HORIZONTAL GAUGE SYMMETRY AND A NEW PICTURE FOR THE B-QUARK

We attempt to use a horizontal gauge symmetry in addition to SU(2)L×U(1) to understand Cabibbo universality and the fermion masses. We compute the mixing angle between the light (u,d,s,c) and the heavy (t,b,g,h) quarks and show that it is small. The Cabibbo angle remains undetermined. In this scheme flavor-changing neutral currents exist between the heavy and the light fermions. Owing to this the picture of the decay of the b quark differs from the currently held view. The masses of all the predicted fermions are predicted. © 1979 The American Physical Society.