Review of Nucleon Decay Searches at Super-Kamiokande

Understand

Baryon number violation appears in many contexts.

• It is a requirement for baryogenesis and is a consequence of Grand Unified Theories (GUTs), which predict nucleon decay.
• Nucleon decay searches provide the most direct way to test baryon number conservation and also serve as a unique probe of GUT scale physics around $10^{14-16}$ GeV.
• Such energies cannot be reached directly by accelerators.