Low-energy supergravity: False vacua and vacuous predictions

The coupling of supersymmetric gauge theories to N = 1 supergravity leads to a description of physics at the TeV scale in terms of an effective theory in which global supersymmetry is broken by a constrained set of soft operators. In the minimal model of this type, we show that the renormalization g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear physics. B 1983-01, Vol.228 (3), p.501-528
Main Authors: Claudson, Mark, Hall, Lawrence J., Hinchliffe, Ian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Exact sciences and technology
General relativity and gravitation
Physics
Quantum gravity
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Summary:The coupling of supersymmetric gauge theories to N = 1 supergravity leads to a description of physics at the TeV scale in terms of an effective theory in which global supersymmetry is broken by a constrained set of soft operators. In the minimal model of this type, we show that the renormalization group scaling of the Higgs mass-squared operator can induce breaking of the weak interaction gauge symmetry even if all quarks and leptons are lighter than 20 GeV. In this scenario, the vacuum is unstable against decay into a deeper vacuum which violates electromagnetic and color gauge symmetries. However, numerical computations reveal a range of parameters for which the lifetime of the false vacuum is longer than the age of the universe.
ISSN:0550-3213
1873-1562
DOI:10.1016/0550-3213(83)90556-4