Robert Richter

Nonperturbative yukawa couplings from string instantons.

Nonperturbative D-brane instantons can generate perturbatively absent though phenomenologically relevant couplings for type II orientifold compactifications with D-branes. We discuss the generation of the perturbatively vanishing SU(5) GUT Yukawa coupling of type <10 10 5(H)>. Moreover, for a simple globally consistent intersecting D6-brane model, we discuss the generation of mass terms for matter fields. This can serve as a mechanism for decoupling exotic matter.

Computation of D-brane instanton induced superpotential couplings: Majorana masses from string theory

We perform a detailed conformal field theory analysis of D2-brane instanton effects in four-dimensional type IIA string vacua with intersecting D6-branes. In particular, we explicitly compute instanton induced fermion two-point couplings which play the role of perturbatively forbidden Majorana mass terms for right-handed neutrinos or MSSM {mu} terms. These results can readily be extended to higher-dimensional operators. In concrete realizations of such nonperturbative effects, the Euclidean D2-brane has to wrap a rigid, supersymmetric cycle with strong constraints on the zero-mode structure. Their implications for type IIA compactifications on the T{sup 6}/(Z{sub 2}xZ{sub 2}) orientifold with discrete torsion are analyzed. We also construct a local supersymmetric GUT-like model allowing for a class of Euclidean D2-branes whose fermionic zero modes meet all the constraints for generating Majorana masses in the phenomenologically allowed regime. Together with perturbatively realized Dirac masses, these nonperturbative couplings give rise to the seesaw mechanism.

Lifting D-instanton zero modes by recombination and background fluxes

We study the conditions under which D-brane instantons in Type II orientifold compactifications generate a non-perturbative superpotential. If the instanton is non-invariant under the orientifold action, it carries four instead of the two Goldstone fermions required for superpotential contributions. Unless these are lifted, the instanton can at best generate higher fermionic F-terms of Beasley-Witten type. We analyse two strategies to lift the additional zero modes. First we discuss the process of instantonic brane recombination in Type IIA orientifolds. We show that in some cases charge invariance of the measure enforces the presence of further zero modes which, unlike the Goldstinos, cannot be absorbed. In other cases, the instanton exhibits reparameterisation zero modes after recombination and a superpotential is generated if these are lifted by suitable closed or open string couplings. In the second part of the paper we address lifting the extra Goldstinos of D3-brane instantons by supersymmetric three-form background fluxes in Type IIB orientifolds. This requires non-trivial gauge flux on the instanton. Only if the part of the fermionic action linear in the gauge flux survives the orientifold projection can the extra Goldstinos be lifted.

Stringy Instantons and Yukawa Couplings in MSSM-like Orientifold Models

Type IIA orientifold constructions with intersecting D6-branes and their IIB duals in terms of magnetized D9/D7-branes constitute one of the most promising avenues for the construction of semirealistic MSSM-like compactifications. One generic problem with these constructions is that there are many Yukawa couplings, which vanish due to additional U(1) symmetries in the theory. In this paper, we consider a number of such settings and study under what conditions stringy instanton effects can give rise to non-perturbative contributions to the Yukawa couplings, so that all perturbatively forbidden terms are induced. We find specific settings in which Yukawa couplings for all fermions are indeed obtained. For some cases we provide specific local examples of rigid O(1) instantons within the T6/2 × 2 toroidal orientifold with torsion that gives rise to the required amplitudes. A potential problem in these settings is that the same instantons, providing for Yukawa coupling contributions, may give rise to too large μ-terms for the Higgs multiplets. We show how this problem may be overcome in explicit models with a doubled Higgs system.

Realistic Yukawa structures from orientifold compactifications

We perform a systematic analysis of globally consistent D-brane quivers which realize the MSSM and analyze them with respect to their Yukawa couplings. Often, desired couplings are perturbatively forbidden due to the presence of global U(1) symmetries. We investigate the conditions under which D-brane instantons will induce these missing couplings without generating other phenomenological drawbacks, such as R-parity violating couplings or a ?-term which is too large. Furthermore, we systematically analyze which quivers allow for a mechanism that can account for the small neutrino masses and other experimentally observed hierarchies. We show that only a small fraction of the globally consistent D-brane quivers exhibits phenomenology compatible with experimental observations.

(Non-)BPS bound states and D-brane instantons

We study non-perturbative effects in four-dimensional = 1 supersymmetric orientifold compactifications due to D-brane instantons which are not invariant under the orientifold projection. We show that they can yield superpotential contributions via a multi-instanton process at threshold. Some constituents of this configuration form bound states away from the wall of marginal stability which can decay in other regions of moduli space. A microscopic analysis reveals how contributions to the superpotential are possible when new BPS states compensate for their decay. We study this concretely for D2-brane instantons along decaying special Lagrangians in Type IIA and for D5-branes instantons carrying holomorphic bundles in Type I theory.

Proton decay via dimension-six operators in intersecting D6-brane models

Abstract We analyze the proton decay via dimension six operators in supersymmetric SU ( 5 ) -grand unified models based on intersecting D6-brane constructions in type IIA string theory orientifolds. We include in addition to 10 ∗ 1010 ∗ 10 interactions also the operators arising from 5 ¯ ∗ 5 ¯ 10 ∗ 10 interactions. We provide a detailed construction of vertex operators for any massless string excitation arising for arbitrary intersecting D-brane configurations in type IIA toroidal orientifolds. In particular, we provide explicit string vertex operators for the 10 and 5 ¯ chiral superfields and calculate explicitly the string theory correlation functions for above operators. In the analysis we chose the most symmetric configurations in order to maximize proton decay rates for the above dimension six operators and we obtain a small enhancement relative to the field theory result. After relating the string proton decay rate to field theory computations the string contribution to the proton lifetime is τ p ST = ( 0.5 – 2.1 ) × 10 36 xa0years , which could be up to a factor of three shorter than that predicted in field theory.

Branes and instantons intersecting at angles

We study in detail the system of D6 branes and euclidean D2-brane instantons intersecting at angles in type IIA string theory. We find that in the absence of orientifolds the system does not contribute to the low energy superpotential, in agreement with expectations based on effective field theory arguments. We also comment on the implications of our results for dual string theory pictures.

New Stringy Instanton Effects And Neutrino Majorana Masses

D‐brane instantons can generate open string couplings in the superpotential which violate global abelian symmetries and are therefore perturbatively forbidden. After discussing the main ingredients, focussing for concretenes on Type IIA orientifold compactifications, we exemplify the computation of instanton‐induced Majorana mass terms for right‐handed neutrinos in a local SU(5) GUT‐like model. In particular, we show that the instanton allows for naturally engineering the intermediate scale of the Majorana masses, thereby realizing the seesaw mechanism for neutrinos.

New Stringy Instanton Effects

D‐brane instantons can generate open string couplings in the superpotential which violate global abelian symmetries and are therefore perturbatively forbidden. After discussing the main ingredients, focussing for concretenes on Type IIA orientifold compactifications, we exemplify the generation of perturbatively forbidden Yukawa couplings as well as Majorana mass terms for right‐handed neutrinos in SU(5) GUT‐like models.