Constrained Flavor Breaking

Abstract

We explore predictive flavor models based on subgroups of the standard-model $SU(3)^5$ flavor symmetry. Restricting to products of $SU(3)$, we find that a global $SU(3)^3$ flavor symmetry, broken only by two Yukawa spurions, leads to a relation among down-type quark, up-type quark and charged-lepton Yukawa matrices: $Y_d \propto Y_u Y_e^\dagger$. As a result, the charged-lepton mass ratios are expressed in terms of quark mass ratios and mixing angles. Large leptonic mixing angles appear to be natural and lead to contributions to flavor-changing neutral currents in the charged-lepton sector, which can be tested in future precision experiments.

8 pages, 2 figures; accepted version for PRD