de Sitter vacua from matter superpotentials

Consistent uplifting of Ads vacua in string theory often requires extra light degrees of freedom in addition to those of a (Kahler) modulus. Here we consider the possibility that de Sitter and Minkowski vacua arise due to hidden sector matter interactions. We find that, in this scheme, the hierarchically small supersymmetry breaking scale can be explained by the scale of gaugino condensation and that interesting patterns of the soft terms arise. In particular, a matter-dominated supersymmetry breaking scenario and a version of the mirage mediation scheme appear in the framework of spontaneously broken supergravity. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.