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Abstract:Family puzzle asks why the Standard Model (SM) features exactly 3 families of quarks and leptons. Motivated by topological constraints, we study 4d fermionic anomalies with discrete $Z_n$ symmetry, classified by the 5d spin bordism group. We show that only the group-cohomology subclass H$^5(Z_n,U(1))\cong Z_n$ can be canceled by an anomalous $Z_n$-symmetric 4d $Z_n$-gauge topological quantum field theory (TQFT), while beyond-group-cohomology $A_{Z_n}p_1$ involving the Pontryagin class $p_1$ cannot (except $n=2,3$). More generally, we prove that any cocycle $\alpha_d\in$H$^d(Z_n,U(1))$ in odd spacetime dimension $d\ge3$ is trivialised by the symmetry extension $1\to Z_n\to Z_{n^2}\to Z_n\to 1,$ and we construct the corresponding symmetric anomalous boundary TQFT. For $d=5$ and $n=3$, this yields a Spin$\times Z_3$-symmetric 4d $Z_3$-gauge TQFT that cancels the mixed discrete $(\bf B+L)$-gauge-gravitational anomaly of the SM in the absence of 3 "sterile" right-handed neutrinos $\nu_R$. We analyze a generalized SM with $N_c$ colors and $N_f$ families and argue that missing $N_f$ copies of the $\nu_R$ can be naturally replaced by a 4d anomalous $Spin\times_{Z_2^F}Z_{2 N_f,{\bf B + L}}$ symmetric $Z_N$-gauge TQFT under the anomaly cancellation, via a $Z_N$ symmetry extension construction $1\to Z_N\to Spin\times Z_{NN_f}\to Spin\times_{Z_2^F}Z_{2N_f}\to1$ of anomalous topological order. For minimal nonzero $(N,N_f)$, the allowed minimal extensions are $N=1,3,4,12$, depending on divisibility of $N_f$ by 2 and 3. Combining Witten anomaly and other constraints, we prove that $N=N_c=N_f=3$, with 3 families and 3 colors, is the unique minimal solution to match with the color-center baryon-to-quark symmetry extension $1\to Z_{N_c}\to Spin\times_{Z_2^F}Z_{2N_cN_f,{\bf Q}+N_c{\bf L}}\to Spin\times_{Z_2^F}Z_{2 N_f,{\bf B+L}}^F\to1$. We also prove that $A_{Z_3}p_1=0\mod3$ for the mod 3 cohomology class.

Submission history

From: Juven C. Wang [view email]
[v1] Mon, 25 May 2026 17:59:57 UTC (72 KB)
[v2] Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:30:46 UTC (363 KB)