Compactification and Supersymmetry Breaking in M-theory

TL;DR

This paper explores various orbifold compactifications of M-theory to preserve N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions, analyzing their effects on the Kähler potential, superpotential, and SUSY breaking soft terms.

Contribution

It systematically studies multiple orbifold compactifications of M-theory, including next-to-leading order effects and SUSY breaking soft terms, highlighting small violations of scalar mass universality.

Findings

Universality of scalar masses is slightly violated.

Next-to-leading order corrections to Kähler potential and superpotential are computed.

Different orbifold compactifications yield varied SUSY breaking effects.

Abstract

Keeping N=1 supersymmetry in 4-dimension and in the leading order, we disuss the various orbifold compactifications of M-theory suggested by Horava and Witten on $T^6/Z_3$, $T^6/Z_6$, $T^6/Z_{12}$, and the compactification by keeping singlets under $SU(2)\times U(1)$ symmetry, then the compactification on $S^1/Z_2$. We also discuss the next to leading order K\"ahler potential, superpotential, and gauge kinetic function in the $Z_{12}$ case. In addition, we calculate the SUSY breaking soft terms and find out that the universality of the scalar masses will be violated, but the violation might be very small.