Are Four-Fermion Operators Relevant for the Fermion Mass Problem?

Abstract

Four-fermion operators may have large anomalous scaling and become relevant operators in some strongly interacting gauge theories. We present a detailed model which illustrates some of the implications of such operators for the generation of quark and lepton masses. Such operators would originate at high scales where quarks and leptons experience a new strong interaction, but no unbroken technicolor interaction is required. The breakdown of both the new gauge symmetry and electroweak gauge symmetry is associated with a dynamical TeV mass for fourth family quarks. Among the new physics signatures are anomalous (chromo)magnetic moments and their flavor-changing counterparts.