New instanton effects in string theory

We describe a new class of instanton effects in string compactifications that preserve only N ≤ 1 supersymmetry in four dimensions. As is well-known, worldsheet or brane instantons in such a background can sometimes contribute to an effective superpotential for the moduli of the compactification. We generalize this phenomenon by showing that such instantons can also contribute to new multi-fermion and higher-derivative F-terms in the low-energy effective action. We consider in most detail the example of heterotic compactification on a Calabi-Yau threefold X with gauge bundle V, in which case we study worldsheet instanton effects that deform the complex structure of the moduli space associated to X and V. We also give new, slightly more economical derivations of some previous results about worldsheet instantons in Type IIA Calabi-Yau compactifications.