Neutrinos: Windows to Planck Physics

Abstract

After recalling some elegant contributions of the late Freydoon Mansouri, we turn to neutrino physics and use a {\it modicum} of grand unification to relate quark and lepton mixing matrices. We advocate an expansion for the MNS matrix, {\it à la} Wolfenstein, and argue that in a wide class of models, ${\theta }_{13}$ is a Cabibbo mixing effect. Also the large neutrino mixing angles reflect the mass patterns of the right-handed neutrinos near the Planck scale, and provide evidence for family structure at that scale.

Comments: COntribution to Quantum Theory and Symmetries COnference, Univ of Cincinatti, October 2003; Latex, 11 pages