The Physics of Heavy Z' Gauge Bosons

Understand

The U(1)' symmetry associated with a possible heavy Z' would have profound implications for particle physics and cosmology.

• The motivations for such particles in various extensions of the standard model, possible ranges for their masses and couplings, and classes of anomaly-free models are discussed.
• Present limits from electroweak and collider experiments are briefly surveyed, as are prospects for discovery and diagnostic study at future colliders.
• Implications of a Z' are discussed, including an extended Higgs sector, extended neutralino sector, and solution to the mu problem in supersymmetry; exotic fermions needed for anomaly cancellation; possible flavor changing neutral current effects; neutrino mass; possible Z' mediation of supersymmetry breaking; and cosmological implications for cold dark matter and electroweak baryogenesis.