Will discrete symmetries help solve the hierarchy problem? Original Research Article

We explore the idea that massless Higgs doublets at the GUT scale can be the natural result of a discrete symmetry. Such a mechanism will not require elaborate fine-tuning or complicated particle content. The same discrete symmetry will also protect against proton decay and flavor changing neutral currents. Unfortunately, we find that this mechanism is not compatible with the minimal supersymmetric standard model if generic couplings are assumed. In typical string models, however, some couplings can vanish without VIOLATING any symmetries. Therefore, the possibility of a similar mechanism having relevance to the real world is still open.