Firstly, we study the state space of a massless particle on a supergroup with a reparameterization invariant action. After gauge fixing the reparameterization invariance, we compute the physical state space through the BRST cohomology and show that the quadratic Casimir Hamiltonian becomes diagonalizable in cohomology. We illustrate the general mechanism in detail in the example of a supergroup target GL(1|1). The space of physical states remains an indecomposable infinite dimensional representation of the space-time supersymmetry algebra. Secondly, we show how the full string BRST cohomology in the particle limit of string theory on AdS3 x S3 renders the quadratic Casimir diagonalizable, and reduces the Hilbert space to finite dimensional representations of the space-time supersymmetry algebra (after analytic continuation). Our analysis provides an efficient way to calculate the Kaluza-Klein spectrum for supergravity on AdS3 x S3. It may also be a step towards the identification of an interesting and simpler subsector of logarithmic supergroup conformal field theories, relevant to string theory.
We construct N=1 d=3 AdS supergravity within the group manifold approach and compare it with Achucarro-Townsend Chern-Simons formulation of the same theory. We clarify the relation between the off-shell super gauge transformations of the Chern-Simons theory and the off-shell worldvolume supersymmetry transformations of the group manifold action. We formulate the Achucarro-Townsend model in a double supersymmetric action where the Chern-Simons theory with a supergroup gauge symmetry is constructed on a supergroup manifold. This framework is useful to establish a correspondence of degrees of fre…
General relativity can be formulated as a SU(2) BF-theory with constraints, as has been shown, by Plebański. The cosmological constant term can be obtained from the constraint term, following from the consistency of the equations of motion, as recently shown by Krasnov. We consider an $OSp(2|1)$ invariant, supergravity extension of this theory, for which the consistency of the equations of motion and the constraints contribute as well to the cosmological constant terms of Townsend's supergravity. The Kalb-Ramond invariance is shortly discussed.
String theory on AdS_3 x S^3 is studied in the hybrid formulation. We give a detailed description of the PSL(2|2) supergroup WZW model that underlies the background with pure NS-NS flux, and determine the BRST-cohomology corresponding to the massless string states. The resulting spectrum is shown to match exactly with the expected supergravity answer, including the sectors with small KK momentum on the sphere.
We construct the anti-de Sitter supergravity in three dimensions associated with the supergroup $SU(1,1|2)\times SU(1,1|2)$. The field content and the action are inferred using the fact that $AdS$ supergravity theories in three dimensions are Chern-Simons theories.
In the context of the formalism proposed by Stelle-West and Grignani-Nardelli, it is shown that Chern-Simons supergravity can be consistently obtained as a dimensional reduction of (3+1)-dimensional supergravity, when written as a gauge theory of the Poincare group. The dimensional reductions are consistent with the gauge symmetries, mapping (3+1)-dimensional Poincare supergroup gauge transformations onto (2+1)-dimensional Poincare supergroup ones.
It is well known that linearized gravity in spacetimes with compact Cauchy surfaces and continuous symmetries suffers from linearization instabilities: solutions to classical linearized gravity in such a spacetime must satisfy so-called linearization stability conditions (or constraints) for them to extend to solutions in the full non-linear theory. Moncrief investigated implications of these conditions in linearized quantum gravity in such background spacetimes and found that the quantum linearization stability constraints lead to the requirement that all physical states must be invariant und…
We give a classification of fully supersymmetric chiral ${\cal N}=(8,0)$ AdS$_3$ vacua in general three-dimensional half-maximal gauged supergravities coupled to matter. These theories exhibit a wealth of supersymmetric vacua with background isometries given by the supergroups OSp$(8|2,\mathbb{R})$, F(4), SU$(4|1,1)$, and OSp$(4^*|4)$, respectively. We identify the associated embedding tensors and the structure of the associated gauge groups. We furthermore compute the mass spectra around these vacua. As an off-spin we include results for a number of ${\cal N}=(7,0)$ vacua with supergroups OSp…
We develop the gauge theory formulation of $\mathcal{N}=1$ Jackiw-Teitelboim supergravity in terms of the underlying $\text{OSp}(1|2, \mathbb{R})$ supergroup, focusing on boundary dynamics and the exact structure of gravitational amplitudes. We prove that the BF description reduces to a super-Schwarzian quantum mechanics on the holographic boundary, where boundary-anchored Wilson lines map to bilocal operators in the super-Schwarzian theory. A classification of defects in terms of monodromies of $\text{OSp}(1|2, \mathbb{R})$ is carried out and interpreted in terms of character insertions in th…
We treat the N-extended supergravity in 2+1 space-time dimensions as a Yang-Mills gauge field with Chern-Simons action associated to the N-extended Poincaré supergroup. We fix the gauge of this theory within the Batalin-Vilkovisky scheme.
We construct simple twistor-like actions describing superparticles propagating on a coset superspace OSp(1|4)/SO(1,3) (containing the D=4 anti-de-Sitter space as a bosonic subspace), on a supergroup manifold OSp(1|4) and, generically, on OSp(1|2n). Making two different contractions of the superparticle model on the OSp(1|4) supermanifold we get massless superparticles in Minkowski superspace without and with tensorial central charges. Using a suitable parametrization of OSp(1|2n) we obtain even Sp(2n)-valued Cartan forms which are quadratic in Grassmann coordinates of OSp(1|2n). This result ma…
The aim of this paper is to clarify the role of the nilpotent fermionic generator Q' introduced in Ref. [3] and appearing in the hidden supergroup underlying the free differential algebra (FDA) of D=11 supergravity. We give a physical explanation of its role by looking at the gauge properties of the theory. We find that its presence is necessary, in order that the extra 1-forms of the hidden supergroup give rise to the correct gauge transformations of the p-forms of the FDA. This interpretation is actually valid for any supergravity containing antisymmetric tensor fields, and any supersymmetri…
The AdS_5 superalgebra PSU(2,2|4) has an infinite dimensional extension, which we denote by hs(2,2|4). We show that the gauging of hs(2,2|4) gives rise to a spectrum of physical massless fields which coincides with the symmetric tensor product of two AdS_5 spin-1 doubletons (i.e. the N=4 SYM multiplets living on the boundary of AdS_5). This product decomposes into levels \ell=0,1,2,..,\infty of massless supermultiplets of PSU(2,2|4). In particular, the D=5, N=8 supergravity multiplet arises at level \ell=0. In addition to a master gauge field, we construct a master scalar field containing the …
We consider the interacting system of D=4 N=1 supergravity and the Brink-Schwarz massless superparticle as described by the sum of their superfield actions, and derive the complete set of superfield equations of motion for the coupled dynamical system. These include source terms given by derivatives of a vector superfield current density with support on the worldline. This current density is constructed from the spin 3/2 and spin 2 current density `prepotentials'. We analyze the gauge symmetry of the coupled action and show that it is possible to fix the gauge in such a way that the equations …
We consider supergravity theories with 8 supercharges in $d=6$. We show that all the proposed anomaly free theories with unbounded number of massless modes are restricted to a finite subset and thus argue that there is an upper bound on the number of massless modes, consistent with the String Lamppost Principle.
We prove that, for every 6D supergravity theory that has an F-theory description, the property of charge completeness for the connected component of the gauge group (meaning that all charges in the corresponding charge lattice are realized by massive or massless states in the theory) is equivalent to a standard assumption made in F-theory for how geometry encodes the global gauge theory by means of the Mordell-Weil group of the elliptic fibration. This result also holds in 4D F-theory constructions for the parts of the gauge group that come from sections and from 7-branes. We find that in many…
It is argued that recent developments point to the existence of an AdS_3 x S^2 x T^5 holographic dual for the 2D CFT living on the worldsheet of N coincident heterotic strings in a T^5 compactification, which can in turn be described by an exact worldsheet CFT. A supergravity analysis is shown to imply that the global supergroup is Osp(4^*|4), with 16 supercharges and an affine extension given, surprisingly, by a nonlinear N=8 2D superconformal algebra. Possible supergroups with 16 supercharges are also found to match the expected symmetries for T^n compactification with 0<=n<=7.
We identify the two dimensional AdS subsupergroup $OSp(16/2,R)$ of the M-theory supergroup $OSp(1/32,R)$ which captures the dynamics of $n$ $D0$-branes in the large $n$ limit of Matrix theory. The $Sp(2,R)$ factor in the even subgroup $SO(16) \times Sp(2,R)$ of $OSp(16/2,R)$ corresponds to the AdS extension of the Poincare symmetry of the longitudinal directions. The infinite number of $D0$-branes with ever increasing and quantized values of longitudinal momenta are identified with the Fourier modes of the singleton supermultiplets of $OSp(16/2,R)$,which consist of 128 bosons and 128 fermions.…
We construct supergravity solutions dual to twisted field theories that are the worldvolume theories of D4-branes wrapped on 2, 3-cycles, and NS-fivebranes on 3-cycles. We first obtain the solutions for the Romans' six-dimensional gauged supergravity theories and then up-lift them to ten dimensions. In particular, we find solutions for field configurations with either non-Abelian fields or B-fields being excited. One of these solutions, in the massless case, is up-lifted to the massless type IIA string theory. This is the first example of such a kind. The cases studied provide new examples of …
We consider the conditions necessary for obtaining perturbative maximal supergravity in d dimensions as a decoupling limit of type II superstring theory compactified on a (10 -- d)-torus. For dimensions d = 2 and d = 3 it is possible to define a limit in which the only finite-mass states are the 256 massless states of maximal supergravity. However, in dimensions d > 3 there are infinite towers of additional massless and finite-mass states. These correspond to Kaluza--Klein charges, wound strings, Kaluza--Klein monopoles or branes wrapping around cycles of the toroidal extra dimensions. We conc…
Two ways in which de Sitter space can arise in supergravity theories are discussed. In the first, it arises as a solution of a conventional supergravity, in which case it necessarily has no Killing spinors. For example, de Sitter space can arise as a solution of N=8 gauged supergravities in four or five dimensions. These lift to solutions of 11-dimensional supergravity or D=10 IIB supergravity which are warped products of de Sitter space and non-compact spaces of negative curvature. In the second way, de Sitter space can arise as a supersymmetric solution of an unconventional supergravity theo…
The classical probe dynamics of the eleven-dimensional massless superparticles in the background geometry produced by N source M-momenta is investigated in the framework of N-sector DLCQ supergravity. We expand the probe action up to the two fermion terms and find that the fermionic contributions are the spin-orbit couplings, which precisely agree with the matrix theory calculations. We comment on the lack of non-perturbative corrections in the one-loop matrix quantum mechanics effective action and its compatibility with the supergravity analysis.
We study extremal black holes, their ADM mass and area of the horizon in N = 8 supergravity. Contrary to intuition gained from N = 2, 4 theories, in N = 8 supergravity BPS states may become massless only at the boundary of moduli space. We show that stringy states described in [1], which have no mass gap and survive in the toroidal compactification in addition to massless states of perturbative N = 8 supergravity, display a null singularity in four-dimensional space-time, when viewed as solutions of N = 8 Einstein equations. We analyze known methods of resolving such singularities and explain …
In this paper we study the spectrum of all conformal, ${\cal N}$-extended supergravities (${\cal N}=1,2,3,4$) in four space-time dimensions. When these theories are obtained as massless limit of Einstein plus Weyl$^2$supergravity, the appropriate counting of the enhanced gauge symmetries allow us to derive the massless spectrum which consist of a dipole ghost graviton multiplet, a ${\cal N}$-fold tripole ghost gravitino, the third state belonging to a spin 3/2 multiplet and a residual vector multiplet present for non-maximal ${\cal N}<4$ theories. These theories are not expected to have a stan…
We propose a class of models in which extended objects are introduced in Chern-Simons supergravity in such a way that those objects appear on the same footing as the target space. This is motivated by the idea that branes are already first quantized object, so that it is desirable to have a formalism that treats branes and their target space in a similar fashion. Accordingly, our models describe interacting branes, as gauge systems for supergroups. We also consider the case in which those objects have boundaries, and discuss possible links to superstring theory and/or M-theory, by studying the…
We consider a minimally coupled massless scalar propagating in the background of NS5-branes in the presence of a 2-form RR electric field. The supergravity solution also called the (NS5,D1) bound state in the appropriate decoupling limit is the holographic dual of Open D-string (OD1) theory. Using this information, we compute the two-point function of the operators in OD1 theory which couples to the massless string states such as the dilaton. We will indicate how to obtain the absorption cross-section of a scalar on NS5-branes (i.e. Little String Theory (LST)) obtained earlier, from our result…
We discuss the connection between Weyl$^2$ supergravity and superstrings and further discuss holography between 4-dimensional, ${\cal N}=4$ superconformal Weyl$^2$ supergravity and ${\cal N}=8$, higher spin-four theory on $AdS_5$. The Weyl$^2$ plus Einstein supergravity theory is a special kind of a bimetric gravity theory and consists of a massless graviton multiplet plus an additional massive spin-two supermultiplet. Here, we argue that the additional spin-two field and its superpartners originate from massive excitations in the open string sector; just like the ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills…
We extend to its spin~3/2 supersymmetric partner the very recent demonstration that the massless limit of massive spin~2 exchange amplitudes can be made continuous in background AdS spaces, in contrast to the known flat space discontinuities for both systems. In an AdS background, unlike spin~2 where the limit m\to0 is the massless one, spin~3/2 ``masslessness'' requires m\to\sqrt{-Λ/3}, the supergravity value tuning the mass and cosmological constant that uniquely provides gauge invariance and two helicities. We find that continuity of the spin~3/2--mediated exchange amplitude can be regained…
Massive gravity exhibits a famous discontinuity in its 2-point linearized amplitude for t-channel scattering of gravitational sources, in the $m \to 0$ limit. In essence, the source of this vDVZ discontinuity is in the failure of the zero-helicity mode to decouple in this limit. In [1], we showed how this result could be understood in the context of modern on-shell methods and, in particular, the BCFW construction. In this article, we provide a similar on-shell perspective to the equally interesting but lesser known discontinuity first discovered by Deser, Kay and Stelle in massive supergravit…
We review some recent work on the existence and classification of extreme black-hole-type solutions in N=8 supergravity. For the black holes considered (those that are also solutions of N=4 supergravity and of the Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory with coupling a) a complete classification is achieved: the only possible values of a are \sqrt{3},1,1/\sqrt{3},0. Up to U duality transformations there is only one solution for each of those values. The exception is a=0 for which an additional extreme but non-supersymmetric Reissner-Nordström black hole solution exists. We also study the so-called mas…
The equations of motion of anomaly-free supergravity are shown to fulfil (to all orders in $α'$) a differential condition corresponding to the one relating the Weyl anomaly coefficients for a non-linear sigma model representing a (heterotic) string propagating in a non-trivial background. This supports the possibility that anomaly-free supergravity could provide the complete massless effective theory for the heterotic string.
The product of two N=8 supersingletons yields an infinite tower of massless states of higher spin in four dimensional anti de Sitter space. All the states with spin s > 1/2 correspond to generators of Vasiliev's super higher spin algebra shs^E (8|4) which contains the D=4, N=8 anti de Sitter superalgebra OSp(8|4). Gauging the higher spin algebra and introducing a matter multiplet in a quasi-adjoint representation leads to a consistent and fully nonlinear equations of motion as shown sometime ago by Vasiliev. We show the embedding of the N=8 AdS supergravity equations of motion in the full syst…
We present a new method of deriving the off-shell spectrum of supergravity and massless $4D,~\mathcal{N}=1$ higher spin multiplets without the need of an action and based on a set of natural requirements: (a.) existence of an underlying superspace description, (b.) an economical description of free, massless, higher spins and (c.) equal numbers of bosonic and fermionic degrees of freedom. We prove that for any theory that respects the above, the fermionic auxiliary components come in pairs and are gauge invariant and there are two types of bosonic auxiliary components. Type (1) are pairs of a …
We outline a proof of the stability of a massless neutral scalar field $ψ$ in the background of a wide class of four dimensional asymptotically flat rotating and ``electrically charged'' solutions of supergravity, and the low energy limit of string theory, known as STU metrics. Despite their complexity, we find it possible to circumvent the difficulties presented by the existence of ergo-regions and the related phenomenon of super-radiance in the original metrics by following a strategy due to Whiting, and passing to an auxiliary metric admitting an everywhere lightlike Killing field and const…
In these lectures we discuss N-extended conformal supergravity and its spectrum in four dimensions. These theories can be considered as the massless limit of Einstein-Weyl supergravity and by taking into account their enhanced gauge symmetries, we derive their massless spectrum, which in general contains a dipole-ghost graviton multiplet and an N-fold tripole-ghost gravitino multiplet.
We generalize the formulation of Poisson-Lie (PL) T-plurality proposed by R. von Unge [JHEP 07 (2002) 014] from Lie groups to Lie supergroups. By taking a convenient ansatz for metric of the $σ$-model in terms of the left-invariant one-forms of the isometry Lie supergroups $(C^3 +A)$ and $GL(1|1)$ we construct cosmological string backgrounds, including $(2+1|2)$-dimensional metric, time-dependent dilaton and vanishing torsion, in a way that they satisfy the one-loop beta-function equations. Starting from the decompositions of semi-Abelian Drinfeld superdoubles (DSDs) generated by the $({\C}^3 …
We study charged AdS black hole solutions in five-dimensional Chern-Simons supergravity. The minimal supergroup containing such AdSxU(1) configurations is the superunitary group SU(2,2|N). For this model, we find analytic black hole solutions that asymptote to locally AdS spacetime at the boundary. A solution can carry U(1) charge provided the spacetime torsion is non-vanishing. Thus, we analyze the most general configuration consistent with the local AdS isometries in Riemann-Cartan space. The coupling of torsion in the action resembles that of the universal axion of string theory, and it is …
We study the propagation of a massless minimally coupled scalar in the near horizon geometry of non-extremal NS5-branes. Using the holographic principle for dilatonic backgrounds we compute the two-point function of an operator in Little String Theory at the Hagedorn temperature. We then comment on relations with correlation functions in two dimensional string theory.
We perform a systematic search for all possible massive deformations of IIA supergravity in ten dimensions. We show that there exist exactly two possibilities: Romans supergravity and Howe-Lambert-West supergravity. Along the way we give the full details of the ten-dimensional superspace formulation of the latter. The scalar superfield at canonical mass dimension zero (whose lowest component is the dilaton), present in both Romans and massless IIA supergravities, is not introduced from the outset but its existence follows from a certain integrability condition implied by the Bianchi identities…
We investigate in 4 spacetime dimensions, all the consistent deformations of the lagrangian ${\cal L}_2+{\cal L}_{3/2}$, which is the sum of the Pauli-Fierz lagrangian ${\cal L}_2$ for a free massless spin 2 field and the Rarita-Schwinger lagrangian ${\cal L}_{3/2}$ for a free massless spin 3/2 field. Using BRST cohomogical techniques, we show, under the assumptions of locality, Poincaré invariance, conservation of the number of gauge symmetries and the number of derivatives on each fields, that N=1 D=4 supergravity is the only consistent interaction between a massless spin 2 and a massless sp…
We construct N=1 supersymmetrisations of some recently-proposed theories of critical gravity, conformal gravity, and extensions of critical gravity in four dimensions. The total action consists of the sum of three separately off-shell supersymmetric actions containing Einstein gravity, a cosmological term and the square of the Weyl tensor. For generic choices of the coefficients for these terms, the excitations of the resulting theory around an AdS_4 background describe massive spin-2 and massless spin-2 modes coming from the metric; massive spin-1 modes coming from a vector field in the theor…
Some time ago, we showed that a weak (linear) massless spin 2 wave could only propagate on a Ricci-flat or Ricci-constant background: it must necessarily be a perturbation of General Relativity. This was just the continuation of the higher spin chain: massless $s=3/2$ also required Ricci-flatness (which is the basis of supergravity) while $s>2$ needs Riemann flatness. This note re-analyzes the problem in a perhaps more physical way: by considering massless and -- only apparently -- massive small excitations and showing how their parameters relate to the cosmological constant. We will thus prov…
We discuss the problem of localization of 4D massless states in Randall-Sundrum 2 (one-brane) models. A Randall-Sundrum 2 construction starting from N=8 gauged supergravity in 5D Anti de Sitter space gives rise to an N=4 supergravity-matter system. We explicitly show that only the modes of the N=4 graviton supermultiplet localize on the 4D brane, streamlining and generalizing previous works. We also point out that while charged 1/4 BPS black holes do exist in the 4D theory, they are always produced in sets of total charge zero. This zero-charge configuration uplifts to a 5D metric without nake…
We formulate $R^2$ pure supergravity as a scale invariant theory built only in terms of superfields describing the geometry of curved superspace. The standard supergravity duals are obtained in both "old" and "new" minimal formulations of auxiliary fields. These theories have massless fields in de Sitter space as they do in their non supersymmetric counterpart. Remarkably, the dual theory of $R^2$ supergravity in the new minimal formulation is an extension of the Freedman model, describing a massless gauge field and a massless chiral multiplet in de Sitter space, with inverse radius proportion…
We show that the recently found quartic action for the scalars from the massless graviton multiplet of type IIB supergravity compactified on AdS_5\times S^5 background coincides with the relevant part of the action of the gauged N=8 5d supergravity on AdS_5. We then use this action to compute the 4-point function of the lowest weight chiral primary operators $\tr(ϕ^{(i}ϕ^{j)})$ in N=4 SYM_4 at large $N$ and at strong `t Hooft coupling.
We discuss the supergravity couplings of noncommutative D-branes by considering the disk amplitudes with one closed string insertion. The result confirms a recent proposal for the general form of the noncommutative Yang-Mills operators coupling to the massless closed string modes. The construction involves smearing Yang-Mills field variables along an open Wilson line. For multiple D-branes interacting with background supergravity fields, this prescription reduces, in the B=0 limit, to the ``symmetrized trace'' prescription, and the supergravity fields are seen to be functionals of the nonabeli…
In this paper, the non-BPS amplitudes ($Z < 2m$) are considered. Utilizing on-shell methods, the three point amplitudes of two equal-mass particles and one massless particle were constructed, where the two massive particles are non-BPS states. We verify the result by matching the $Z = 0$ and BPS limit with $N = 2$ supersymmetry. As an application we derive the non-BPS coupling for $N = 4$ super-Maxwell and supergravity.
We give a method of deriving the field-strengths of all massless and massive maximal supergravity theories in any dimension starting from the Kac-Moody algebra $E_{11}$. Considering the subalgebra of $E_{11}$ that acts on the fields in the non-linear realisation as a global symmetry, we show how this is promoted to a gauge symmetry enlarging the algebra by the inclusion of additional generators. We show how this works in eleven dimensions, and we call the resulting enlarged algebra $E_{11}^{local}$. Torus reduction to $D$ dimensions corresponds to taking a subalgebra of $E_{11}^{local}$, calle…
We study the hidden symmetries of the fermionic sector of D=11 supergravity, and the role of K(E10) as a generalised `R-symmetry'. We find a consistent model of a massless spinning particle on an E10/K(E10) coset manifold whose dynamics can be mapped onto the fermionic and bosonic dynamics of D=11 supergravity in the near space-like singularity limit. This E10-invariant superparticle dynamics might provide the basis of a new definition of M-theory, and might describe the `de-emergence' of space-time near a cosmological singularity.
We consider a covariant quantization of the D=11 massless superparticle in the supertwistor framework. D=11 supertwistors are highly constrained, but the interpretation of their bosonic components as Lorentz harmonic variables and their momenta permits to develop a classical and quantum mechanics without much difficulties. A simple, heuristic `twistor' quantization of the superparticle leads to the linearized D=11 supergravity multiplet. In the process, we observe hints of a hidden SO(16) symmetry of D=11 supergravity.
Thirty years ago Aragone and Deser showed that in three dimensions there exists a consistent model describing interaction for massless spin-2 and spin-5/2 fields. It was crucial that these fields lived in a flat Minkowski space and as a result it was not possible to deform such model into anti-de Sitter space. In this short note we show that such deformation becomes possible provided one compliment to the model with massless spin-4 field. Resulting theory can be considered as a Chern-Simons one with a well-known supergroup OSp(1,4). Moreover there exists straightforward generalization to the O…
We study the cohomology of the massless BRST complex of the Type IIB pure spinor superstring in flat space. In particular, we find that the cohomology at the ghost number three is nontrivial and transforms in the same representation of the supersymmetry algebra as the solutions of the linearized classical supergravity equations. Modulo some finite dimensional spaces, the ghost number three cohomology is the same as the ghost number two cohomology. We also comment on the difference between the naive and semi-relative cohomology, and the role of b-ghost.
Using the Minkowski space AdS/CFT prescription we explicitly compute in the low-energy limit the two-point correlation function of the boundary stress-energy tensor in a large class of type IIB supergravity backgrounds with a regular translationally invariant horizon. The relevant set of supergravity backgrounds includes all geometries which can be interpreted via gauge theory/string theory correspondence as being holographically dual to finite temperature gauge theories in Minkowski space-times. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem relates this correlation function computation to the previousl…
A new heterotic N=2 string with manifest target space supersymmetry is constructed by combining a conventional N=2 string in the right-moving sector and a Green-Schwarz-Berkovits type string in the left-moving sector. The corresponding sigma model is then obtained by turning on background fields for the massless excitations. We compute the beta functions and we partially check the OPE's of the superconformal algebra perturbatively in $α'$, all in superspace. The resulting field equations describe N=1 self-dual supergravity.
From the modern viewpoint and by the geometric method, this paper provides a concise foundation for the quantum theory of massless spin-3/2 field in Minkowski spacetime, which includes both the one-particle's quantum mechanics and the many-particle's quantum field theory. The explicit result presented here is useful for the investigation of spin-3/2 field in various circumstances such as supergravity, twistor programme, Casimir effect, and quantum inequality.
Light-cone gauge manifestly supersymmetric formulation of type IIB 10-dimensional supergravity in $AdS_5 \times S^5$ background is discussed. The formulation is given entirely in terms of light-cone scalar superfield, allowing us to treat all component fields on an equal footing. Discrete energy spectrum of field propagating in AdS space is explained within the framework of light-cone approach. Light-cone gauge formulation of self-dual fields propagating in AdS space is developed. An conjectured interrelation of higher spin massless fields theory in AdS space-time and superstring theory in Min…
We construct supersymmetric M3-brane solutions in D=11 supergravity. They can be viewed as deformations of backgrounds taking the form of a direct product of four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime and a non-compact Ricci-flat manifold of G_2 holonomy. Although the 4-form field strength is turned on it carries no charge, and the 3-branes are correspondingly massless. We also obtain 3-branes of a different type, arising as M5-branes wrapped over S^2.
We present the theory of a supersymmetric ghost condensate coupled to N=1 supergravity. This is accomplished using a general formalism for constructing locally supersymmetric higher-derivative chiral superfield actions. The theory admits a ghost condensate vacuum in de Sitter spacetime. Expanded around this vacuum, the scalar sector of the theory is shown to be ghost-free with no spatial gradient instabilities. By direct calculation, the fermion sector is found to consist of a massless chiral fermion and a massless gravitino. By analyzing the supersymmetry transformations, we find that the chi…
