AMSB and the Logic of Spontaneous SUSY Breaking

TL;DR

This paper discusses the principles of spontaneous supersymmetry breaking, emphasizing the role of F and D terms, and clarifies misconceptions about anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking (AMSB) related to quantum effects and compensators.

Contribution

It clarifies the theoretical foundation of AMSB, especially the role of compensators, and addresses misconceptions about quantum effects causing explicit SUSY breaking.

Findings

Corrects the misunderstanding about the gaugino mass term in AMSB

Highlights the importance of proper compensator identification in SUSY breaking

Comments on recent literature to clarify theoretical principles

Abstract

A cardinal principle of any theory of spontaneous (${\cal N}=1$) supersymmetry breaking, is that the order parameter is a linear combination of the F and D terms. Also as long as the supersymmetry of the action is preserved at the quantum level, this principle should be valid after the appropriate corrections are incorporated into the Kaehler potential, the superpotential, and the gauge coupling functions that define the theory. The claim that in AMSB there is an extra term for the gaugino mass that is proportional to the gravitino mass, is then equivalent to the statement that quantum effects cause an explicit breaking of (local) SUSY. Expanding on previous work, we argue that this arises from confusing the scalar compensator with the density compensator. We comment on various recent papers on AMSB.