Bulk fields and supersymmetry in a slice of AdS

Five-dimensional models where the bulk is a slice of AdS have the virtue of solving the hierarchy problem. The electroweak scale is generated by a "wa rp" factor of the induced metric on the brane where the standard model fiel ds live. However, it is not necessary to confine the standard model fields on the brane and we analyze the possibility of having the fields actually l iving in the slice of AdS. Specifically, we study the behaviour of fermions , gauge bosons and scalars in this geometry and their implications on elect roweak physics. These scenarios may provide an explanation of the fermion m ass hierarchy by warp factors. We also consider the case of supersymmetry i n the bulk, and analyze the conditions on the mass spectrum. Finally, a mod el is proposed where the warp factor generates a small (TeV) supersymmetry- breaking scale, with the gauge interactions mediating the breaking to the s calar sector. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.