The Nelson-Seiberg theorem revised

Abstract

The well-accepted Nelson-Seiberg theorem relates R-symmetries to supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking vacua, and provides a guideline for SUSY model building which is the most promising physics beyond the Standard Model. In the case of Wess-Zumino models with perturbative superpotentials, we revise the theorem to a combined necessary and sufficient condition for SUSY breaking which can be easily checked before solving the vacuum. The revised theorem provides a powerful tool to construct either SUSY breaking or SUSY vacua, and offers many practicable applications in low energy SUSY model building and string phenomenology.