The effective action of D7-branes in N=1 Calabi-Yau orientifolds

Using a Kaluza-Klein reduction of the Dirac-Born-Infeld and Chem-Simons action we compute the four-dimensional N = 1 effective action for the massless modes of a D7-brane which is wrapped on a four-cycle of a compact Calabi-Yau orientifold. We do not consider a specific orientifold but instead determine the Kahler potential, the gauge kinetic functions and the scalar potential in terms of geometrical data of a generic orientifold and its wrapped four-cycle. In particular we derive the couplings of the D-brane excitations to the bulk moduli of the orientifold as they are important for the study of soft supersymmetry breaking terms. We relate the resulting Kahler geometry to the N = 1 special geometry of Lerche, Mayr and Warner. Finally we comment on the structure of the D-term which is induced by a Green-Schwarz term in the Chern-Simons action. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.