REVIEW
Naturalness Versus Supersymmetric Non-renormalization Theorems
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology · Submitted 30 Sep 1993 · 15 references
Pith's verdict: The paper that turned holomorphy in background couplings into the standard tool for exact N=1 results; the argument is short, checkable, and mostly holds, with §4.4 the one place where a step is asserted rather than derived.
T0 · AI review
Why Pith says this
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Referee report
The paper
The paper claims
Seiberg argues that the superpotential of a supersymmetric theory is far more rigid than its symmetries alone would allow, and that this rigidity survives non-perturbative corrections.
The reading
What carries the argument
The mechanism is to promote every coupling constant in the bare superpotential to a background chiral superfield with an infinite kinetic term, so that its non-zero value looks like spontaneous breaking of the global symmetry $G$ that exists at zero coupling. Three further constraints do the work: holomorphicity, meaning $W_{eff}$ depends on the couplings but not their conjugates; smoothness as the dynamical scale $ $ goes to zero, which forbids negative powers of $ $ and, in instanton-dominated cases, forbids powers of $ $ smaller than the one-loop beta-function exponent; and the behaviour at weak coupling, where the answer can be read off perturbatively even though $W_{eff}$ may be non-analytic at zero coupling because massless fields are being integrated out. Together these fix the unknown functions in each example to a finite polynomial, and the finiteness is what rules out the extra invariant terms.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The paper claims a new non-renormalization theorem that applies both perturbatively and non-perturbatively: the effective superpotential $W_{eff}$ of a supersymmetric theory is not a generic function of the fields consistent with the symmetries, because certain invariant terms are simply never generated. The author states this as a violation of naturalness in its full non-perturbative form, and offers it as a replacement for the older supergraph proof of the perturbative theorem. The claim is carried by worked examples rather than by a single formal statement: Wess-Zumino models recover $W_{eff} = m^2 + g^3$ exactly; supersymmetric QCD with one massive quark gives $W_{eff} = (m^3)$ with no higher powers of the mass; a singlet-coupled model gives $W_{eff} = g' S^3 + (gS)^{N_f/N}$, exact in both couplings; and an $SU(3) SU(2)$ model shows that supersymmetry can break dynamically even with no continuous R symmetry, because a term like $^6 LQ d$ that would have restored supersymmetry is not generated. The author is careful to say the arguments are heuristic and assume the theory can be regularized while preserving all the global symmetries.
Load-bearing premise
In the singlet model and in the $SU(3) SU(2)$ model the unknown function of the couplings is asserted to be a finite polynomial — $f(x) = x + 1 +$ smaller terms, and $f(u,v,w) = 1 + u + v + w$ — and nothing in the symmetry, holomorphicity, or asymptotic-freedom constraints proves that the series terminates.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- Exact superpotentials for supersymmetric QCD with masses and singlet couplings follow without any approximation scheme, for example $W_{eff} = \lambda' S^3 + \alpha \Lambda^{(3N-N_f)/N}(\lambda S)^{N_f/N}$ with no higher-order corrections in either coupling.
- The naturalness principle fails non-perturbatively: terms consistent with every symmetry of the problem are not generated, so the effective superpotential is not the most general invariant one.
- Dynamical supersymmetry breaking is possible in theories with no continuous R symmetry, removing the phenomenological obstruction that had been raised against such models.
- The perturbative non-renormalization theorem is rederived without supergraph technology, and the reported holomorphic anomaly in the Wess-Zumino model is identified as an infrared artifact of the 1PI effective action that cannot appear in the Wilsonian one.
Reading between the lines
- The rigidity is really a statement about which non-perturbative sectors are allowed to contribute: only effects whose power of the dynamical scale matches the one-loop beta function can generate an operator, which suggests a general rule for reading off which instanton sectors can produce which terms.
- The paper's sharp distinction between the Wilsonian and 1PI effective actions implies that many reported anomalies in supersymmetric effective actions are bookkeeping of infrared physics rather than genuine failures of the theorem.
- Because the device works by treating a coupling as the expectation value of a field, it should transfer directly to settings where a coupling really is a field — the dilaton being the motivating case — giving selection rules for the resulting effective superpotential.
- A concrete test of the argument's weakest step is to compute the next orders in the couplings in the singlet model by instanton methods; a non-zero correction there would be a clean counterexample to the claimed exactness.
Original abstract
We give an intuitive proof of a new non-renormalization theorem in supersymmetric field theories. It applies both perturbatively and non-perturbatively. The superpotential is not renormalized in perturbation theory but receives non-perturbative corrections. However, these non-perturbative corrections are {\it not} generic functions of the fields consistent with the symmetries. Certain invariant terms are not generated. This violation of naturalness has applications to dynamical supersymmetry breaking.
The compiled record
The paper's own sentences, arranged, kept beside the review and separate from it. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.
The abstract, sentence by sentence
We give an intuitive proof of a new non-renormalization theorem in supersymmetric field theories. It applies both perturbatively and non-perturbatively. The superpotential is not renormalized in perturbation theory but receives non-perturbative corrections. However, these non-perturbative corrections are {\it not} generic functions of the fields consistent with the symmetries. Certain invariant terms are not generated. This violation of naturalness has applications to dynamical supersymmetry breaking.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | We give an intuitive proof of a new non-renormalization theorem in supersymmetric field theories. | contribution 1.00 | 0.95 | 0.24 | asserted 1.00 |
| s1 | It applies both perturbatively and non-perturbatively. | result 0.69 | 0.68 | 0.07 | asserted 1.00 |
| s2 | The superpotential is not renormalized in perturbation theory but receives non-perturbative corrections. | result 0.80 | 0.38 | 0.20 | asserted 1.00 |
| s3 | However, these non-perturbative corrections are {\it not} generic functions of the fields consistent with the symmetries. | result 0.99 | 0.79 | 0.42 | asserted 1.00 |
| s4 | Certain invariant terms are not generated. | result 0.99 | 0.76 | 0.17 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | This violation of naturalness has applications to dynamical supersymmetry breaking. | interpretation 0.99 | 0.47 | 0.18 | asserted 0.95 |
What was examined, and what was not
- arXiv listing abstract v1
- full text
- figures and tables
- references and citing sentences
- relations to other papers
- P abstract
- S sections
- T body sentences
- C citations
- R cross-paper relations
References
How later papers used it
83 later papers cite it
4 later papers by other authors are listed below: 4 used its method or tool.
Uses its method or tool 4 of 5 papers with this label
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Based its argument on holomorphy of the effective superpotential and promoted superpotential coefficients to dynamical chiral fields a la this paper.
Families of Conformal Fixed Points of N=2 Chern-Simons-Matter Theories (2010) · 0.92 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Considered a derivation due to this paper that uses the symmetries and holomorphy of SUSY Lagrangians.
TASI 2008 Lectures: Introduction to Supersymmetry and Supersymmetry Breaking (2009) · 0.97 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Used a trick from this paper of promoting the λ^I to expectation values of the lowest components of twisted chiral superfields Λ^I.
Boundary Weyl anomaly of $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ superconformal models (2016) · 0.99 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Followed a line of reasoning similar to this paper's proof of nonrenormalization theorems for superpotentials in four dimensions.
Perturbative Aspects of Heterotically Deformed CP(N-1) Sigma Model. I (2010) · 0.95 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
How the literature uses it
77 arXiv papers cite this in 111 sentences
Papers citing it · 80 sentences without a confident label
Builds on it 1 paper
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Similarly to the relativistic case (see [ref] ), one can make a general argument for the non-renormalization of the superpotential in these models, based on its holomorphicity and the symmetries of the theory.
Holomorphic Structure and Quantum Critical Points in Supersymmetric Lifshitz Field Theories · Non-Renormalization Theorem: A General Proof · 0.80
Uses its method or tool 5 papers
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Our general argument will be based on holomorphy of the effective superpotential, and promoting superpotential coefficients to dynamical chiral fields a la Seiberg [ref] .
Families of Conformal Fixed Points of N=2 Chern-Simons-Matter Theories · Introduction · 0.92
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This is a standard technique for proving non-renormalization theorems, see e.g. [ref] ; applying it here should lead to the desired [ref], [ref].
Four-dimensional wall-crossing via three-dimensional field theory · A proof of the wall-crossing formula · 0.97
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A useful trick [ref] is to promote the $λ^I$ to expectation values of the (lowest components of) twisted chiral superfields $Λ^I$.
Boundary Weyl anomaly of $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ superconformal models · Review of the Bulk Anomaly · 0.99
Cites it as support 2 papers
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Due to some powerful non-renormalization theorems [ref] , this formula for the Kähler potential on $ℳ_c$ is not subject to quantum corrections.
Gromov-Witten invariants and localization · Nonlinear sigma models · 0.96
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Thus ([ref]) is exact [ref] .
TASI 2008 Lectures: Introduction to Supersymmetry and Supersymmetry Breaking · Superpotential terms · 0.96
Cites it as background 19 papers
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There has been much progress in understanding the gauge dynamics of strongly coupled $N=1$ SUSY field theory with $N_c$ color and $N_f≤N_c+1$ flavors [ref] .
Dynamical Supersymmetry Breaking from Meta-stable Vacua in an N=1 Supersymmetric Gauge Theory · Introduction · 1.00
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The tractability of Supersymmetric Quantum Field Theories (SQFTs) comes from the existence of $Q$-closed local operators, i.e. those annihilated by the action of some (set of) supercharge(s) [equation] Such operators are useful for understanding SUSY vacua [ref] , deformations and non-renormalization theorems [ref] , and for matching across supersymmetric and holographic dualities [ref] .
Loop Corrected Supercharges from Holomorphic Anomalies · Introduction and Summary · 0.93
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In the SUSY theories, there can be no divergence in some quantum corrections, which is known as the non-renormalization theorem [ref] .
Two-loop Anomalous Dimensions for Four-Fermi Operators in Supersymmetric Theories · Introduction · 0.85
Discussion
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