The MSSM from Scherk-Schwarz Supersymmetry Breaking

We present a five-dimensional model compactified on an interval where supersymmetry is broken by the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism. The gauge sector propagates in the bulk, two Higgs hypermultiplets are quasilocalized, and quark and lepton multiplets localized, in one of the boundaries. The effective four-dimensional theory is the MSSM with very heavy gauginos, heavy squarks and light sleptons and Higgsinos. The soft tree-level squared masses of the Higgs sector can be negative and they can (partially) cancel the positive one-loop contributions from the gauge sector. Electroweak symmetry breaking can then comfortably be triggered by two-loop radiative corrections from the top-stop sector. The fine tuning required to obtain the electroweak scale is found to be much smaller than in the MSSM, with essentially no fine-tuning for few TeV gaugino masses. All bounds from direct Higgs searches at LEP and from electroweak precision observables can be satisfied. The lightest supersymmetric particle is a (Higgsino-like) neutralino that can accomodate the abundance of Dark Matter consistently with recent WMAP observations.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure

Fermions and Supersymmetry Breaking in the Interval

We study fermions, such as gravitinos and gauginos in supersymmetric theories, propagating in a five-dimensional bulk where the fifth dimensional component is assumed to be an interval. We show that the most general boundary condition at each endpoint of the interval is encoded in a single complex parameter representing a point in the Riemann sphere. Upon introducing a boundary mass term, the variational principle uniquely determines the boundary conditions and the bulk equations of motion. We show the mass spectrum becomes independent from the Scherk-Schwarz parameter for a suitable choice of one of the two boundary conditions. Furthermore, for any value of the Scherk-Schwarz parameter, a zero-mode is present in the mass spectrum and supersymmetry is recovered if the two complex parameters are tuned.Comment: 10 pages. v2: Paragraph on off-shell globally supersymmetric Lagrangian added. Version published in PL

Non-local symmetry breaking in Kaluza-Klein theories

Scherk-Schwarz gauge symmetry breaking of a D-dimensional field theory model compactified on a circle is analyzed. It is explicitly shown that forbidden couplings in the unbroken theory appear in the one-loop effective action only in a non-local way, implying that they are finite at all orders in perturbation theory. This result can be understood as a consequence of the local gauge symmetry, but it holds true also in the global limit.Comment: v2: Wilson loop contributions and generalization to SU(N) included; references added. v3: version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Softly Broken Supersymmetric Desert from Orbifold Compactification

A new viewpoint for the gauge hierarchy problem is proposed: compactification at a large scale, 1/R, leads to a low energy effective theory with supersymmetry softly broken at a much lower scale, \alpha/R. The hierarchy is induced by an extremely small angle \alpha which appears in the orbifold compactification boundary conditions. The same orbifold boundary conditions break Peccei-Quinn symmetry, leading to a new solution to the \mu problem. Explicit 5d theories are constructed with gauge groups SU(3) \times SU(2) \times U(1) and SU(5), with matter in the bulk or on the brane, which lead to the (next-to) minimal supersymmetric standard model below the compactification scale. In all cases the soft supersymmetry-breaking and \mu parameters originate from bulk kinetic energy terms, and are highly constrained. The supersymmetric flavor and CP problems are solved.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, corrected values for A parameter

An algorithm for the Cartan-Dieudonn\'e theorem on generalized scalar product spaces

We present an algorithmic proof of the Cartan-Dieudonn\'e theorem on generalized real scalar product spaces with arbitrary signature. We use Clifford algebras to compute the factorization of a given orthogonal transformation as a product of reflections with respect to hyperplanes. The relationship with the Cartan-Dieudonn\'e-Scherk theorem is also discussed in relation to the minimum number of reflections required to decompose a given orthogonal transformation.Comment: 25 page

Symmetry breaking from Scherk-Schwarz compactification

We analyze the classical stable configurations of an extra-dimensional gauge theory, in which the extra dimensions are compactified on a torus. Depending on the particular choice of gauge group and the number of extra dimensions, the classical vacua compatible with four-dimensional Poincar\'e invariance and zero instanton number may have zero energy. For SU(N) on a two-dimensional torus, we find and catalogue all possible degenerate zero-energy stable configurations in terms of continuous or discrete parameters, for the case of trivial or non-trivial 't Hooft non-abelian flux, respectively. We then describe the residual symmetries of each vacua.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure, Section 4 modifie

Naturally split supersymmetry

Nonobservation of superparticles till date, new Higgs mass limits from the CMS and ATLAS experiments, WMAP constraints on relic density, various other low energy data, and the naturalness consideration, all considered simultaneously imply a paradigm shift of supersymmetric model building. In this paper we perform, for the first time, a detailed numerical study of brane-world induced supersymmetry breaking for both minimal and next-to-minimal scenarios. We observe that a naturally hierarchical spectrum emerges through an interplay of bulk, brane-localized and quasi-localized fields, which can gain more relevance in the subsequent phases of the LHC run.Comment: 6 pages, 6 eps figures; v2: minor updates, to appear in JHE

Radius Stabilization by Two-Loop Casimir Energy

It is well known that the Casimir energy of bulk fields induces a non-trivial potential for the compactification radius of higher-dimensional field theories. On dimensional grounds, the 1-loop potential is ~ 1/R^4. Since the 5d gauge coupling constant g^2 has the dimension of length, the two-loop correction is ~ g^2/R^5. The interplay of these two terms leads, under very general circumstances (including other interacting theories and more compact dimensions), to a stabilization at finite radius. Perturbative control or, equivalently, a parametrically large compact radius is ensured if the 1-loop coefficient is small because of an approximate fermion-boson cancellation. This is similar to the perturbativity argument underlying the Banks-Zaks fixed point proposal. Our analysis includes a scalar toy model, 5d Yang-Mills theory with charged matter, the examination of S^1 and S^1/Z_2 geometries, as well as a brief discussion of the supersymmetric case with Scherk-Schwarz SUSY breaking. 2-Loop calculability in the S^1/Z_2 case relies on the log-enhancement of boundary kinetic terms at the 1-loop level.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, uses axodraw, references adde

Kaehler Corrections for the Volume Modulus of Flux Compactifications

No-scale models arise in many compactifications of string theory and supergravity, the most prominent recent example being type IIB flux compactifications. Focussing on the case where the no-scale field is a single unstabilized volume modulus (radion), we analyse the general form of supergravity loop corrections that affect the no-scale structure of the Kaehler potential. These corrections contribute to the 4d scalar potential of the radion in a way that is similar to the Casimir effect. We discuss the interplay of this loop effect with string-theoretic alpha' corrections and its possible role in the stabilization of the radion.Comment: 8 pages, references adde

Quantum Equivalence of Massive Antisymmetric Tensor Field Models in Curved Space

We study the effective actions for massive rank-2 and rank-3 antisymmetric tensor field models in curved space-time. These models are classically equivalent to massive vector field and massive scalar field with minimal coupling to gravity respectively. We prove that effective action for massive rank-2 antisymmetric tensor field is exactly equal to one for massive vector field and effective action for massive rank-3 antisymmetric tensor field is exactly equal to one for massive scalar field. Prove is based on an identity for mass-dependent zeta-functions associated with Laplacians acting on $p$-forms.Comment: 8 pages, REVTeX fil