Moduli stabilization in heterotic M-theory

TL;DR

This paper advances understanding of moduli stabilization in heterotic M-theory by deriving the Kaehler potential dependence on bundle moduli, analyzing supersymmetric vacua, and exploring the impact of branes and non-perturbative effects.

Contribution

It provides a detailed derivation of the Kaehler potential including vector bundle moduli and charged matter, and studies supersymmetric vacua in heterotic M-theory.

Findings

Supersymmetric vacua without five-branes exist but are not phenomenologically viable.

Bundle moduli decouple from geometric moduli in the supersymmetry condition.

The results are largely independent of the vector bundle choice at the observable brane.

Abstract

We reconsider the ingredients of moduli stabilization in heterotic M-theory. On this line we close a gap in the literature deriving the Kaehler potential dependence on vector bundle moduli and charged matter. Crucial in this derivation is our superspace formulation of 5d heterotic M-theory taking into account the Bianchi identities modified by brane terms. Likewise, we obtain the Fayet-Iliopolous terms due to brane localised anomalous U(1)'s. After assembling perturbative and non-perturbative contributions to the superpotential, we study supersymmetric (adS) vacua. It is found that the susy condition decouples the bundle moduli from the geometric moduli. We show that M-theory supersymmetric vacua without five-branes can be found, albeit not at phenomenologically interesting values of the geometric moduli. This result is fairly independent of the choice of vector bundle at the observable brane.