We formulate the higher covariant derivative regularization for N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories in N=2 harmonic superspace. This regularization is constructed by adding the N=2 supersymmetric higher derivative term to the classical action and inserting the N=2 supersymmetric Pauli--Villars determinants into the generating functional for removing one-loop divergencies. Unlike all other regularization schemes in N=2 supersymmetric quantum field theory, this regularization preserves by construction the manifest N=2 supersymmetry at all steps of calculating loop corrections to the effective action. Together with N=2 supersymmetric background field method this regularization allows to calculate quantum corrections without breaking the manifest gauge symmetry and N=2 supersymmetry. Thus, we justify the assumption about existence of a regularization preserving N=2 supersymmetry, which is a key element of the N=2 non-renormalization theorem. As a result, we give the prove of the N=2 non-renormalization theorem which does not require any additional assumptions.
We investigate the possibility of writing a manifestly supersymmetric action for 11-dimensional supergravity. The construction involves an explicit relation between the fields in the super-vielbein and the super-3-form, and uses non-minimal pure spinors. A simple cubic interaction term for a single scalar superfield is found.
Renormalisation group (RG) equations in two-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric field theories with boundary are studied. It is explained how a manifestly N=1 supersymmetric scheme can be chosen, and within this scheme the RG equations are determined to next-to-leading order. We also use these results to revisit the question of how brane obstructions and lines of marginal stability appear from a world-sheet perspective.
When global symmetries are spontaneously broken in supersymmetric vacua, there appear quasi-Nambu-Goldstone (NG) fermions as superpartners of NG bosons. In addition to these, there can appear quasi-NG bosons in general. The quasi-NG bosons and fermions together with the NG bosons are organized into chiral multiplets. Kähler potentials of low-energy effective theories were constructed some years ago as supersymmetric nonlinear realizations. It is known that higher derivative terms in the superfield formalism often encounter with the auxiliary field problem; the auxiliary fields are acted by spa…
Local, manifestly dual-conformally invariant loop integrands are now known for all finite quantities associated with observables in planar, maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory through three loops. These representations, however, are not infrared-finite term by term and therefore require regularization; and even using a regulator consistent with dual-conformal invariance, ordinary methods of loop integration would naively obscure this symmetry. In this work, we show how any planar loop integral through at least two loops can be systematically regulated and evaluated directly in terms of …
A new way to write the massive scalar and fermion propagators on a background of a weak gauge field is presented. They are written in a form that is manifestly gauge-covariant up to several additional terms that can be written as boundary terms in momentum space. These additional terms violate Ward-Takahashi identities and need to be renormalized by appropriate counterterms if the complete theory is to be gauge-covariant. This form makes it possible to calculate many amplitudes in a manifestly gauge-covariant way (at the same time reducing the number of Feynman diagrams). It also allows to exp…
We construct a new supermatrix model which represents a manifestly supersymmetric noncommutative regularisation of the $UOSp(2\vert 1)$ supersymmetric Schwinger model on the supersphere. Our construction is much simpler than those already existing in the literature and it was found by using Poisson geometry in a substantial way.
We show how manifestly supersymmetric action for Wess-Zumino model can be constructed within the unfolded dynamics approach. The off-shell unfolded system for N = 1, D = 4 scalar supermultiplet is found. The action is presented in the form of integral of a closed 4-form over any (4, 0) surface in superspace as well as a superspace integral of an integral form or a chiral integral form. The proposed method is argued to provide a most general tool for the analysis of manifestly supersymmetric functionals.
In this technical note we introduce a manifestly gauge-invariant and supersymmetric procedure to regularize and renormalize one-loop divergences of chiral multiplets in two-dimensional N=(2,2) theories in curved spacetime. We apply the method, a version of Pauli-Villars regularization, to known examples of supersymmetric localization and demonstrate that the partition functions are renormalized. An accompanying ancillary file, a Mathematica notebook, implements the relevant supergravity transformations.
Scale invariant theories are often used to address the hierarchy problem, however the regularization of their quantum corrections introduces a dimensionful coupling (dimensional regularization) or scale (Pauli-Villars, etc) which break this symmetry explicitly. We show how to avoid this problem and study the implications of a manifestly scale invariant regularization in (classical) scale invariant theories. We use a dilaton-dependent subtraction function $μ(σ)$ which after spontaneous breaking of scale symmetry generates the usual DR subtraction scale $μ(\langleσ\rangle)$. One consequence is t…
We review the recent progress in studying the quantum structure of $6D$, ${\cal N}=(1,0)$ and ${\cal N}=(1,1)$ supersymmetric gauge theories formulated through unconstrained harmonic superfields. The harmonic superfield approach allows one to carry out the quantization and calculations of the quantum corrections in a manifestly ${\cal N}=(1,0)$ supersymmetric way. The quantum effective action is constructed with the help of the background field method that secures the manifest gauge invariance of the results. Although the theories under consideration are not renormalizable, the extended supers…
For the general renormalizable N=1 supersymmetric Yang--Mills theory, regularized by higher covariant derivatives, a two-loop beta-function is calculated. It is shown that all integrals, needed for obtaining this function, can be easily calculated, because they are integrals of total derivatives.
We analyse the relation between anomalies in their manifestly supersymmetric formulation in superspace and their formulation in Wess-Zumino (WZ) gauges. We show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the solutions of the cohomology problem in the two formulations and that they are related by a particular choice of a superspace counterterm ("scheme"). Any apparent violation of $Q$-supersymmetry is due to an explicit violation by the counterterm which defines the scheme equivalent to the WZ gauge. It is therefore removable.
We explore the $J\bar{T}$ and $T\bar{J}$ deformations of two-dimensional field theories possessing $\mathcal N=(0,1),(1,1)$ and $(0,2)$ supersymmetry. Based on the stress-tensor and flavor current multiplets, we construct various bilinear supersymmetric primary operators that induce the $J\bar{T}/T\bar{J}$ deformation in a manifestly supersymmetric way. Moreover, their supersymmetric descendants are shown to agree with the conventional $J\bar T /T\bar J$ operator on-shell. We also present some examples of $J\bar T /T\bar J$ flows arising from the supersymmetric deformation of free theories. Fi…
We consider the off-shell formulation of the 5D, $ {\cal N}$=1 super Yang-Mills and super Chern-Simons theories in harmonic superspace. Using such a formulation we develop a manifestly supersymmetric and gauge invariant approach to constructing the one-loop effective action both in super Yang-Mills and super Chern-Simons models. On the base of this approach we compute the leading low-energy quantum contribution to the effective action on the Abelian vector multiplet background. This contribution corresponds to $F^4$ invariant which is given in 5D superfield form.
We show that adjoint QCD features very strong Bose-Fermi cancellations in the large $N$ limit, despite the fact that it is manifestly non-supersymmetric. The difference between the bosonic and fermionic densities of states in large $N$ adjoint QCD turns out to have a `two-dimensional' scaling $\sim \exp{(\sqrt{\ell E})}$ for large energies $E$ in finite spatial volume, where $\ell$ is a length scale associated with the curvature of the spatial manifold. In particular, all Hagedorn growth cancels, and so does the growth $\exp{(V^{1/4} E^{3/4})}$ expected in a standard local 4d theory in spatial…
We give the supersymmetric extension of exceptional field theory for E$_{7(7)}$, which is based on a $(4+56)$-dimensional generalized spacetime subject to a covariant constraint. The fermions are tensors under the local Lorentz group ${\rm SO}(1,3)\times {\rm SU}(8)$ and transform as scalar densities under the E$_{7(7)}$ (internal) generalized diffeomorphisms. The supersymmetry transformations are manifestly covariant under these symmetries and close, in particular, into the generalized diffeomorphisms of the 56-dimensional space. We give the fermionic field equations and prove supersymmetric …
For all types of N=4 anti-de Sitter (AdS) supersymmetry in three dimensions, we construct manifestly supersymmetric actions for Abelian vector multiplets and explain how to extend the construction to the non-Abelian case. Manifestly N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) actions are explicitly given in the cases of (2,2) and critical (4,0) AdS supersymmetries. The N=4 vector multiplets and the corresponding actions are then reduced to (2,0) AdS superspace, in which only N=2 supersymmetry is manifest. Using the off-shell structure of the N=4 vector multiplets, we provide complete N=4 SYM actions i…
We discuss why the Slavnov higher covariant derivative regularization appeared to be an excellent instrument for investigating quantum corrections in supersymmetric gauge theories. For example, it allowed to demonstrate that the $β$-function in these theories is given by integrals of double total derivatives and to construct the NSVZ renormalization prescription in all loops. It was also used for deriving the non-renormalization theorem for the triple gauge-ghost vertices. With the help of this theorem the exact NSVZ $β$-function was rewritten in a new form, which revealed its perturbative ori…
We construct a new version of the higher covariant derivative regularization for a general ${\cal N}=2$ supersymmetric gauge theory formulated in terms of ${\cal N}=1$ superfields. This regularization preserves both supersymmetries of the classical action, namely, the invariance under the manifest ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetry and under the second hidden on-shell supersymmetry. The regularizing ${\cal N}=2$ supersymmetric higher derivative term is found in the explicit form in terms of ${\cal N}=1$ superfields. Thus, ${\cal N}=2$ supersymmetry is broken only by the gauge fixing procedure. Then we…
We consider a general non-Abelian renormalizable ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetric gauge theory, regularized by higher covariant derivatives without breaking the BRST invariance, and calculate one-loop divergences for a general form of higher derivative regulator and of the gauge fixing term. It is demonstrated that the momentum integrals giving the one-loop $β$-function are integrals of double total derivatives independently of a particular choice of the higher derivative term. Evaluating them we reproduce the well-known result for the one-loop $β$-function. Also we find that the three-point ghost …