Supersymmetry and positive temperature for simple systems

It has recently been argued by Girardello et al. that supersymmetry is automatically broken at positive temperature even when unbroken at T = 0, in the sense that the usual derivation of identities from unbroken supersymmetry does not automatically generalize to T > 0. Using as a guide simple examples with one bosonic and one fermionic degree of freedom, we study how supersymmetry reflects itself in the properties of excited states, in particular in the thermal properties at positive temperature. We derive a class of relations [see eq. 1.2)] which extend to all T the familiar consequences of unbroken supersymmetry for ground-state expectation values; these relations hold for unbroken and spontaneously broken supersymmetry. With Levine and Tomozawa we consider the algebra generated by the supercharges. In the case of two supercharges it can be reduced to the Clifford algebra of Pauli spin matrices, for which the eigenstates form irreducible doublets, except that a zero-energy eigenstate may be a singlet. The relations mentioned above are shown to hold for each doublet individually [see eq. (4,7)]. Some additional remarks are made on supersymmetry breaking at zero and positive temperatures.     

Grand unification with local supersymmetry

We study general conditions for obtaining spontaneous breaking of local supersymmetry in N = 1 supergravity coupled to supersymmetric matter. We consider in particular the coupling of N = 1 supergravity to grand unified theories like SU(5) and study the conditions which must be met in order to obtain a realistic model. Specific models are built in which local supersymmetry is broken at a scale √M_Wm_p ～ 10¹⁰ GeV. This breaking of supersymmetry is only detected at low energies through soft terms breaking explicitly the global supersymmetry. These soft terms (scalar masses, gaugino masses and trilinear scalar couplings) are renormalized at low energies according to the renormalization group. The (mass)² of the Higgs doublet evolve towards negative values at low energies giving rise to SU(2) × U(1) breaking as a radiative effect of local supersymmetry breaking. We finally point out the possible relevance of non-renormalizable superpotentials for the problem of fermion masses.     

Homology of Lie algebra of supersymmetries and of super Poincaré Lie algebra

We study the homology and cohomology groups of super Lie algebras of supersymmetries and of super Poincaré Lie algebras in various dimensions. We give complete answers for (non-extended) supersymmetry in all dimensions ?11. For dimensions D=10,11 we describe also the cohomology of reduction of supersymmetry Lie algebra to lower dimensions. Our methods can be applied to extended supersymmetry Lie algebras.     

Spontaneous supersymmetry breaking by large-N matrices

Motivated by supersymmetry breaking in matrix model formulations of superstrings, we present some concrete models, in which the supersymmetry is preserved for any finite N, but gets broken at infinite N, where N is the rank of matrix variables. The models are defined as supersymmetric field theories coupled to some matrix models, and in the induced action obtained after integrating out the matrices, supersymmetry is spontaneously broken only when N is infinity. In our models, the large value of N gives a natural explanation for the origin of small parameters appearing in the field theories which trigger the supersymmetry breaking.     

Can inflation induce supersymmetry breaking in a metastable vacuum?

We argue that fields responsible for inflation and supersymmetry breaking are connected by gravitational couplings. In view of the recent progress in studying supersymmetry breaking in a metastable vacuum, we have shown that in models of supersymmetric hybrid inflation, where R-symmetry plays an important role, the scale of supersymmetry breaking is generated dynamically at the end of inflation and turns out to be consistent with gravity mediation.     

The supersymmetric Higgs mechanism—Quartet decoupling and nondoubled Goldstone bosons

A complete quantum field theoretic analysis of the supersymmetric Higgs mechanism is presented, in the general case where the Goldstone bosons may be either doubled or nondoubled. If gauge fields are coupled to nondoubled Goldstone bosons, it is found that supersymmetry is spontaneously broken not just by the masses but also by the spins of the physical particles. The spectrum reveals no supersymmetry multiplet structure. The decoupling of unphysical degrees of freedom is carefully discussed, and the quartet decoupling mechanism for gauged Goldstone bosons is extended to supersymmetry theories. The results are illustrated with an SU(2) × U(1) model.     

Primordial cosmological inflation versus local supersymmetry breaking in SUSY GUTs coupled toN=1 supergravity

We present a model for a SUSY GUT coupled toN=1 supergravity in which local supersymmetry breaks down in the gauge singlet sector. The constraints for the model to be physically acceptable are incompatible with inflation. The simultaneous breaking of local supersymmetry and gauge symmetry is proposed as a good prospect for inflation.     

On the absence of supersymmetry anomalies in gauge theories

It is shown that N = 2 non-abelian gauge theory can be renormalized consistent with gauge invariance, supersymmetry and unitarity. There is no perturbative supersymmetry anomaly: the proof is independent of any specific regulator.     

Quantum vortex strings: A review

The quantum worldsheet dynamics of vortex strings contains information about the 4d non-Abelian gauge theory in which the string lives. Here I tell this story. The string worldsheet theory is typically some variant of the CP^N-1 sigma-model, describing the orientation of the string in a U(N) gauge group. Qualitative parallels between 2d sigma-models and 4d non-Abelian gauge theories have been known since the 1970s. The vortex string provides a quantitative link between the two. In 4d theories with N=2 supersymmetry, the exact BPS spectrum of the worldsheet coincides with the bulk spectrum in 4d. Moreover, by tuning parameters, the CP^N-1 sigma-model can be coaxed to flow to an interacting conformal fixed point which is related to the 4d Argyres-Douglas fixed point. For theories with N=1 supersymmetry, the worldsheet theory suffers dynamical supersymmetry breaking and, more interestingly, supersymmetry restoration, in a way which captures the physics of Seiberg’s quantum deformed moduli space.     

Properties of the scalar potential in the supersymmetricSU(5) model

We investigate in detail the groundstates of the supersymmetricSU(5) model. The explicit breaking of supersymmetry is shown to be tightly restricted to select the phenomenologically desired vacuum. If the model contains two or more generations, a breaking of supersymmetry by a cosmological constant yields a potential which is not bounded from below.     

(2, 0) supersymmetry and space-time supersymmetry in the heterotic string theory

Criteria for unbroken N=1 space-time supersymmetry in the heterotic string theory in the presence of background fields are discussed. We make use of the construction of the fermion vertex operator in the Neveu-Schwarz-Ramond model. (2, 0) world-sheet supersymmetry is shown to be one of the necessary conditions for space-time supersymmetry in most cases. Constraints on the various background fields implied by (2, 0) world-sheet supersymmetry are derived, taking into account the effect of σ-model loop corrections. Special care is taken to study the effect of local Lorents and gauge anomaly on these constraints. Our analysis determines the constraints unambigously up to field redefinitions.     

Nonlinear supersymmetry without the GSO projection and unstable D9-brane

Orientable open string theories containing both bosons and fermions without the GSO projection are expected to have the 10-dimensional N=2 space–time supersymmetry in a spontaneously broken phase. We study the low-energy theorem for the nonlinearly realized N=2 supersymmetry using the effective action for an unstable D9-brane. It is explicitly confirmed that the 4-fermion open string amplitudes without the GSO projection obey the low-energy theorem derived from the nonlinear N=2 supersymmetry. An intimate connection between the existence of the hidden supersymmetry and the open–open string (s–t) duality is pointed out.     

Finiteness, 1/N expansion and supersymmetry breaking

The possibility of spontaneous supersymmetry breaking in the limit of large N, in models with an internal O(N) symmetry, is demonstrated by constructing an explicit example in two dimensions. The model is finite and this is shown to be important for the supersymmetry breaking. A general criterion for finiteness of scalar superfield theories in two dimensions is given. Finally, the generalization of our results to three dimensions, and their relevance to four-dimensional models, is discussed.     

Semiclassical solutions ofOSp(N,4) supersymmetry 0

This work analyzes the connection between the so-called reflective boundary conditions and the spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry in anti-de Sitter background space. The one-loop effective potential of the Wess-Zumino model is computed using the supersymmetry invariant Pauli-Villars regularization procedure. The effect of the background geometry is determined exactly. It is shown that supersymmetry is preserved to the one-loop order at each classically supersymmetric extremum of the effective potential. Depending on the reflective boundary conditions chosen, quantum shifts in theA-field andB-field vacuum solutions are exhibited.     

New local supersymmetry of the Vierbein formalism of Einstein gravity

The new local supersymmetry of the vierbein formalism of Einstein gravity for theN=1 case is reconsidered and the canonical quantization is carried out explicitly. The super-covariant derivative is defined with the genuine connection supermultiplet constructed from the vierbein and the ξ-field which plays the role of the Goldstone fermion of the supersymmetry. The extended BRS algebra concerning the supersymmetry is found explicitly.     

Neutrino oscillations from supersymmetry without R-parity—its implications on the flavor structure of the theory

We discuss here some flavor structure aspects of the complete theory of supersymmetry without R-parity addressed from the perspective of fitting neutrino oscillation data based on the recent Super-Kamiokande result. The single-VEV parameterization of supersymmetry without R-parity is first reviewed, illustrating some important features not generally appreciated. For the flavor structure discussions, a naive, flavor-model-independent, analysis is presented, from which a few interesting things can be learned.     

Investigation of some supersymmetric decay channels of theZ

We consider the decay of the intermediate vector bosonZ into two fermions and two Goldstone fermions in a model realizing supersymmetry in a nonlinear way. Since the Goldstone fermions are neutrino-like particles, the experimental signature would be two leptons or two jets together with missing energy. We show that for a scale of spontaneous supersymmetry breaking of the order 70 GeV the rate for this process should be detectable in LEP-experiments.     

Spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry through dimensional reduction

A general technique for deriving consistent theories with spontaneously broken supersymmetry and massive gravitinos is illustrated by exploiting the chiral invariance of N = 1 supergravity in four dimensions to construct a theory with broken N = 2 supersymmetry in three dimensions.     

Local supersymmetry anomaly in two dimensions

We study the local supersymmetry anomaly by constructing an N = 1 (counted by Majorana-Weyl spinors) chiral supergravity model in two dimensions. There is the local supersymmetry anomaly as well as the gravitational anomaly. We obtain the linearized forms of these anomalies by perturbation calculation. The full non-linear forms are obtained by finding a solution to the Wess-Zumino consistency condition. These anomalies can be derived from the supersymmetric extension of the Chern-Simons invariant in three dimensions.     

Anti-de Sitter BPS black holes in N=2 gauged supergravity

Electrically charged solutions breaking half of the supersymmetry in Anti-de Sitter four dimensional N=2 supergravity coupled to vector supermultiplets are constructed. These static black holes live in an asymptotic AdS₄ space time. The Killing spinor, i.e., the spinor for supersymmetry variation is explicitly constructed for these solutions.