Grand unification, axion, and inflation in Intermediate Scale Supersymmetry

A class of supersymmetric grand unified theories is introduced that has a single scale below the cutoff, that of the supersymmetry breaking masses m ̃. For a wide range of the dimensionless parameters, agreement with the observed mass of the Higgs boson determines m ̃ ∼ 10 9-1013 GeV, yielding Intermediate Scale Supersymmetry. We show that within this framework it is possible for seesaw neutrino masses, axions, and inflation to be described by the scale m, offering the possibility of a unified origin of disparate phenomena. Neutrino masses allowing for thermal leptogenesis can be obtained, and the axion decay constant lies naturally in the range f a ∼ 109-1011 GeV, consistent with a recent observational suggestion of high scale inflation. A minimal SU(5) model is presented that illustrates these features. In this model, the only states at the grand unified scale are those of the heavy gauge supermultiplet. The grand unified partners of the Higgs doublets have a mass of order m, leading to the dominant proton decay mode p → v ̄ K +, which may be probed in upcoming experiments. Dark matter may be winos, with mass environmentally selected to the TeV scale, and/or axions. Gauge coupling unification is found to be successful, especially if the wino is at the TeV scale. © 2014 The Author(s)