We discuss twistor-like interpretation of the $Sp(8)$ invariant formulation of 4d massless fields in ten dimensional Lagrangian Grassmannian $Sp(8)/P$ which is the generalized space-time in this framework. The correspondence space $\mathbf{C}$ is $SpH(8)/PH$ where $SpH(8)$ is the semidirect product of $Sp(8)$ with Heisenberg group $\HG$ and $PH$ is some quasiparabolic subgroup of $SpH(8)$. Spaces of functions on $Sp(8)/P$ and $SpH(8)/PH$ consist of $Q_P $ closed functions on $Sp(8)$ and $Q_{PH} $ closed functions on $SpH(8)$, where $Q_P $ and $Q_{PH}$ are canonical BRST operators of $P$ and $PH$. The space of functions on the generalized twistor space $\mathbf{T}$ identifies with the $SpH(8)$ Fock module. Although $\mathbf{T}$ cannot be realized as a homogeneous space, we find a nonstandard $SpH(8)$ invariant BRST operator $\QQ$ $(\QQ^2 =0)$ that gives rise to an appropriate class of functions via the condition $\QQ f=0$ equivalent to the unfolded higher--spin equations. The proposed construction is manifestly $Sp(8)$ invariant, globally defined and coordinate independent. Its Minkowski analogue gives a version of twistor theory with both types of chiral spinors treated on equal footing. The extensions to the higher rank case with several Heisenberg groups and to the complex case are considered. A relation with Riemann theta functions, that are $\QQ$-closed, is discussed.
We review the construction of gauge field theories from BRST first-quantized systems and its relation to the unfolded formalism. In particular, the BRST extension of the non linear unfolded formalism is discussed in some details.
Algebra of the constraints of twistor-like p-branes restoring 3/4 fraction of the spontaneously broken D=4 N=1 supersymmetry is studied using the conversion method. Classical and quantum realizations of the BRST charge, unified superalgebra of the global generalized superconformal OSp(1|8) and Virasoro and Weyl symmetries are constructed. It is shown that the quantum Hermitian BRST charge is nilpotent and the quantized OSp(1|8) superalgebra is closed.
We study some features of bosonic particle path-integral quantization in a twistor-like approach by use of the BRST-BFV quantization prescription. In the course of the Hamiltonian analysis we observe links between various formulations of the twistor-like particle by performing a conversion of the Hamiltonian constraints of one formulation to another. A particular feature of the conversion procedure applied to turn the second-class constraints into the first-class constraints is that the simplest Lorentz-covariant way to do this is to convert a full mixed set of the initial first- and second-cl…
The correspondence between BRST and unfolded formulations of field equations on group manifolds and homogeneous spaces is described. The previously introduced nonstandard BRST operator, that underlies Sp(2M) invariant higher-spin field equations, is shown to admit a natural oscillator-like realization. The coordinate independent form of conserved currents in the Sp(2M) invariant higher-spin theory is derived from the BRST formulation on Sp(2M) extended by the Heisenberg group.
To exhibit the possible origin of the inner complexity of the Berkovits's pure spinor approach, we consider the covariant BRST quantization of the D=11 massless superparticle (M0-brane) in its spinor moving frame or twistor-like Lorentz harmonics formulation. The presence of additional twistor-like variables (spinor harmonics) allows us to separate covariantly the first and the second class constraints. After taking into account the second class constraints by means of Dirac brackets and after further reducing the first class constraints algebra, the dynamical system is described by the cohomo…
Gauge-invariant descriptions for a free bosonic scalar field of continuous spin in a $d$-dimensional Minkowski space-time using a metric-like formulation are constructed on the basis of a constrained BRST-BFV approach we propose. The resulting BRST-BFV equations of motion for a scalar field augmented by ghost operators contains different sets of auxiliary fields, depending on the manner of a partial gauge-fixing and a resolution of some of the equations of motion for a BRST-unfolded first-stage reducible gauge theory. To achieve an equivalence of the resulting BRST-unfolded constrained equatio…
We construct a concise gauge invariant formulation for massless, partially massless, and massive bosonic AdS fields of arbitrary symmetry type at the level of equations of motion. Our formulation admits two equivalent descriptions: in terms of the ambient space and in terms of an appropriate vector bundle, as an explicitly local first-order BRST formalism. The second version is a parent-like formulation that can be used to generate various other formulations via equivalent reductions. In particular, we demonstrate a relation to the unfolded description of massless and partially massless fields…
A concise formulation for mixed-symmetry gauge fields on AdS space is proposed. It is explicitly local, gauge invariant, and has manifest AdS symmetry. Various other known formulations (including the original formulation of Metsaev and the unfolded formulation) can be derived through the appropriate reductions and gauge fixing. As a byproduct, we also identify some new useful formulations of the theory that can be interesting for further developments. The formulation is presented in the BRST terms and extensively uses Howe duality. In particular, the BRST operator is a sum of the term associat…
We propose a construction for nonlinear off-shell gauge field theories based on a constrained system quantized in the sense of deformation quantization. The key idea is to consider the star-product BFV--BRST master equation as an equation of motion. The construction is formulated in terms of the BRST extention of the unfolded formalism that can also be understood as an appropriate generalization of the AKSZ procedure. As an application, we consider a very simple constrained system, a quantized scalar particle, and show that it gives rise to an off-shell higher-spin gauge theory that automatica…
For free-field theories associated with BRST first-quantized gauge systems, we identify generalized auxiliary fields and pure gauge variables already at the first-quantized level as the fields associated with algebraically contractible pairs for the BRST operator. Locality of the field theory is taken into account by separating the space--time degrees of freedom from the internal ones. A standard extension of the first-quantized system, originally developed to study quantization on curved manifolds, is used here for the construction of a first-order parent field theory that has a remarkable pr…
The $sp(2M)$ invariant unfolded system is considered in the periodic twistor-like spinor space. Complete set of non-trivial charges corresponding to the global symmetry compatible with the periodicity conditions is constructed. Residual infinite-dimensional symmetry is realized in terms of the star-product algebra. It is shown that charges associated with integrations over different cycles are related by particular higher-spin symmetry transformations.
The manifestly SU(4)xU(1) super-Poincare invariant free-field N=2 twistor- string action for the ten-dimensional Green-Schwarz superstring is quantized using standard BRST methods. Unlike the light-cone and semi-light-cone gauge-fixed Green-Schwarz actions, the twistor-string action does not require interaction-point operators at the zeroes of the light-cone momentum, $\dz x^+$, which complicated all previous calculations. After defining the vertex operator for the massless physical supermultiplet, as well as two picture-changing operators and an instanton-number-changing operator, scattering …
Following the proposal of arXiv:1312.6673, multi-particle scattering amplitudes are represented as conserved higher-spin charges. The advantage of such reformulation is that multi-particle amplitudes acquire the form of an integral of a closed form in the correspondence unifying usual space-time with the twistor-like spinor space. This allows one to identify seemingly different formulae for amplitudes in terms of twistor and space-time integrals. Example of tree MHV amplitudes of Yang-Mills theory is considered in detail. Our results are derived using unfolded dynamics formulation of massless …
The recently proposed first-order parent formalism at the level of equations of motion is specialized to the case of Lagrangian systems. It is shown that for diffeomorphism-invariant theories the parent formulation takes the form of an AKSZ-type sigma model. The proposed formulation can be also seen as a Lagrangian version of the BV-BRST extension of the Vasiliev unfolded approach. We also discuss its possible interpretation as a multidimensional generalization of the Hamiltonian BFV--BRST formalism. The general construction is illustrated by examples of (parametrized) mechanics, relativistic …
We introduce a sigma model lagrangian generalising a number of new and old models which can be thought of as chiral, including the Schild string, ambitwistor strings, and the recently introduced tensionless AdS twistor strings. This "chiral sigma model" describes maps from a $p$-brane worldvolume into a symplectic space and is manifestly diffeomorphism- and Weyl-invariant despite the absence of a worldvolume metric. Construction of the Batalin-Vilkovisky master action leads to a BRST operator under which the gauge-fixed action is BRST-exact; we discuss whether this implies that the chiral bran…
We propose a "master" higher-spin (HS) particle system. The particle model relevant to the unfolded formulation of HS theory, as well as the HS particle model with a bosonic counterpart of supersymmetry, follow from the master model as its two different gauges. Quantization of the master system gives rise to a new form of the massless HS equations in an extended space involving, besides extra spinorial coordinates, also a complex scalar one. As solutions to these equations we recover the massless HS multiplet with fields of all integer and half-integer helicities, and obtain new multiplets wit…
We propose a unified BRST formulation of general massless fermionic fields of arbitrary mixed-symmetry type in $d$-dimensional Minkowski space. Depending on the value of the real parameter the system describes either helicity fields or continuous spin fields. Starting with the unified formulation we derive a number of equivalent descriptions including the triplet formulation, Fang-Fronsdal-Labastida formulation, light-cone formulation and discuss the unfolded formulation.
We show how a generic gauge field theory described by a BRST differential can systematically be reformulated as a first order parent system whose spacetime part is determined by the de Rham differential. In the spirit of Vasiliev's unfolded approach, this is done by extending the original space of fields so as to include their derivatives as new independent fields together with associated form fields. Through the inclusion of the antifield dependent part of the BRST differential, the parent formulation can be used both for on and off-shell formulations. For diffeomorphism invariant models, the…
We elaborate on a new model of the higher-spin (HS) particle which makes manifest the classical equivalence of the HS particle of the unfolded formulation and the HS particle model with a bosonic counterpart of supersymmetry. Both these models emerge as two different gauges of the new master system. Physical states of the master model are massless HS multiplets described by complex HS fields which carry an extra U(1) charge q. The latter fully characterizes the given multiplet by fixing the minimal helicity as q/2. We construct the twistorial formulation of the master model and discuss symmetr…
We consider the first order formalism in string theory, providing a new off-shell description of the nontrivial backgrounds around an "infinite metric". The OPE of the vertex operators, corresponding to the background fields in some "twistor representation", and conditions of conformal invariance results in the quadratic equation for the background fields, which appears to be equivalent to the Einstein equations with a Kalb-Ramond B-field and a dilaton. Using a new representation for the Einstein equations with B-field and dilaton we find a new class of solutions including the plane waves for …
By conformally coupling vector and hyper multiplets in Minkowski space, we obtain a class of field theories with extended rigid conformal supersymmetry on any Lorentzian four-manifold admitting twistor spinors. We construct the conformal symmetry superalgebras which describe classical symmetries of these theories and derive an appropriate BRST operator in curved spacetime. In the process, we elucidate the general framework of cohomological algebra which underpins the construction. We then consider the corresponding perturbative quantum field theories. In particular, we examine the conditions n…
We examine zero-form charges in Vasiliev's four-dimensional bosonic higher spin gravities. These are classical observables given by integrals over noncommutative twistor space of adjoint combinations of the zero-form master fields, including insertions of delta functions in the deformed oscillators serving as gauge invariant regulators. The regularized charges admit perturbative expansions in terms of multi-linear functionals in the Weyl zero-form, which are Bose symmetric and higher spin invariant by construction, and that can be interpreted as basic building blocks for higher spin gravity am…
