Supersymmetry Breaking by Higher Dimension Operators

TL;DR

This paper explores a novel mechanism for supersymmetry breaking in N=1 theories through higher dimensional operators, leading to a goldstino without a superpartner and affecting the scalar potential.

Contribution

It introduces a new supersymmetry breaking mechanism using higher dimensional operators in various superfield multiplets, including nonminimal scalar multiplets.

Findings

Goldstino emerges as an auxiliary fermion in the breaking vacuum

No sgoldstino mode appears, goldstino is decoupled

Higher dimension operators generate a scalar potential

Abstract

We discuss a supersymmetry breaking mechanism for N = 1 theories triggered by higher dimensional op- erators. We consider such operators for real linear and chiral spinor superfields that break superymmetry and reduce to the Volkov-Akulov action. We also consider supersymmetry breaking induced by a higher dimensional operator of a nonminimal scalar (complex linear) multiplet. The latter differs from the stan- dard chiral multiplet in its auxiliary sector, which contains, in addition to the complex scalar auxiliary of a chiral superfield, a complex vector and two spinors auxiliaries. By adding an appropriate higher di- mension operator, the scalar auxiliary may acquire a nonzero vev triggering spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. We find that the spectrum of the theory in the supersymmetry breaking vacuum consists of a free chiral multiplet and a constraint chiral superfield describing the goldstino. Interestingly, the latter turns out to be one of the auxiliary fermions, which becomes dynamical in the supersymmetry breaking vacuum. In all cases we are considering here, there is no sgoldstino mode and thus the goldstino does not have a superpartner. The sgoldstino is decoupled since the goldstino is one of the auxiliaries, which is propagating only in the supersymmetry breaking vacuum. We also point out how higher dimension operators introduce a potential for the propagating scalar of the theory.