We construct the non-linear realisation of the semi-direct product of E(11) and its first fundamental representation at lowest order and appropriate to spacetime dimensions four to seven. This leads to a non-linear realisation of the duality groups and introduces fields that depend on a generalised space which possess a generalised vielbein. We focus on the part of the generalised space on which the duality groups alone act and construct an invariant action.
Recent progress which relates non-abelian T-duality of $\mathcal{N}=1$ SuGra solutions to the powerful techniques of Generalised geometry is reviewed. It is shown that SU(3) structure solutions are mapped to SU(2) structures and the transformation rule of the corresponding pure spinors is presented. This constitutes an important step on the road towards the utility of the duality within holography, showing for example, how smeared sources must transform and so how to add flavour to the T-duals.
A study of sigma models whose target space is a group G that admits a compatible Poisson structure is presented. The natural action of O(D,D;Z) on the generalised tangent bundle TG+T*G and a generalisation of the Courant bracket that appears are reviewed. This background provides a concrete example where the generalised geometry and doubled geometry descriptions are both well understood. Connections between the two formalisms are discussed and the world-sheet theory from Hamiltonian and Lagrangian perspectives is investigated. The comparisons between the approaches given by generalised geometr…
These pedagogical lectures given at the Corfu Summer Institute 2018 review two generalised notions of T-duality, non-Abelian T-duality and Poisson-Lie duality, and their applications. We explain how each of these has seen recent application in the context of holography. Non-Abelian T-duality has been used to construct new holographic dual geometries. Poisson-Lie duality has been used to construct new integrable string sigma-models including the $η$- and $λ$-deformations of the $AdS_5\times S^5$ superstring thought to encode quantum group deformations of holography. We also comment on the doubl…
In this short proceedings we discuss some of the results obtained in [1]. Integrable deformations enlarge the landscape and understanding of integrable models and its algebraic structures like quantum groups. In this short proceedings, we will review the one-loop renormalisation group analysis of an integrable deformation known as the Yang-Baxter Wess-Zumino model. This classically integrable model shows a striking stability under one-loop renormalisation. In addition, we show how Poisson-Lie T-duality, a generalisation of T-duality that is closely intertwined with integrable deformations, is …
In this paper we consider the previously proposed generalised space-time and investigate the structure of the field theory upon which it is based. In particular, we derive a SO(D,D) formulation of the bosonic string as a non-linear realisation at lowest levels of the semi-direct product of E11 with the first fundamental representation l1. We give a Hamiltonian formulation of this theory and carry out its quantisation. We argue that the choice of representation of the quantum theory breaks the manifest SO(D,D) symmetry but that the symmetry is manifest in a non-commutative field theory. We disc…
We undertake a systematic analysis of non-geometric backgrounds in string theory by seeking stringy liftings of a class of gauged supergravity theories. In addition to conventional flux compactifications and non-geometric T-folds with T-duality transition functions, we find a new class of non-geometric backgrounds with non-trivial dependence on the dual coordinates that are conjugate to the string winding number. We argue that T-duality acts in our class of theories, including those cases without isometries in which the conventional Buscher rules cannot be applied, and that these generalised T…
String backgrounds with a local torus fibration such as T-folds are naturally formulated in a doubled formalism in which the torus fibres are doubled to include dual coordinates conjugate to winding number. Here we formulate and explore a generalisation of this construction in which all coordinates are doubled, so that the doubled space is a twisted torus, i.e. a compact space constructed from identifying a group manifold under a discrete subgroup. This incorporates reductions with duality twists, T-folds and a class of flux compactifications, together with the non-geometric backgrounds expect…
We review some recent developments in the construction of integrable $η$- and $λ$-deformations of the $AdS_5 \times S^5$ superstring. We highlight their link with Poisson-Lie T-duality.
This note discusses the connection between generalised geometry and flux compactifications of string theory. Firstly, we explain in a pedestrian manner how the supersymmetry constraints of type II ${\mathcal{N}}=1$ flux compactifications can be restated as integrability constraints on certain generalised complex structures. This reformulation uses generalised complex geometry, a mathematical framework that geometrizes the B-field. Secondly, we discuss how exceptional generalised geometry may provide a similar geometrization of the RR fields. Thirdly, we examine the connection between generalis…
We examine the flux structures defined by NS-NS superpotentials of Type IIA and Type IIB string theories compactified on a particular class of internal spaces which include non-geometric flux contributions due to T duality or mirror symmetry. This is then extended to the Type IIB R-R sector through the use of S duality and then finally to its mirror dual Type IIA R-R sector, with note of how this sector breaks S duality invariance in Type IIA. The nilpotency and tadpole constraints associated with the fluxes induced by both dualities are derived, explicitly demonstrated to be mirror invariant …
The main topic of this thesis are flux compactifications. Firstly, we study dimensional reductions of type II and eleven-dimensional supergravities using exceptional generalised geometry. We start by presenting the needed mathematical tools, focusing on G-structures and their extension to generalised geometry. Then, we move our focus on compactifications. In particular, we mainly focus on type IIA, building the version of exceptional generalised geometry adapted to such supergravity and finding the right deformations of generalised Lie derivative to accomodate the Romans mass. We describe the …
We consider the concept of a generalised manifold in the O(d,d) setting, i.e., in double geometry. The conjecture by Hohm and Zwiebach for the form of finite generalised diffeomorphisms is shown to hold. Transition functions on overlaps are defined. Triple overlaps are trivial concerning their action on coordinates, but non-trivial on fields, including the generalised metric. A generalised manifold is an ordinary manifold, but the generalised metric on the manifold carries a gerbe structure. We show how the abelian behaviour of the gerbe is embedded in the non-abelian T-duality group. We also …
We introduce the notion of G-algebroid, generalising both Lie and Courant algebroids, as well as the algebroids used in $E_{n(n)}\times\mathbb{R}^+$ exceptional generalised geometry for $n\in\{3,\dots,6\}$. Focusing on the exceptional case, we prove a classification of "exact" algebroids and translate the related classification of Leibniz parallelisable spaces into a tractable algebraic problem. After discussing the general notion of Poisson-Lie duality, we show that the Poisson-Lie U-duality is compatible with the equations of motion of supergravity.
We show that the vanishing of the one-loop beta-functional of the doubled formalism (which describes string theory on a torus fibration in which the fibres are doubled) is the same as the equation of motion of the recently proposed generalised metric formulation of double field theory restricted to this background: both are the vanishing of a generalised Ricci tensor. That this tensor arises in both backgrounds indicates the importance of a new doubled differential geometry for understanding both constructions.
Based on the construction of Poisson-Lie T-dual $σ$-models from a common parent action we study a candidate for the non-abelian respectively Poisson-Lie T-duality group. This group generalises the well-known abelian T-duality group O(d,d) and we explore some of its subgroups, namely factorised dualities, B- and $β$-shifts. The corresponding duality transformed $σ$-models are constructed and interpreted as generalised (non-geometric) flux backgrounds. We also comment on generalisations of results and techniques known from abelian T-duality. This includes the Lie algebra cohomology interpretatio…
The recently derived expressions for finite gauge transformations in double field theory with duality group O(d,d) are generalised to give expressions for finite gauge transformations for extended field theories with duality group SL(5,R), SO(5,5) and E6. The generalised metrics are discussed.
In the doubled field theory approach to string theory, the T-duality group is promoted to a manifest symmetry at the expense of replacing ordinary Riemannian geometry with generalised geometry on a doubled space. The local symmetries are then given by a generalised Lie derivative and its associated algebra. This paper constructs an analogous structure for M-theory. A crucial by-product of this is the derivation of the physical section condition for M-theory formulated in an extended space.
If a scalar field theory in (1+1) dimensions possesses soliton solutions obeying first order BPS equations, then, in general, it is possible to find an infinite number of related field theories with BPS solitons which obey closely related BPS equations. We point out that this fact may be understood as a simple consequence of an appropriately generalised notion of self-duality. We show that this self-duality framework enables us to generalize to higher dimensions the construction of new solitons from already known solutions. By performing simple field transformations our procedure allows us to …
It is shown that the Scherk-Schwarz reduction of M-theory in the Berman-Perry duality invariant formalism to 6 and 5 dimensions reproduces the known structures of gauged supergravities that are normally associated to non-geometric compactifications. The local symmetries defined by the generalised Lie derivative reduce to gauge transformations that exactly match those given by the embedding tensor of gauged supergravity.
In this work a thorough study of a number of specific supersymmetric sigma-models with extended supersymmetry is performed within the context of generalised complex geometry. More specifically the supersymmetric Wess-Zumino-Witten model on a variety of group manifolds was considered. By explicitly calculating the admissible complex structures and the associated pure spinors on the target manifold a full characterisation of the different possible geometries is provided. By using this approach the various aspects of generalised Kähler geometry can be studied in detail. Also considered are the va…
We study exactly marginal deformations of 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ CFTs dual to AdS$_4$ solutions in eleven-dimensional supergravity using generalised geometry. Focussing on Sasaki-Einstein backgrounds, we find that marginal deformations correspond to turning on a four-form flux on the internal space at first order. Viewing this as the deformation of a generalised structure, we derive a general expression for the four-form flux in terms of a holomorphic function. We discuss the explicit examples of S$^7$, Q$^{1,1,1}$ and M$^{1,1,1}$ and, using an obstruction analysis, find the conditions for the fir…
Ten-dimensional type II supergravity can be reformulated as a generalised geometrical analogue of Einstein gravity, defined by an $O(9,1)\times O(1,9)\subset O(10,10)\times\mathbb{R}^+$ structure on the generalised tangent space. To leading order in the fermion fields, this allow one to rewrite the action, equations of motion and supersymmetry variations in a simple, manifestly $Spin(9,1)\times Spin(1,9)$-covariant form.
We build on the results of arXiv:1912.11036 for generalised frame fields on generalised quotient spaces and study integrable deformations for $\mathbb{CP}^n$. In particular we show how, when the target space of the Principal Chiral Model is a complex projective space, a two-parameter deformation can be introduced in principle. The second parameter can however be removed via a diffeomorphism, which we construct explicitly, in accordance with the results stemming from a thorough integrability analysis we carry out. We also elucidate how the deformed target space can be seen as an instance of gen…
Extending previous work on generalised geometry, we explicitly construct an E7-valued vielbein in eleven dimensions that encompasses the scalar bosonic degrees of freedom of D=11 supergravity, by identifying new "generalised vielbeine" in eleven dimensions associated with the dual 6-form potential and the dual graviton. By maintaining full on-shell equivalence with the original theory at every step, our construction altogether avoids the constraints usually encountered in other approaches to generalised geometry and, as a side product, also furnishes the non-linear ansatz for the dual (magneti…
A special class of solutions to the generalised WDVV equations related to a finite set of covectors is considered. We describe the geometric conditions ($\vee$-conditions) on such a set which are necessary and sufficient for the corresponding function to satisfy the generalised WDVV equations. These conditions are satisfied for all Coxeter systems but there are also other examples discovered in the theory of the generalised Calogero-Moser systems. As a result some new solutions for the generalized WDVV equations are found.
We develop an exceptional generalised geometry formalism for massive type IIA supergravity. In particular, we construct a deformation of the generalised Lie derivative, which generates the type IIA gauge transformations as modified by the Romans mass. We apply this new framework to consistent Kaluza-Klein reductions preserving maximal supersymmetry. We find a generalised parallelisation of the exceptional tangent bundle on S^6, and from this reproduce the consistent truncation ansatz and embedding tensor leading to dyonically gauged ISO(7) supergravity in four dimensions. We also discuss close…
Understanding supersymmetric flux vacua is essential in order to connect string theory to observable physics. In this thesis, flux vacua are studied by making use of two mathematical frameworks: SU(n)-structures and generalised complex geometry. Manifolds with SU(n)-structure are generalisations of Calabi-Yau manifolds. Generalised complex geometry is a geometrical framework that simultaneously generalises complex and symplectic geometry. Classes of flux vacua of type II supergravity and M-theory are given on manifolds with SU(4)-structure. The N= (1,1) type IIA vacua uplift to N=1 M-theory va…
We define $(p,q)$ hermitian geometry as the target space geometry of the two dimensional $(p,q)$ supersymmetric sigma model. This includes generalised Kähler geometry for $(2,2)$, generalised hyperkähler geometry for $(4,2)$, strong Kähler with torsion geometry for $(2,1)$ and strong hyperkähler with torsion geometry for $(4,1)$. We provide a generalised complex geometry formulation of hermitian geometry, generalising Gualtieri's formulation of the $(2,2)$ case. Our formulation involves a chiral version of generalised complex structure and we provide explicit formulae for the map to generalise…
Topological defects have long been known to encode symmetries and dualities between physical systems. In the context of string theory, defects have been intensively studied at the level of the worldsheet. Although marked by a number of pioneering milestones, the target space picture of defects is much less understood. In this paper, we show, at the level of the target space, that Poisson-Lie T-duality can be encoded as a topological defect. With this result at hand, we can postulate the kernel capturing the Fourier-Mukai transform associated to the action of Poisson-Lie T-duality on the RR-sec…
We present a generalised geometry framework for systematically constructing consistent truncations of ten- and eleven-dimensional supergravity preserving varying fractions of supersymmetry. Truncations arise when there is a reduced structure group $G_S$ of the exceptional generalised geometry, such that the intrinsic torsion is a $G_S$-singlet. The matter content of the truncated theory follows from group-theoretical arguments, while the gauging is determined by the sub-algebra of generalised diffeomorphisms generated by the $G_S$-singlet vectors. After discussing the general ideas across diff…
We analyse generic AdS flux backgrounds preserving eight supercharges in $D=4$ and $D=5$ dimensions using exceptional generalised geometry. We show that they are described by a pair of globally defined, generalised structures, identical to those that appear for flat flux backgrounds but with different integrability conditions. We give a number of explicit examples of such "exceptional Sasaki-Einstein" backgrounds in type IIB supergravity and M-theory. In particular, we give the complete analysis of the generic AdS$_5$ M-theory backgrounds. We also briefly discuss the structure of the moduli sp…
In this paper we establish and clarify the link between the recently found E7 generalised geometric structures, which are based on the SU(8) invariant reformulation of D=11 supergravity proposed long ago, and newer results obtained in the framework of recent approaches to generalised geometry, where E7 duality is built in and manifest from the outset. In making this connection, the so-called generalised vielbein postulate plays a key role. We explicitly show how this postulate can be used to define an E7 valued affine connection and an associated covariant derivative, which yields a generalise…
We briefly review the description of the internal sector of supergravity theories in the language of generalised geometry and how this gives rise to a description of supersymmetric backgrounds as integrable geometric structures. We then review recent work, featuring holomorphic Courant algebroids, on the description of $\mathcal N=1$ heterotic flux vacua. This work studied the finite deformation problem of the Hull-Strominger system, guided by consideration of the superpotential functional on the relevant space of geometries. It rewrote the system in terms of the Maurer-Cartan set of a particu…
We construct the non-linear realisation of E11 and its first fundamental representation in eleven dimensions at low levels. The fields depend on the usual coordinates of space-time as well as two form and five form coordinates. We derive the terms in the dynamics that contain the three form and six form fields and show that when we restricted their field dependence to be only on the usual space-time we recover the correct self-duality relation. Should this result generalise to the gravity fields then the non-linear realisation is an extension of the maximal supergravity theory, as previously c…
For Hitchin's generalised geometries we introduce and analyse the concept of a structured submanifold which encapsulates the classical notion of a calibrated submanifold. Under a suitable integrability condition on the ambient geometry, these generalised calibrated cycles minimise a functional occurring as D-brane energy in type II string theories, involving both so-called NS-NS- and R-R-fields. Further, we investigate the behaviour of calibrated cycles under T-duality and construct non-trivial examples.
Strong Kähler with Torsion is the target space geometry of $(2,1)$ and $(2,0)$ supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models. We discuss how it can be represented in terms of Generalised Complex Geometry in analogy to the Gualtieri map from the geometry of $(2,2)$ supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models to Generalised Kähler Geometry.
Recently proposed forms for gauge transformations with finite parameters in double field theory are discussed and problematic issues are identified. A new form for finite gauge transformations is derived that reveals the underlying gerbe structure and the close relationship with generalised geometry. The nature of generalised tensors is elucidated, and in particular it is seen that the presence of a constant metric with split signature does not restrict the doubled geometry, provided it is a generalised tensor rather than a conventional tensor.
We construct Exceptional Field Theory for the group $SO(5,5)$ based on the extended (6+16)-dimensional spacetime, which after reduction gives the maximal $D=6$ supergravity. We present both a true action and a duality-invariant pseudo-action formulations. All the fields of the theory depend on the complete extended spacetime. The U-duality group $SO(5,5)$ is made a geometric symmetry of the theory by virtue of introducing the generalised Lie derivative that incorporates a local duality transformation. Tensor hierarchy appears as a natural consequence of the algebra of generalised Lie derivativ…
We present a general formalism for incorporating the string corrections in generalised geometry, which necessitates the extension of the generalised tangent bundle. Not only are such extensions obstructed, string symmetries and the existence of a well-defined effective action require a precise choice of the (generalised) connection. The action takes a universal form given by a generalised Lichnerowitz--Bismut theorem. As examples of this construction we discuss the corrections linear in $α'$ in heterotic strings and the absence of such corrections for type II theories.
We apply exceptional generalised geometry to the study of exactly marginal deformations of $\mathcal{N}=1$ SCFTs that are dual to generic AdS$_5$ flux backgrounds in type IIB or eleven-dimensional supergravity. In the gauge theory, marginal deformations are parametrised by the space of chiral primary operators of conformal dimension three, while exactly marginal deformations correspond to quotienting this space by the complexified global symmetry group. We show how the supergravity analysis gives a geometric interpretation of the gauge theory results. The marginal deformations arise from defor…
In this thesis the recently developed duality covariant approach to string and M-theory is investigated. In this formalism the U-duality symmetry of M-theory or T-duality symmetry of Type II string theory becomes manifest upon extending coordinates that describe a background. The effective potential of Double Field Theory is formulated only up to a boundary term and thus does not capture possible topological effects that may come from a boundary. By introducing a generalised normal we derive a manifestly duality covariant boundary term that reproduces the known Gibbons-Hawking action of Genera…
We discuss the notion of generalised U-duality as a solution generating technique in supergravity. We demonstrate a method to take solutions of type IIA supergravity on a 3-sphere, with NSNS flux, to new solutions of 11-dimensional supergravity, using exceptional geometry techniques. These new solutions are characterised by an underlying 3-algebra structure, and generalise features of solutions obtained by non-abelian T-duality, which involve an underlying ordinary Lie algebra. We focus on an example where we start with the pp-F1-NS5 solution in type IIA supergravity. We discuss the properties…
It is shown that the BPS spectrum of Super-Yang-Mills theory on $T^d\times \R$, which fits into representations of the U-duality group for M-theory compactified on $T^{d}$, in accordance with the matrix-theory conjecture, in fact fits into representations of the U-duality group for M-theory on $T^{d+1}$, the extra dualities realised as generalised Nahm transformations. The spectrum of BPS M-branes is analysed, new branes are discussed and matrix theory applications described.
We present a tensor calculus for exceptional generalised geometry. Expressions for connections, torsion and curvature are given a unified formulation for different exceptional groups E_n(n). We then consider "tensor gauge fields" coupled to the exceptional generalised gravity. Many of the properties of forms on manifolds are carried over to these fields.
We reformulate ten-dimensional type II supergravity as a generalised geometrical analogue of Einstein gravity, defined by an $O(9,1)\times O(1,9)\subset O(10,10)\times\mathbb{R}^+$ structure on the generalised tangent space. Using the notion of generalised connection and torsion, we introduce the analogue of the Levi-Civita connection, and derive the corresponding tensorial measures of generalised curvature. We show how, to leading order in the fermion fields, these structures allow one to rewrite the action, equations of motion and supersymmetry variations in a simple, manifestly $\mathit{Spi…
We investigate the electromagnetic duality properties of an abelian gauge theory on a compact oriented four-manifold by analysing the behaviour of a generalised partition function under modular transformations of the dimensionless coupling constants. The true partition function is invariant under the full modular group but the generalised partition function exhibits more complicated behaviour depending on topological properties of the four-manifold concerned. It is already known that there may be "modular weights" which are linear combinations of the Euler number and Hirzebruch signature of th…
Although the introduction of generalised and extended geometry has been motivated mainly by the appearance of dualities upon reductions on tori, it has until now been unclear how (all) the duality transformations arise from first principles in extended geometry. A proposal for solving this problem is given in the framework of double field theory. It is based on a clearly defined extension of the definition of gauge symmetry by isometries of an underlying pseudo-Riemannian manifold. The ensuing relation between transformations of coordinates and fields, which is now derived from first principle…
We describe the geometry of generic heterotic backgrounds preserving minimal supersymmetry in four dimensions using the language of generalised geometry. They are characterised by an $SU(3)\times Spin(6+n)$ structure within $O(6,6+n)\times\mathbb{R}^+$ generalised geometry. Supersymmetry of the background is encoded in the existence of an involutive subbundle of the generalised tangent bundle and the vanishing of a moment map for the action of diffeomorphisms and gauge symmetries. We give both the superpotential and the Kähler potential for a generic background, showing that the latter defines…
When the gauge groups of the two heterotic string theories are broken, over tori, to their "SO(16)x SO(16)" subgroups, the winding modes correspond to representations which are spinorial with respect to those subgroups. Globally, the two subgroups are isomorphic neither to SO(16)x SO(16) nor to each other. Any attempt to formulate the T-duality of the two theories on any manifold more complicated than the product of a circle with a Euclidean space must therefore take into account the possible non-existence of the relevant "generalised spin structure". We give here a global formulation of T-dua…
In this letter we generalised the procedure of non-abelian T-duality based on a B-shift and a sequence of formal abelian T-dualities in non-isometric directions to 11-dimensional backgrounds. This consists of a C-shift followed by either a formal U-duality transformation or taking a IIB section. We investigate restrictions and applicability of the procedure and find that it can provide supergravity solutions for the SL(5) exceptional Drinfeld algebra only when a spectator field is present, which is consistent with examples known in the literature.
