Preons, Braid Topology, and Representations of Fundamental Particles

Abstract

In particle phenomenology, preon models study compositional rules of standard model interactions. In spite of empirical success, mathematical underpinnings of preon models in terms of group representation theory have not been fully worked out. Here, we address this issue while clarifying the relation between different preon models. In particular, we focus on two prominent models: Bilson-Thompson’s helon model and Lambek’s 4-vector model. We determine the mapping between helon model particle states and representation theory of Lie algebras. Braided ribbon diagrams of the former represent on-shell states of spinors of the Lorentz group. Braids correspond to chirality, and twists, to charges. We note that this model captures only the \(SU(3)_c\times U(1)_{em}\) sector of the standard model. We then map the twists of helon diagrams to the weight polytope of \(SU(3)_c \times U(1)_{em}\). The braid structure maps to chiral states of fermions. We also show that Lambek’s 4-vector can be recovered from helon diagrams. Alongside, we introduce a new 5-vector representation derived from the weight lattice. This representation contains both the correct interactions found in 4-vectors and the inclusion of chirality found in helons. Additionally, we demonstrate topological analogues of CPT transformations in helon diagrams. The braid diagrams of the helon model are the only ones that are self-consistent with CPT invariance. In contrast to field-theoretic approaches, the compositional character of preon models offers an analogous particle-centric perspective on fundamental interactions.