Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Open Access

GUT-motivated noninvertible symmetry as a solution to the strong CP problem and the neutrino CP-violating phase

Tatsuo Kobayashi1,*, Hajime Otsuka2,3,†, Morimitsu Tanimoto4,‡, and Tsutomu T. Yanagida5,6,§

  • *Contact author: kobayashi@particle.sci.hokudai.ac.jp
  • †Contact author: otsuka.hajime@phys.kyushu-u.ac.jp
  • ‡Contact author: morimitsutanimoto@yahoo.co.jp
  • §Contact author: tsutomu.tyanagida@sjtu.edu.cn

Phys. Rev. D 113, 095034 – Published 26 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/f7bw-qlgs

Abstract

The unsuppressed CP violation in QCD is a problem in the standard model. If we have some mechanism to guarantee real determinants of the quark mass matrices, the vanishing physical vacuum angle θ¯ indicates the CP invariance at the fundamental level. Thus, the small θ¯ is technically natural, since we have an enhanced CP symmetry in the limit of the vanishing θ¯=0. In fact, it was proved that the vacuum angle is never renormalized up to the four-loop level once it is fixed at 0 value at some high energy scale. The purpose of this paper is to construct a model that guarantees the real determinants of the quark mass matrices assuming a noninvertible symmetry. In the present model, we have only one CP violating phase and hence all observable phases such as phases in the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix, in the neutrino oscillation and in the leptogenesis are related. It should be remarkable that the correct sign of the baryon-number asymmetry in the present Universe is obtained and a narrow region for the CP violating phase δCP≃192°–197° is predicted.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

References (58)

  1. M. B. Green, J. H. Schwarz, and E. Witten, Superstring Theory. Vol. 2: Loop Amplitudes, Anomalies and Phenomenology (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988).
  2. A. Strominger and E. Witten, New manifolds for superstring compactification, Commun. Math. Phys. 101, 341 (1985).
  3. T. Kobayashi, Y. Shimizu, K. Takagi, M. Tanimoto, T. H. Tatsuishi, and H. Uchida, CP violation in modular invariant flavor models, Phys. Rev. D 101, 055046 (2020).
  4. T. Kobayashi and H. Otsuka, Challenge for spontaneous CP violation in type IIB orientifolds with fluxes, Phys. Rev. D 102, 026004 (2020).
  5. K. Ishiguro, T. Kobayashi, and H. Otsuka, Spontaneous CP violation and symplectic modular symmetry in Calabi-Yau compactifications, Nucl. Phys. B973, 115598 (2021).
  6. P. P. Novichkov, J. T. Penedo, and S. T. Petcov, Modular flavour symmetries and modulus stabilisation, J. High Energy Phys. 03 (2022) 149.
  7. V. Knapp-Perez, X.-G. Liu, H. P. Nilles, S. Ramos-Sanchez, and M. Ratz, Matter matters in moduli fixing and modular flavor symmetries, Phys. Lett. B 844, 138106 (2023).
  8. T. Higaki, T. Kobayashi, K. Nasu, and H. Otsuka, Spontaneous CP violation and partially broken modular flavor symmetries, J. High Energy Phys. 09 (2024) 024.
  9. M. Yoshimura, Unified gauge theories and the baryon number of the universe, Phys. Rev. Lett. 41, 281 (1978).
  10. Q. Liang, R. Okabe, and T. T. Yanagida, Three-zero texture of quark-mass matrices as a solution to the strong CP problem, Phys. Lett. B 859, 139123 (2024).
  11. C. Abel et al., Measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron, Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 081803 (2020).
  12. J. R. Ellis and M. K. Gaillard, Strong and weak CP violation, Nucl. Phys. B150, 141 (1979).
  13. T. Kobayashi and H. Otsuka, Non-invertible flavor symmetries in magnetized extra dimensions, J. High Energy Phys. 11 (2024) 120.
  14. T. Kobayashi, H. Otsuka, and M. Tanimoto, Yukawa textures from non-invertible symmetries, J. High Energy Phys. 12 (2024) 117.
  15. S. Funakoshi, T. Kobayashi, and H. Otsuka, Quantum aspects of non-invertible flavor symmetries in intersecting/magnetized D-brane models, J. High Energy Phys. 04 (2025) 183.
  16. T. Kobayashi, Y. Nishioka, H. Otsuka, and M. Tanimoto, More about quark Yukawa textures from selection rules without group actions, J. High Energy Phys. 05 (2025) 177.
  17. T. Kobayashi, H. Otsuka, M. Tanimoto, and H. Uchida, Lepton mass textures from non-invertible multiplication rules, J. High Energy Phys. 08 (2025) 189.
  18. T. Kobayashi, H. Okada, and H. Otsuka, Radiative neutrino mass models from non-invertible selection rules, J. High Energy Phys. 12 (2025) 111.
  19. T. Nomura and H. Okada, Radiative lepton seesaw model in a non-invertible fusion rule and gauged B−L symmetry, arXiv:2506.16706.
  20. J. Chen, C.-Q. Geng, H. Okada, and J.-J. Wu, A radiative lepton model in a non-invertible fusion rule, Nucl. Phys. B1025, 117391 (2026).
  21. H. Okada and Y. Shigekami, Three-loop induced neutrino mass model in a non-invertible symmetry, arXiv:2507.16198.
  22. S. Jangid and H. Okada, A natural realization of inverse seesaw model in a non-invertible selection rule, arXiv:2508.16174.
  23. Q. Liang and T. T. Yanagida, Non-invertible symmetry as an axion-less solution to the strong CP problem, Phys. Lett. B 868, 139706 (2025).
  24. T. Kobayashi, H. Otsuka, and T. T. Yanagida, Noninvertible symmetry as a solution to the strong CP problem in a GUT-inspired standard model, Phys. Rev. D 113, 055016 (2026).
  25. P. R. S. Gomes, An introduction to higher-form symmetries, SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 74, 1 (2023).
  26. S. Schafer-Nameki, ICTP lectures on (non-)invertible generalized symmetries, Phys. Rep. 1063, 1 (2024).
  27. L. Bhardwaj, L. E. Bottini, L. Fraser-Taliente, L. Gladden, D. S. W. Gould, A. Platschorre et al., Lectures on generalized symmetries, Phys. Rep. 1051, 1 (2024).
  28. S.-H. Shao, What’s done cannot be undone: TASI lectures on non-invertible symmetries, arXiv:2308.00747.
  29. Y. Choi, H. T. Lam, and S.-H. Shao, Noninvertible global symmetries in the standard model, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 161601 (2022).
  30. C. Cordova, S. Hong, S. Koren, and K. Ohmori, Neutrino masses from generalized symmetry breaking, Phys. Rev. X 14, 031033 (2024).
  31. C. Cordova and K. Ohmori, Noninvertible chiral symmetry and exponential hierarchies, Phys. Rev. X 13, 011034 (2023).
  32. C. Cordova, S. Hong, and S. Koren, Non-invertible Peccei-Quinn symmetry and the massless quark solution to the strong CP problem, Phys. Rev. X 15, 031011 (2025).
  33. A. Delgado and S. Koren, Non-invertible Peccei-Quinn symmetry, natural 2HDM alignment, and the visible axion, J. High Energy Phys. 02 (2025) 178.
  34. G. Choi, T. Gherghetta, and J. Terning, Noninvertible chiral symmetry and axions under electromagnetic duality, Phys. Rev. D 112, 095023 (2025).
  35. M. Suzuki and L.-X. Xu, Phenomenological implications of a class of non-invertible selection rules, arXiv:2503.19964.
  36. T. Kobayashi, H. Mita, H. Otsuka, and R. Sakuma, Matter symmetries in supersymmetric standard models from non-invertible selection rules, arXiv:2506.10241.
  37. M. Suzuki, L.-X. Xu, and H. Y. Zhang, Spurion analysis for non-invertible selection rules from near-group fusions, arXiv:2508.14970.
  38. P. Minkowski, μ→eγ at a rate of one out of 109 muon decays?, Phys. Lett. 67B, 421 (1977).
  39. T. Yanagida, Horizontal gauge symmetry and masses of neutrinos, Conf. Proc. C 7902131, 95 (1979).
  40. T. Yanagida, Horizontal symmetry and mass of the top quark, Phys. Rev. D 20, 2986 (1979).
  41. M. Gell-Mann, P. Ramond, and R. Slansky, Complex spinors and unified theories, Conf. Proc. C 790927, 315 (1979).
  42. L. J. Dixon, J. A. Harvey, C. Vafa, and E. Witten, Strings on orbifolds, Nucl. Phys. B261, 678 (1985).
  43. L. J. Dixon, J. A. Harvey, C. Vafa, and E. Witten, Strings on orbifolds. 2, Nucl. Phys. B274, 285 (1986).
  44. S. Hamidi and C. Vafa, Interactions on orbifolds, Nucl. Phys. B279, 465 (1987).
  45. L. J. Dixon, D. Friedan, E. J. Martinec, and S. H. Shenker, The conformal field theory of orbifolds, Nucl. Phys. B282, 13 (1987).
  46. T. Kobayashi and N. Ohtsubo, Yukawa coupling condition of Z(N) orbifold models, Phys. Lett. B 245, 441 (1990).
  47. T. Kobayashi and N. Ohtsubo, Geometrical aspects of Z(N) orbifold phenomenology, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 09, 87 (1994).
  48. T. Kobayashi, Selection rules for nonrenormalizable couplings in superstring theories, Phys. Lett. B 354, 264 (1995).
  49. T. Kobayashi, R. Nishida, and H. Otsuka, Non-invertible selection rules on heterotic non-Abelian orbifolds, J. High Energy Phys. 03 (2026) 158.
  50. J. Dong, T. Jeric, T. Kobayashi, R. Nishida, and H. Otsuka, Discrete gauging and noninvertible selection rules, Phys. Rev. D 113, 056028 (2026).
  51. S. Antusch and V. Maurer, Running quark and lepton parameters at various scales, J. High Energy Phys. 11 (2013) 115.
  52. Particle Data Group, Review of particle physics, Phys. Rev. D 110, 030001 (2024).
  53. M. Tanimoto and T. T. Yanagida, Prediction of the CP phase δCP in the neutrino oscillation and an axion-less solution to the strong CP problem, Prog. Theor. Exp. Phys. 2025, 033B01 (2025).
  54. M. Tanimoto and T. T. Yanagida, Axionless solution to the strong CP problem—two-zeros textures of the quark and lepton mass matrices and neutrino CP violation–, arXiv:2504.06599.
  55. I. Esteban, M. C. Gonzalez-Garcia, M. Maltoni, T. Schwetz, and A. Zhou, The fate of hints: Updated global analysis of three-flavor neutrino oscillations, J. High Energy Phys. 09 (2020) 178.
  56. M. Fukugita and T. Yanagida, Baryogenesis without grand unification, Phys. Lett. B 174, 45 (1986).
  57. M. Plumacher, Baryogenesis and lepton number violation, Z. Phys. C 74, 549 (1997).
  58. K. Hamaguchi, Cosmological baryon asymmetry and neutrinos: Baryogenesis via leptogenesis in supersymmetric theories, other thesis, 2002, arXiv:hep-ph/0212305.

Outline

Information

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation