We explore $G\times G$ unified theories with the visible and the hidden or dark sectors paired under a ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ symmetry. Developing a system of “asymmetric symmetry breaking” we motivate such models on the basis of their ability to generate dark baryons that are confined with a mass scale just above that of the proton, as motivated by asymmetric dark matter. This difference is achieved from the distinct but related confinement scales that develop in unified theories that have the two factors of $G$ spontaneously breaking in an asymmetric manner. We show how Higgs potentials that admit different gauge group breaking chains in each sector can be constructed, and demonstrate the capacity for generating different fermion mass scales. Lastly we discuss supersymmetric extensions of such schemes.

• Received 3 August 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.90.083501