The flavour problem and family symmetry

Abstract

We show how two different family symmetries can be used to address the flavour problem in SO(10)-like models. The first is based on a gauged $U(1)_F$, whose problems dissappear in the context of a type I string model embedding. The second is based on $SU(3)_F$, the maximal family group consistent with SO(10); in this case the family symmetry is more constaining, so we merely look at it in the context of a supersymmetric field theory

8 pages, 2 figures. Based on an invited talk by S.F.King given at String Phenomenology 2003 (SP03), Durham, U.K., 30 July - 4 August 2003