Boson-fermion mass splittings in four-dimensional heterotic string models with anomalous U(1) gauge groups

Abstract In four-dimensional heterotic string models with anomalous U(1) gauge groups, space-time supersymmetry (SUSY) breaks down spontaneously at one loop. In this paper, the Ward-Takahashi identity of broken SUSY in one-loop two-point amplitudes is investigated in all generalities. The boson-fermion mass splitting of any supersymmetric pair in an arbitrary model is proportional to the product of the D -term expectation value (the sum of (chirality) × (U(1) charge) of massless fermions in the model) and the U(1) charge of the external particle. In order to give a better understanding of the results, we present some examples of the mass splittings in a simple Z 3 orbifold model.