Kahler Anomalies in Supergravity and Flux Vacua

Abstract

We review the subject of Kahler anomalies in gauged supergravity, emphasizing that field equations are inconsistent when the Kahler potential is non-invariant under gauge transformations or when there are elementary Fayet-Iliopoulos couplings. Flux vacua solutions of string theory with gauged U(1) shift symmetries appear to avoid this problem. The covariant Kahler anomalies involve tensors which are composite functions of the scalars as well as the gauge field strength and space-time curvature tensors. Anomaly cancellation conditions will be discussed in a sequel to this paper.

29 pages; v2: revised presentation, section on Fayet-Iliopoulos couplings cut, effects of gauginos on anomalies included, references added