Quest for a phenomenologically consistent low cutoff theory

The Randall-Sundrum model with the Higgs localized on the IR brane solves the gauge hierarchy problem. However, the associated low cutoff (Λ ∼ 10 TeV) generically leads to unacceptably rapid nucleon decay and excessively large Majorana neutrino masses. Achieving consistency while simultaneously explaining the Yukawa hierarchy requires either a horizontal symmetry or a discrete gauged symmetry. We demonstrate that eliminating all dangerous operators within a horizontal symmetry framework must come with large and unattractive charge assignments, if possible at all. Hence, we consider an exact discrete gauged Ζ_N symmetry, with fermion mass hierarchies generated via wavefunction overlap. We employ this to reproduce the current CKM and PMNS structures. Under minimal assumptions, it predicts Dirac neutrinos with a total mass ∼ 66 meV. Since the Ζ_N charges must be generation-blind, flavor observables serve as key probes.