Suppressing Proton Decay in Theories with Localised Fermions

Abstract

We calculate the contribution to the proton decay amplitude from Kaluza-Klein lepto-quarks in theories with extra dimensions, localised fermions and gauge fields which propagate in the bulk. Such models naturally occur within the context of M-theory. In SU(5) models we show that carefully including all such modes gives a distinctive pattern of decays through various channels including a strong suppression of decays into neutrinos or right handed positrons. By contrast there is no such suppression for SO(10).