Towards supersymmetric cosmology in M theory

We present a new solution in the heterotic M-theory in which the metric depends on (cosmic) time. The solution preserves N=1 supersymmetry in 4 dimensions in the leading order of the $\kappa^{2/3}$ expansion. It is the first example of the time-dependent supersymmetric solution in M-theory on $S^1/Z_2$. It describes expanding 4-dimensional space-time with shrinking orientifold interval and static Calabi-Yau internal space.Comment: latex, 12 page

New brane solutions in higher order gravity

We consider the higher order gravity with dilaton and with the leading string theory corrections taken into account. The domain wall type solutions are investigated for arbitrary number of space-time dimensions. The explicit formulae for the fixed points and asymptotic behavior of generic solutions are given. We analyze and classify solutions with finite effective gravitational constant. There is a class of such solutions which have no singularities. We discuss in detail the relation between fine tuning and self tuning and clarify in which sense our solutions are fine-tuning free. The stability of such solutions is also discussed.Comment: 22 pages, Latex, 3 figures; discussion of effective gravitational constant and of one type of solutions extended; references adde

Higher order dilaton gravity: brane equations of motion in the covariant formulation

Dilaton gravity with general brane localized interactions is investigated. Models with corrections up to arbitrary order in field derivatives are considered. Effective gravitational equations of motion at the brane are derived in the covariant approach. Dependence of such brane equations on the bulk quantities is discussed. It is shown that the number of the bulk independent brane equations of motion depends strongly on the symmetries assumed for the model and for the background. Examples with two and four derivatives of the fields are presented in more detail.Comment: 32 pages, references added, discussion extended, typos corrected, version to be publishe

Effects of Supersymmetric Threshold Corrections on High-Scale Flavor Textures

Integration of superpartners out of the spectrum induces potentially large contributions to Yukawa couplings. These corrections, the supersymmetric threshold corrections, therefore influence the CKM matrix prediction in a non-trivial way. We study effects of threshold corrections on high-scale flavor structures specified at the gauge coupling unification scale in supersymmetry. In our analysis, we first consider high-scale Yukawa textures which qualify phenomenologically viable at tree level, and find that they get completely disqualified after incorporating the threshold corrections. Next, we consider Yukawa couplings, such as those with five texture zeroes, which are incapable of explaining flavor-changing proceses. Incorporation of threshold corrections, however, makes them phenomenologically viable textures. Therefore, supersymmetric threshold corrections are found to leave observable impact on Yukawa couplings of quarks, and any confrontation of high-scale textures with experiments at the weak scale must take into account such corrections.Comment: 25 pages, submitted to JHE

Domain walls without cosmological constant in higher order gravity

We consider a class of higher order corrections with arbitrary power $n$ of the curvature tensor to the standard gravity action in arbitrary space-time dimension $D$. The corrections are in the form of Euler densities and are unique at each $n$ and $D$. We present a generating functional and an explicit form of the corresponding conserved energy-momentum tensors. The case of conformally flat metrics is discussed in detail. We show that this class of corrections allows for domain wall solutions since, despite the presence of higher powers of the curvature tensor, the singularity structure at the wall is of the same type as in the standard gravity. However, models with higher order corrections have larger set of domain wall solutions and the existence of these solutions no longer depends on the presence of cosmological constants. We find for example that the Randall-Sundrum scenario can be realized without any need for bulk and/or brane cosmological constant.Comment: latex, 10 pages, introduction extended, references added, typos correcte

Supersymmetric Electroweak Renormalization of the Z-Width in the MSSM (I)

Within the framework of the MSSM, we compute the complete set of electroweak one-loop supersymmetric quantum effects on the width $\Gamma_Z$ of the $Z$-boson in the on-shell renormalization scheme. Numerical analyses of the corrections to the various partial widths into leptons and quarks are presented. On general grounds, the average size of the electroweak SUSY corrections to $\Gamma_Z$ may well saturate the level of the present theoretical uncertainties, even if considering the full supersymmetric spectrum lying in the neighbourhood of the unaccessible LEP 200 range. Remarkably enough, for the present values of the top quark mass, the electroweak SUSY effects could be, globally, very close or even bigger than the electroweak SM corrections, but opposite in sign. Therefore, in the absence of theoretical errors, there are large regions of parameter space where one could find that, effectively, the electroweak SM corrections are ``missing'', or even having the ``wrong'' sign. This should be helpful in discriminating between the SM and the MSSM. However, an accurate prediction of the electroweak quantum effects on $\Gamma_Z$ will only be possible, if $\Delta r$ and $\alpha_s$ are pinned down in the future with enough precision.Comment: 17 p. in LaTeX. Preprint UAB-FT-343. Error in figure caption #3 corrected. Results unchange

Sparticle Mass Spectra from SO(10) Grand Unified Models with Yukawa Coupling Unification

We examine the spectrum of superparticles obtained from the minimal SO(10) grand unified model, where it is assumed the gauge symmetry breaking yields the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) as the effective theory at $M_{GUT}\sim 2\times 10^{16}$ GeV. In this model, unification of Yukawa couplings implies a value of $\tan\beta\sim 45-55$. At such high values of $\tan\beta$, assuming universality of scalar masses, the usual mechanism of radiative electroweak symmetry breaking breaks down. We show that a set of weak scale sparticle masses consistent with radiative electroweak symmetry breaking can be generated by imposing non-universal GUT scale scalar masses consistent with universality within SO(10) plus extra $D$-term contributions associated with the reduction in rank of the gauge symmetry group when SO(10) spontaneously breaks to $SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$. We comment upon the consequences of the sparticle mass spectrum for collider searches for supersymmetry. One implication of SO(10) unification is that the light bottom squark can be by far the lightest of the squarks. This motivates a dedicated search for bottom squark pair production at $p\bar{p}$ and $e^+e^-$ colliders.Comment: 12 page REVTEX file including 3 PS figures; revised manuscript includes minor changes to coincide with published versio

Do electroweak precision data and Higgs-mass constraints rule out a scalar bottom quark with mass of O(5 GeV)?

We investigate the phenomenological implications of a light scalar bottom quark, with a mass of about the bottom quark mass, within the minimal supersymmetric standard model. The study of such a scenario is of theoretical interest, since, depending on their production and decay modes, light sbottoms may have escaped experimental detection up to now and, in addition, may naturally appear for large values of \tan\beta. In this article we show that such a light sbottom cannot be ruled out by the constraints from the electroweak precision data and the present bound on the lightest CP-even Higgs boson mass at LEP. It is inferred that a light sbottom scenario requires in general a relatively light scalar top quark whose mass is typically about the top-quark mass. It is also shown that under these conditions the lightest CP-even Higgs boson decays predominantly into scalar bottom quarks in most of the parameter space and that its mass is restricted to m_h ~< 123 GeV.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, LateX. Discussion about fine tuning and low-energy experiments enlarged. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Perspectives for Detection of a Higgsino-like Relic Neutralino

It has been conjectured by Ambrosanio, Kane, Kribs, Martin and Mrenna (AKM) that the CDF event $p \bar p \to e^+ e^- \gamma \gamma + missing E_T$ is due to a decay chain involving two neutralino states (the lightest and the next-to-lightest ones). The lightest neutralino ($\chi_{AKM}$) has been further considered by Kane and Wells as a candidate for cold dark matter. In this paper we examine the properties of relic $\chi_{AKM}$'s in their full parameter space, and examine the perspectives for detection by comparing theoretical predictions to sensitivities of various experimental searches. We find that for most regions of the parameter space the detectability of a relic $\chi_{AKM}$ would require quite substantial improvements in current experimental sensitivities. The measurements of neutrino fluxes from the center of the Earth and of an excess of $\bar{p}/p$ in cosmic rays are shown to offer some favorable perspectives for investigating a region of the $\chi_{AKM}$ parameter space around the maximal $\tan \beta$ value allowed by the model.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, 10 postscript figure