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.     

Charged-lepton-flavour violation in kaon decays in supersymmetric theories

We discuss rare kaon decays that violate charged-lepton flavour conservation in supersymmetric theories with and without R parity, in view of possible experiments using an intense proton source as envisaged for a neutrino factory. In the minimal supersymmetric standard model, such decays are generated by box diagrams involving charginos and neutralinos, but the limits from –e conversion and constrain the branching ratios to challengingly small values. However, this is no longer the case in R-violating theories, where such decays may occur at tree level at rates close to the present experimental limits. Within this framework, we obtain bounds on products of and operators from the experimental upper limits on and decays. We also note the possibility of like-sign lepton decays in the presence of non-zero – mixing. We conclude that rare kaon decays violating charged-lepton flavour conservation could be an interesting signature of R violation. Received: 8 September 2000 / Published online: 17 December 2001     

Noncommutative field theory and Lorentz violation

The role of Lorentz symmetry in noncommutative field theory is considered. Any realistic noncommutative theory is found to be physically equivalent to a subset of a general Lorentz-violating standard-model extension involving ordinary fields. Some theoretical consequences are discussed. Existing experiments bound the scale of the noncommutativity parameter to (10 TeV)(-2).     

Electromagnetic duality transformations in supersymmetric field theories

We explore the properties of theories which are invariant under electromagnetic duality.N=2 supergravity Yang-Mills systems are discussed in more details. In particular, a symplectic and coordinate covariant framework is established which allows one to discuss classical and quantum duality symmetries (T andS dualities), as they emerge in superstrings in four dimensions withN=2 spacetime supersymmetry.This article is dedicated to the memory of my friend Julian Schwinger     

The ultra-violet question in maximally supersymmetric field theories

We discuss various approaches to the problem of determining which supersymmetric invariants are permitted as counterterms in maximally supersymmetric super Yang–Mills and supergravity theories in various dimensions. We review the superspace non-renormalisation theorems based on conventional, light-cone, harmonic and certain non-Lorentz covariant superspaces, and we write down explicitly the relevant invariants. While the first two types of superspace admit the possibility of one-half BPS counterterms, of the form F ⁴ and R ⁴ respectively, the last two do not. This suggests that UV divergences begin with one-quarter BPS counterterms, i.e. d ² F ⁴ and d ⁴ R ⁴, and this is supported by an entirely different approach based on algebraic renormalisation. The algebraic formalism is discussed for non-renormalisable theories and it is shown how the allowable supersymmetric counterterms can be determined via cohomological methods. These results are in agreement with all the explicit computations that have been carried out to date. In particular, they suggest that maximal supergravity is likely to diverge at four loops in D = 5 and at five loops in D = 4, unless other infinity suppression mechanisms not involving supersymmetry or gauge invariance are at work.     

Thermal and superthermal properties of supersymmetric field theories

We discuss the finite-temperature behaviour of supersymmetric field theories. We show that their “superthermal” properties which concern the question of susy breaking at finite temperature and their thermal properties must be considered separately. Susy breaking is determined by the so-called superthermal ensemble, whereas thermodynamical properties follow from the conventional thermal ensemble, leading to the usual statistics for the bosonic and fermionic components of a superfield. We show that superspace techniques can be used in a straightforward way only for superthermal Green functions but not for thermal ones. We also discuss the possibility of finite-temperature susy restoration and the implications of Goldstone's theorem at finite temperature.     

CPT violation implies violation of Lorentz invariance

A interacting theory that violates CPT invariance necessarily violates Lorentz invariance. On the other hand, CPT invariance is not sufficient for out-of-cone Lorentz invariance. Theories that violate CPT by having different particle and antiparticle masses must be nonlocal.     

Lorentz violation in high-energy ions

The theoretical interest in small Lorentz violations has motivated experiments that investigate it by measuring deviations in the time dilation predicted by special relativity (SR) using high-energy ions. The main contribution of this article is to show that including the Doppler effect in the emission (which is of the same order as the time dilation effect) in the analysis leads to differences between experimental and theoretical predictions that indicate potential Lorentz violation.     

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.     

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.     

Lorentz violation in the linearized gravity

We study some physical consequences of the introduction of a Lorentz-violating modification term in the linearized gravity, which leads to modified dispersion relations for gravitational waves in the vacuum. We discuss two possible mechanisms for the induction of such a term in the Lagrangian. First, it is generated at the quantum level by a Lorentz-breaking coupling of the gravity field to a spinor field. Second, it appears as consequence of a particular modification of the Poisson algebra of the canonical variables, in the spirit of the so-called “noncommutative fields approach”.     

Central charges and Lorentz and internal symmetries in massive supersymmetric quantum field theory

The properties of central charges in the framework of the massive supersymmetric quantum field theory related to internal symmetries, Lorentz covariance and locality of the fields are investigated. It is shown that in the presence of z central charges the largest semisimple part of the internal symmetry algebra is a direct sum of z compact symplectic group algebras and possibly an additional term representing the unimodular unitary group algebra. Next it is shown that 4j ? N + K, where j is the highest spin value of the underlying fields, N is the number of spinorial charges and K the number of these spinorial charges which are not linked to other spinorial charges by a central charge. It is further demonstrated that, in general, the central charge can not be redefined in such a way that it is at the same time real and preserves the locality principle. The discussion of the obtained results concludes the paper.     

Lorentz invariance violation in modified gravity

We consider an environmentally dependent violation of Lorentz invariance in scalar–tensor models of modified gravity where General Relativity is retrieved locally thanks to a screening mechanism. We find that fermions have a modified dispersion relation and would go faster than light in an anisotropic and space-dependent way along the scalar field lines of force. Phenomenologically, these models are tightly restricted by the amount of Cerenkov radiation emitted by the superluminal particles, a constraint which is only satisfied by chameleons. Measuring the speed of neutrinos emitted radially from the surface of the earth and observed on the other side of the earth would probe the scalar field profile of modified gravity models in dense environments. We argue that the test of the equivalence principle provided by the Lunar ranging experiment implies that a deviation from the speed of light, for natural values of the coupling scale between the scalar field and fermions, would be below detectable levels, unless gravity is modified by camouflaged chameleons where the field normalisation is environmentally dependent.     

Gravity from local Lorentz violation

In general relativity, gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light, and so gravitons are massless. The masslessness can be traced to symmetry under diffeomorphisms. However, another elegant possibility exists: masslessness can instead arise from spontaneous violation of local Lorentz invariance. We construct the corresponding theory of gravity. It reproduces the Einstein-Hilbert action of general relativity at low energies and temperatures. Detectable signals occur for sensitive experiments, and potentially profound implications emerge for our theoretical understanding of gravity. Third Award in the 2005 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation, 2005. - Ed.     

The smooth cohomology ofN=2 supersymmetric Landau-Ginzburg field theories

We compute the smooth cohomology (both unrestricted and compactly supported) of the supercharge of an ultraviolet cutoffN=2 supersymmetric Landau-Ginzburg field theory.Supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant DMS-9206936.Supported in part by the Department of Energy under grant DE-FG02-88ER25065.