Recently there has been much progress in building models of gauge mediation, often with predictions different than those of minimal gauge mediation. Meade, Seiberg, and Shih have characterized the most general spectrum which can arise in gauge-mediated models. We discuss some of the challenges of building models of general gauge mediation, especially the problem of messenger parity and issues connected with $R$ symmetry breaking and $CP$ violation. We build a variety of viable, weakly coupled models which exhibit some or all of the possible low energy parameters.

• Received 29 September 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.79.035002