Supersymmetry breaking in 4D string theory

Abstract

We construct a (locally supersymmetric) four-fermion effective lagrangian description of the strong binding effects responsible for the formation of a gaugino condensate, extending the analysis to include the multiple moduli of orbifold compactification. Using this to estimate the binding we find that supersymmetry is broken and a phenomenologically realistic value for the gravitino mass and gauge coupling constant at the unification scale with only one gaugino condensate may be obtained. The main source for supersymmetry breaking is the VEV of the auxiliary field of the dilaton h s (i.e. h S ⪢ h T , where T are moduli fields). By studying the scalar potential we find either that the vacuum expectation values of the moduli have a common value related to the vacuum expectation value of the dilaton or that they take the values of the dual invariant points. A squeezed orbifold can thus naturally be obtained, allowing for the possibility of minimal string unification. We include chiral matter fields and derive the scalar potential up to one-loop level. The one-loop potential is responsible for stabilising the scalar potential for vanishing vacuum expectation values of the chiral matter fields. We then calculate the soft supersymmetry breaking parameters in the visible sector. Finally we show that with a suitable choice of superpotential it is possible to cancel the cosmological constant while having supersymmetry broken.