arXiv subjects

Zohar Komargodski

Publications and source records attributed to Zohar Komargodski.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Vector Mesons and an Interpretation of Seiberg Duality

We interpret the dynamics of Supersymmetric QCD (SQCD) in terms of ideas familiar from the hadronic world. Some mysterious properties of the supersymmetric theory, such as the emergent magnetic gauge symmetry, are shown to have analogs in QCD. On the other hand, several phenomenological concepts, such as "hidden local symmetry" and "vector meson dominance," are shown to be rigorously realized in SQCD. These considerations suggest a relation between the flavor symmetry group and the emergent gauge fields in theories with a weakly coupled dual description.

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arXiv2010

Global Symmetries and D-Terms in Supersymmetric Field Theories

We study the role of D-terms in supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking. By carefully analyzing the SUSY multiplets containing various conserved currents in theories with global symmetries, we obtain a number of constraints on the renormalization group flow in supersymmetric field theories. Under broad assumptions, these results imply that there are no SUSY-breaking vacua, not even metastable ones, with parametrically large D-terms. This explains the absence of such D-terms in models of dynamical SUSY-breaking. There is, however, a rich class of calculable models which generate comparable D-terms and F-terms through a variety of non-perturbative effects; these D-terms can be non-abelian. We give several explicit examples of such models, one of which is a new calculable limit of the 3-2 model.

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arXiv2010

Direct Gaugino Mediation

We describe renormalizable supersymmetric four-dimensional theories which lead to gaugino mediation and various generalizations thereof. Even though these models are strongly coupled, we can demonstrate the parametric suppression of soft scalar masses via Seiberg duality. For instance, we show that our models have a parameter which continuously interpolates between suppressed soft scalar masses and their conventional gauge mediated contribution. The main physical effect which we utilize is the general relation between massive deformations in one frame and higgsing in the dual frame. Some compelling and relatively unexplored particle physics scenarios arise naturally in this framework. We offer preliminary comments on various aspects of the phenomenology and outline several of the outstanding open problems.

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arXiv2010

Comments on Supercurrent Multiplets, Supersymmetric Field Theories and Supergravity

We analyze various supersymmetry multiplets containing the supercurrent and the energy-momentum tensor. The most widely known such multiplet, the Ferrara-Zumino (FZ) multiplet, is not always well-defined. This can happen once Fayet-Iliopoulos (FI) terms are present or when the Kahler form of the target space is not exact. We present a new multiplet S which always exists. This understanding of the supersymmetry current allows us to obtain new results about the possible IR behavior of supersymmetric theories. Next, we discuss the coupling of rigid supersymmetric theories to supergravity. When the theory has an FZ-multiplet or it has a global R-symmetry the standard formalism can be used. But when this is not the case such simple gauging is impossible. Then, we must gauge the current S. The resulting theory has, in addition to the graviton and the gravitino, another massless chiral superfield Phi which is essential for the consistency of the theory. Some of the moduli of various string models play the role of Phi. Our general considerations, which are based on the consistency of supergravity, show that such moduli cannot be easily lifted thus leading to constraints on gravity/string models.

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arXiv2010

Exactly Marginal Deformations and Global Symmetries

We study the problem of finding exactly marginal deformations of N=1 superconformal field theories in four dimensions. We find that the only way a marginal chiral operator can become not exactly marginal is for it to combine with a conserved current multiplet. Additionally, we find that the space of exactly marginal deformations, also called the "conformal manifold," is the quotient of the space of marginal couplings by the complexified continuous global symmetry group. This fact explains why exactly marginal deformations are ubiquitous in N=1 theories. Our method turns the problem of enumerating exactly marginal operators into a problem in group theory, and substantially extends and simplifies the previous analysis by Leigh and Strassler. We also briefly discuss how to apply our analysis to N=2 theories in three dimensions.

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arXiv2010

General Messenger Gauge Mediation

We discuss theories of gauge mediation in which the hidden sector consists of two subsectors which are weakly coupled to each other. One sector is made up of messengers and the other breaks supersymmetry. Each sector by itself may be strongly coupled. We provide a unifying framework for such theories and discuss their predictions in different settings. We show how this framework incorporates all known models of messengers. In the case of weakly-coupled messengers interacting with spurions through the superpotential, we prove that the sfermion mass-squared is positive, and furthermore, that there is a lower bound on the ratio of the sfermion mass to the gaugino mass.

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arXiv2010

Soft Terms from Broken Symmetries

In theories of phyiscs beyond the Standard Model (SM), visible sector fields often carry quantum numbers under additional gauge symmetries. One could then imagine a scenario in which these extra gauge symmetries play a role in transmitting supersymmetry breaking from a hidden sector to the Supersymmetric Standard Model (SSM). In this paper we present a general formalism for studying the resulting hidden sectors and calculating the corresponding gauge mediated soft parameters. We find that a large class of generic models features a leading universal contribution to the soft scalar masses that only depends on the scale of Higgsing, even if the model is strongly coupled. As a by-product of our analysis, we elucidate some IR aspects of the correlation functions in General Gauge Mediation. We also discuss possible phenomenological applications.

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arXiv2009

A Bound on the Superpotential

We prove a general bound on the superpotential in theories with broken supersymmetry and broken R-symmetry, 2|W|< f_a F, where f_a and F are the R-axion and Goldstino decay constants, respectively. The bound holds for weakly coupled as well as strongly coupled theories, thereby providing an exact result in theories with broken supersymmetry. We briefly discuss several possible applications.

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arXiv2009

From Linear SUSY to Constrained Superfields

We present a new formalism for finding the low-energy effective Lagrangian of Goldstinos and other fields. This Lagrangian is written using standard superspace and the superfields are constrained to include only the light degrees of freedom. The Goldstino resides in a (constrained) chiral superfield X which is naturally identified at short distances. This allows us to exactly compute the IR behavior of some correlation functions even in strongly coupled theories with SUSY breaking. The Goldstino couplings above the scale of the matter superpartners are determined by identifying X with the standard spurion. At energies below the superpartners' scale, fermions, scalars (including Goldstone bosons) and gauge fields are also described by constrained superfields. Our framework makes it easy to find the leading order terms in the Lagrangian and to control their corrections. It simplifies the derivation of many known results and leads to new ones.

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arXiv2009

Uplifted Metastable Vacua and Gauge Mediation in SQCD

Anomalously small gaugino masses are a common feature of various models of direct gauge mediation. This problem is closely related to the vacuum structure of the theory. In this paper we show that massive SQCD can have SUSY-breaking vacua which are qualitatively different from the ISS vacuum. These novel vacua are metastable with respect to decay to the ISS vacuum. We demonstrate the possibility of addressing the gaugino mass problem in this framework. We study the properties of these vacua and construct an example of a model of direct gauge mediation.

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arXiv2009

Comments on the Fayet-Iliopoulos Term in Field Theory and Supergravity

A careful analysis of the Fayet-Iliopoulos (FI) model shows that its energy momentum tensor and supersymmetry current are not gauge invariant. Since the corresponding charges are gauge invariant, the model is consistent. However, our observation about the currents gives a new perspective on its restrictive renormalization group flow and explains why FI-terms never appear in dynamical supersymmetry breaking. This lack of gauge invariance is at the root of the complications of coupling the model to supergravity. We show that this is possible only if the full supergravity theory (including all higher derivative corrections) has an additional exact continuous global symmetry. A consistent quantum gravity theory cannot have such symmetries and hence FI-terms cannot appear. Our results have consequences for various models of particle physics and cosmology.

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arXiv2009

Notes on SUSY and R-Symmetry Breaking in Wess-Zumino Models

We study aspects of Wess-Zumino models related to SUSY and R-symmetry breaking at tree-level. We present a recipe for constructing a wide class of tree-level SUSY and R-breaking models. We also deduce a general property shared by all tree-level SUSY breaking models that has broad application to model building. In particular, it explains why many models of direct gauge mediation have anomalously light gauginos (even if the R-symmetry is broken spontaneously by an order one amount). This suggests new approaches to dynamical SUSY breaking which can generate large enough gaugino masses.

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arXiv2009

mu and General Gauge Mediation

We address the mu-problem in the context of General Gauge Mediation (GGM). We classify possible models depending on the way the Higgs fields couple to the supersymmetry breaking hidden-sector. The different types of models have distinct signatures in the MSSM parameters. We find concrete and surprisingly simple examples based on messengers in each class. These examples lead to all the soft masses and a consistent Higgs-sector.

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arXiv2008

Dynamical SUSY and R-symmetry breaking in SQCD with massive and massless flavors

We show that supersymmetry and R-symmetry can be dynamically broken in a long-lived metastable vacuum of SQCD with massive and massless flavors. The vacuum results from a competition of a (leading) two-loop effect and small "Planck" suppressed higher-dimension operators. This mechanism provides a particularly simple realization of dynamical SUSY and R-symmetry breaking, and as such it is a good starting point for building phenomenologically viable models of gauge mediation. We take a preliminary step in this direction by constructing a complete model of minimal gauge mediation. Here we find that the parameters of the model are surprisingly constrained by the hidden sector. Similar mechanisms for creating long-lived states operate in a large class of models.

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arXiv2008

On SQCD with massive and massless flavors

We consider supersymmetric QCD in the free magnetic phase with massless and massive flavors. The theory has a supersymmetry breaking pseudo-moduli space of vacua and a runaway behavior far away from the origin. A two-loop computation reveals that the origin is destabilized and there is no meta-stable SUSY breaking solution. We also study the embedding of this model in type IIA string theory and find evidence for similar behavior. The perturbative brane dynamics involves simple interactions between branes, correctly predicting the two-loop result in the gauge theory. Our results also apply to the case when all the flavors are massive but have hierarchy among them, leading to possible instability which is manifest both in field theory and the brane description.

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arXiv2008

On collinear factorization of Wilson loops and MHV amplitudes in N=4 SYM

We consider the (multi) Splitting function of Wilson loops and MHV gluon scattering S matrix elements in N=4 SYM. At strong coupling, one can utilize the methods of Alday and Maldacena and at weak coupling (one loop) the correspondence to light like Wilson loops is used. In both cases, the (multi) Splitting function corresponds to flattened cusps in the light like polygon, allowing for a clean disentanglement from the other gluons. We compute it in some cases and estimate some terms in other cases. We also prove the anomalous Ward identity of Drummond et al. in the strong coupling regime. Lastly, we briefly comment on a possible strategy for a proof of collinear factorization of Wilson loops at higher orders of perturbation theory.

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arXiv2007

Planar quark scattering at strong coupling and universality

We discuss scattering of fundamental matter in the planar and strong coupling limit via the AdS/CFT correspondence, generalizing the recently proposed calculation for adjoint matter due to Alday and Maldacena [arXiv:0705.0303]. Color decomposition of quark amplitudes is a key property allowing to repeat the procedure in the case of fundamental matter and to derive the relation of these strong coupling amplitudes to minimal area problems. We present the results for two different D3-D7 systems, one is only conformal in the planar limit and the other is exactly conformal. Our results suggest a universal behavior of scattering amplitudes at strong coupling and planar limit (both for gluons and quarks).

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arXiv2007

The space-time operator product expansion in string theory duals of field theories

We study the operator product expansion (OPE) limit of correlation functions in field theories which possess string theory duals, from the point of view of the string worldsheet. We show how the interesting ("single-trace") terms in the OPE of the field theory arise in this limit from the OPE of the worldsheet theory of the string dual, using a dominant saddle point which appears in computations of worldsheet correlation functions in the space-time OPE limit. The worldsheet OPE generically contains only non-physical operators, but all the non-physical contributions are resummed by the saddle point to a contribution similar to that of a physical operator, which exactly matches the field theory expectations. We verify that the OPE limit of the worldsheet theory does not have any other contributions to the OPE limit of space-time correlation functions. Our discussion is completely general and applies to any local field theory (conformal at high energies) that has a weakly coupled string theory dual (with arbitrary curvature). As a first application, we compare our results to a proposal of R. Gopakumar for the string theory dual of free gauge theories.

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