Symmetry-breaking patterns in left-right-symmetric models: How to ensure natural flavor conservation and a soft CP violation

A detailed analysis of the symmetry-breaking patterns in left-right-symmetric models is performed, looking for a soft violation of CP and requiring the absence of Higgs-boson-induced flavor-changing neutral currents in the light-Higgs-boson sector. The difficulties typical of pseudomanifest left-right-symmetric theories in ensuring both properties are discussed. An alternative approach is proposed in which the Weinberg-Salam projection of the left-right model is naturally flavor conserving and CP is spontaneously violated in the manner of Weinberg without effects of Kobayashi-Maskawa phases.