Counter-intuition and Scalar Masses

TL;DR

This paper explores how mechanisms for fine-tuning the cosmological constant may also apply to scalar masses, suggesting a preference for large negative (tachyonic) bare scalar masses in string theory.

Contribution

It generalizes existing results to show that fine-tuning scalar masses favors large negative bare masses, providing new insights into scalar mass hierarchies in string theory.

Findings

Large negative bare scalar masses are favored by the fine-tuning mechanism.

The mechanism extends to scalar masses, paralleling the cosmological constant case.

Implications for low energy supersymmetry are briefly discussed.

Abstract

The Bousso-Polchinski mechanism for discretely fine-tuning the cosmological constant favors a large bare negative cosmological constant. I argue (using generalizations of results of Klebanov and Tseytlin) that a similar mechanism for fine-tuning the scalar masses to small values favors a large bare negative (i.e. tachyonic) scalar mass. I comment briefly on the related issue of the role of low energy supersymmetry in string theory.