally, we comment on the (non-)existence of K-theoretic $\theta$ angles in four dimensions.