Prospects for superstring models with two vacuum expectation values for standard model singlets

The spontaneous breaking of rank-six intermediate groups to the standard model in superstring phenomenology is examined. It requires the existence of two vacuum expectation values, one for each standard model singlet in the 27 chiral representation of E6. We use a simplified model based on the group SU(3)CxSU(2)LxSU(2)RxU(1)LxU(1)R. It is found that the well-known phenomenological constraints such as proton decay, vanishing neutrino masses and flavour-changing neutral currents allow for the possibility of sizeable Yukawa couplings for the two standard model singlets which can originate low energy negative masses. The proof of this radiative breaking relies, however, on several parameters whose magnitude is unpredicted, but is facilitated if the mass of the exotic quark is large (≅ 300 GeV). (orig.)