Quantum properties of higher dimensional and dimensionally reduced supersymmetric theories

We discuss the relation of quantum properties of d-dimensional and dimensionally reduced theories with a special emphasis on the use of a regularization accounting for power divergences. The main examples are N=1, d=10 super Yang-Mills (SYM₁₀¹) and N=1, d=11 supergravity (SG₁₁¹) and their reductions. In particular, we understand the vanishing of the one-loop β-function in SYM₄⁴ (zero conformal anomalies in SG₄⁸) as a consequence of the absence of L⁶ (L⁷) power divergences in SYM₁₀¹(SG₁₁¹). The heat kernel expansion coefficients b_2k, k=0,…, 3 are found to be zero for SG₁₁¹ (as well as for SYM₁₀¹ and SG₁₀¹ and thus the one-loop finiteness of maximal SGs in d?7 is explicity demonstrated. We also present the expressions for the one-loop constant gauge field effective lagrangian and scalar effective potential in the SYM₄⁴ theory and analyse the problem of N=4 supersymmetry breaking.     

Vacuum alignment in supersymmetric gauge theories

The vacuum alignment problem is analyzed in the context of supersymmetric gauge theories with dynamical symmetry breaking. Three cases are distinguished, depending on whether the vacuum expectation value of the weak gauge current superfield in vacuum characterized by the orientation Ω is zero for all Ω, for some Ω, or for no Ω. In the first case, a non-renormalization theorem is proved to all orders in the weak coupling, showing that the usual criterion of minimizing the vacuum energy density is insufficient to determine the alignment, and possible resolutions of the problem are discussed. The second case is similar, except that the possible alignments are resricted to the range of Ω giving a vanishing VEV and the weak gauge group may then be broken non-minimally. In the third case, supersymmetry is itself broken at the tree level by the weak interactions. The supersymmetric generalization of the Schwinger mechanism for dynamical mass generation is described.     

The one-loop Green’s functions of dimensionally reduced gauge theories

We apply the dimensional regularization technique as well as that by dimensional reduction to the calculation of the regularized one-loop Green’s functions ind ₀-dimensional Yang-Mills theory with real massless scalars and spinors in arbitrary (real) representations of a gauge groupG. As a particular example, the super-symmetrically regularized one-loop Green’s functions of theN=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills model are derived.     

Decoupling in supersymmetric theories

We examine the decoupling of massive states in supergravity theories. Using superspace functional techniques to “integrate out” the massive modes we derive the effective low-energy lagrangian. The technique is extended to the case of large supersymmetry breaking and we show how the effective lagrangian correctly accounts for vacuum expectation values of massive fields. We discuss the structure of effective theories following from the superstring in which the effects of Kaluza-Klein modes and states massive after intermediate scale breaking are included. It is shown in the case of large intermediate scale breaking the theory should possess discrete symmetries to protect light states from large supersymmetry breaking and we list the conditions for viable models.     

Instantons in supersymmetric theories

Instanton effects are considered for a sample of supersymmetric theories, namely, quantum mechanics, gluodynamics, Higgs model. The problem is how to reconcile the apparent lack of the boson-fermion symmetry in the effective instanton induced interactions with supersymmetry of the corresponding lagrangians. It is shown that in the case of quantum mechanics and the Higgs model there is actually no conflict between supersymmetry and the instanton calculus since the Ward identities, associated with the supersymmetry transformations, are satisfied. In quantum mechanics this is due to spontaneous symmetry breaking, or pole terms in matrix elements of supercharge, while in the case of the supersymmetric Higgs model the effective fermion interaction just reduces to a total derivative. In the case of supersymmetric gluodynamics, however, the standard instanton calculus explicitly violates naive Ward identities.     

New inflation in supersymmetric theories

A new inflationary universe scenario is considered based upon phase transitions in supersymmetric unified models where the Higgs potential is of the Witten-O'Raifeartaigh type.     

Flavour violation in supersymmetric theories

We investigate in detail the question of lepton-flavour violation in a SU(2) × U(1) supersymmetric model, where the breaking of supersymmetry (SUSY) is achieved through the coupling to N = 1 supergravity. It is shown that in the limit of degenerate neutrino masses, lepton flavour is exactly conserved. Allowing for neutrino masses compatible with present experimental limits, we analyse SUSY contributions to several lepton-flavour violating processes, comparing the size of these contributions with those already present in the standard Glashow-Salam-Weinberg model. In the case of μ → eγ, SUSY leads to a branching ratio two or three orders of magnitude larger than the corresponding branching ratio in the standard model, for gravitino and photino masses compatible with the experimental limits on the muon anomalous magnetic moment. In contrast, SUSY contributions to are always small, of the order of 10⁻² of the corresponding amplitudes in the standard model, if the gravitino and photino masses are constrained by the K_L − K_S mass difference.     

Instanton effects in supersymmetric theories

We calculate some simplest n-point functions in supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories contributed by instantons. The result is not vanishing and we discuss some implications of this. In particular, the dynamics of the supersymmetric theories must exhibit some unusual features.     

Chiral anomalies in supersymmetric theories

The supersymmetric non-abelian chiral anomaly is computed in a theory of chiral scalar superfields coupled to external gauge superfields, both in a vector-current conserving scheme and in a left-right symmetric scheme. The corresponding supersymmetric Wess-Zumino term is discussed; in particular we give an explicit expression for the anomalous bosonic term.     

Degenerate representations in supersymmetric theories

Degenerate representations are theoretically constructed with the Neveu-Virasoro algebra. The differential relation is derived from the correlation functions in these representations.     

Vacuum condensates in supersymmetric gluodynamics

We analyse the restrictions imposed by supersymmetric Ward identities on the dimension-six condensates in supersymmetric gluodynamics. It is shown that the system of the Ward identities admits a nonzero value for the four-fermion condensate \(\left\langle {\left( {\lambda \sigma _\mu T^a \bar \lambda } \right)^2 } \right\rangle _0 \) while 〈f ^abc F _μν ^a F _νρ ^b F _ρμ ^c 〉₀ must vanish.     

On goldstone fields in supersymmetric theories

Some aspects concerning the spontaneous breakdown of global internal symmetries in N = 1 supersymmetric theories are discussed. They can be relevant in the context of supersymmetric preon models. We emphasize the connection of Goldstone dynamics to the linear model. Several statements about the number of Goldstone fields are made. The structure of non-linear lagrangians is discussed. In addition, we consider questions concerning complementarity.     

Lorentz violation in supersymmetric field theories

We construct supersymmetric Lorentz violating operators for matter and gauge fields. We show that in the supersymmetric standard model the lowest possible dimension for such operators is five, and therefore they are suppressed by at least one power of an ultraviolet energy scale, providing a possible explanation for the smallness of Lorentz violation and its stability against radiative corrections. Supersymmetric Lorentz noninvariant operators do not lead to modifications of dispersion relations at high energies thereby escaping constraints from astrophysical searches for Lorentz violation.     

Exact matrix elements in supersymmetric theories

The lowest representatives of the form factors relative to the trace operators of N = 1 super sinh-Gordon model are exactly calculated. The novelty of their determination consists in solving a coupled set of unitarity and crossing equations. Analytic continuations of the form factors as functions of the coupling constant allows for the study of interesting models in a uniform way, among these the latest model of the Roaming series and the minimal supersymmetric models as investigated by Schoutens. A fermionic version of the c-theorem is also proved and the corresponding sum rule derived.     

Instanton effects in supersymmetric gauge theories

We investigate how in supersymmetric gauge theories non-perturbative effects are able to generate non-trivial vacuum properties otherwise forbidden by perturbative non-renormalization theorems. This conclusion can be reliably drawn since the constancy of certain Green functions — due to supersymmetry (SUSY) — allows one to connect vacuum-dominated large distances with short-distance behaviour which is reliably computed by instanton methods. In all the cases we discuss (without matter, with massive or massless matter in real representations and, finally, with matter in complex representations) instanton calculations imply the occurrence of a variety of condensates. For the pure SUSY gauge theory, a gluino condensate induces the spontaneous breaking of Z_2N. For massive super-quantum chromodynamics (SQCD) we find a peculiar mass dependence of matter condensates whose origin is traced to mass singularities of non-zero mode instanton contributions. These contributions force the massless limit of SQCD to differ from the strictly massless case, in which the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetries is induced. Inconsistency with an anomaly equation forces either infinite matter condensates or spontaneous SUSY breaking in the massless cases. For non-constant Green functions, instantons are shown to provide new calculable short-distance singularities of an obvious non-perturbative nature.     

Supercurrent anomaly in non-abelian supersymmetric theories

A method for regularizing the supercurrent, preserving both gauge invariance and supersymmetry is developed, using point-splitting regularization and path-dependent phase factors in superspace. The supercurrent anomaly for general non-abelian supersymmetric theories is obtained on the mass-shell in the one-loop approximation.     

Non-perturbative aspects in supersymmetric gauge theories

We review our present understanding of those non-perturbative features of supersymmetric gauge theories that are believed to determine the properties of their ground states (vacua). A wide variety of theories is discussed in detail: pure Yang-Mills, theories with massive or massless real matter fields, theories with chiral matter, both for SU(N) and for the case of a general compact gauge group (as for instance E₈). Depending on some general features of the theory under consideration, various (perhaps) unexpected phenomena are shown to occur. Among these the breakdown of the (perturbatively established) non-renormalization theorem, the occurrence of runaway vacua in certain limits, the spontaneous dynamical breaking of supersymmetry itself in some chiral theories. Throughout the report we restrict ourselves to the confining picture instanton method, occasionally complementing it with the information coming from chiral and supersymmetric Ward-Takahashi identities. We compare our results with the ones suggested earlier by effective Lagrangian methods and, only briefly, with those obtained by other groups in the Higgs picture.