Instanton Effects in Supergravity Theories

Non-perturbative effects of instanton-like solutions are studied within the framework of supergravity theories with field-dependent gauge functions. Fermionic zero modes are constructed and some typical correlation functions are evaluated. The effects of instantons are very similar to those in globally supersymmetric theories: they preserve supersymmetry while breaking a chiral $U(1)$ symmetry. Non-perturbative amplitudes receive corrections which are suppressed at large distances.