Open string instantons and superpotentials

We study the F-terms in N=1 supersymmetric, d=4 gauge theories arising from D(p+3)-branes wrapping supersymmetric p-cycles in a Calabi-Yau threefold. If p is even the spectrum and superpotential for a single brane are determined by purely classical ($\alpha^\prime \to 0$) considerations. If p=3, superpotentials for massless modes are forbidden to all orders in $\alpha^\prime$ and may only be generated by open string instantons. For this latter case we find that such instanton effects are generically present. Mirror symmetry relates even and odd p and thus perturbative and nonperturbative superpotentials; we provide a preliminary discussion of a class of examples of such mirror pairs.