Nonrenormalization of Flux Superpotentials in String Theory

Abstract

Recent progress in understanding modulus stabilization in string theory relies on the existence of a non-renormalization theorem for the 4D compactifications of Type IIB supergravity which preserve N=1 supersymmetry. We provide a simple proof of this non-renormalization theorem for a broad class of Type IIB vacua using the known symmetries of these compactifications, thereby putting them on a similar footing as the better-known non-renormalization theorems of heterotic vacua without fluxes. The explicit dependence of the tree-level flux superpotential on the dilaton field makes the proof more subtle than in the absence of fluxes.