Hierarchically split supersymmetry with Fayet–Iliopoulos D-terms in string theory Original Research Article

We show that in string theory or supergravity with supersymmetry breaking through combined F-terms and Fayet–Iliopoulos D-terms the masses for charged scalars and fermions can be hierarchically split. The mass scale for the gauginos and higgsinos of the MSSM is controlled by the gravitino mass image, as usual, while the scalars get extra contributions from the D-terms of extra Abelian image factors, which can make them much heavier. The vanishing of the vacuum energy requires that their masses lie below image, which for image sets a bound of image. Thus, scalars with non-vanishing image charges typically become heavy, while others remain light, producing a spectrum of scalars with masses proportional to their charges, and therefore non-universal. This is a modification of the split supersymmetry scenario, but with a light gravitino. We discuss how Fayet–Iliopoulos terms of this size can arise in orientifold string compactifications with D-branes. Furthermore, within the frame work of D-term inflation, the same vacuum energy that generates the heavy scalar masses can be responsible for driving cosmological inflation.