Gauge strata and particle generations

Phenomenological evidence suggests the existence of non-trivial background fields in the QCD vacuum. On the other hand SU(3) gauge theory possessses three different classes of both non-generic and non-trivial strata that may be used as classical backgrounds. It is suggested that this threefold multiplicity of non-trivial vacua may be related to the existence of particle generations, which would then find an explanation in the framework of the standard model. Within the limits of its accuracy, all experimental data known so far is consistent with a SU(3) c × SU(2) L × U(1) Y gauge theory as a model for particle physics. However, several features of the observed low energy phenomena remain to be explained. Among these the generation structure, in the quark and lepton spectra, stands as one of the most intriguing puzzles. Several schemes, going beyond the gauge group of the standard model, have been proposed to describe the existence of particle generations, ranging from family groups, horizontal symmetries, radial excitations, enlarged groups, preon models to superstrings. Contrary to this beyond the standard model trend, I will argue in this letter that, by itself, the gauge group of the standard model already contains a multiplicity in the space of its solutions that is reminiscent of the particle generations structure. For definiteness I will consider physical states as being represented by quantum fluctuations around classical solutions and physical processes as 1