Anomalous U(1), gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking and Higgs as pseudo-Goldstone bosons Original Research Article

We study the breaking of supersymmetry in models with anomalous U(1). These models are simple to construct and contain natural candidates for being the messengers of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking. When some of the ordinary matter fields transform under the anomalous U(1), we find a hybrid scenario in which the U(1) and the gauge interactions mediate the breaking of supersymmetry. This leads to a hierarchy of soft masses between the charged and neutral fields and provides a solution to the μ-problem. Among these models, we present a scenario in which the Higgs arises as a pseudo-Goldstone boson. This scenario naturally allows for values of the μ-term and the scalar soft masses larger than the weak scale.