The spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry in curved space-time

The spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry in the presence of a cosmological constant Λ is discussed in a class of theories that includes gauged supergravity and the recently constructed model of N = 1 supergravity coupled to supermatter. The stability of de Sitter, anti-de Sitter and Minkowski vacua in these theories is investigated. Positivity of energy is demonstrated in a model independent way for supersymmetric vacua, even if the scalar potential is unbounded below, and for global minima of the potential for Λ ? 0.Free fields in anti-de Sitter space are considered and the distinction made between the coefficients of quadratic terms in the lagrangian, which vanish for Goldstone scalars, and the physical masses, which give the frequencies and total energies of modes. The number of degrees of freedom depends on gauge invariance, not on the vanishing of mass.The one-loop corrections to the cosmological constant are given for Λ ? 0 and they vanish if the physical masses obey certain sum rules. It is, however, the bilinear coefficients in the N = 1 supergravity-supermatter lagrangian, rather than the physical masses, that satisfy a quadratic sum rule. This sum rule depends on Λ so that a given mass splitting can be obtained for arbitrarily large supersymmetry breaking scales if Λ is sufficiently large and negative.     

The G2 invariant compactifications in eleven-dimensional supergravity

In this article we study the most general compactifications of eleven-dimensional supergravity to four-dimensional anti-de Sitter space, using a seven-dimensional internal compact manifold whose local isometry group contains the exceptional group, G₂. We find that the only such compactifications are the well known ones involving the round seven-sphere. We discuss the implications of this result for conjectured relationship between the eleven-dimensional theory and gauged N = 8 supergravity.     

Stability at a local maximum in higher dimensional anti-deSitter space and applications to supergravity

The stability of anti-deSitter background solutions of gravity/scalar systems with respect to small fluetuations of the scalar fields is analyzed. As in the four dimensional case, one finds stability even about a local maximum provided that the effective scalar field masses are not “too tachyonic,” and for sufficiently low mass there are two possible boundary conditions that allow a well-defined and conserved energy. Unlike the d = 4 case only one boundary condition is applicable to the known gauged supergravity theories in d = 5 and d = 7. For d = 7 the stability criterion is satisfied while for d = 5 stability is marginal.     

Stability of gravity with a cosmological constant

The stability properties of Einstein theory with a cosmological constant Λ are investigated. For Λ > 0, stability is established for small fluctuations, about the de Sitter background, occurring inside the event horizon and semiclassical stability is analyzed. For Λ < 0, stability is demonstrated for all asymptotically anti-de Sitter metrics. The analysis is based on the general construction of conserved flux-integral expressions associated with the symmetries of a chosen background. The effects of an event horizon, which lead to Hawking radiation, are expressedfor general field hamiltonians. Stability for Λ < 0 is proved, using supergravity techniques, in terms of the graded anti-de Sitter algebra with spinorial charges also expressed as flux integrals.     

Vanishing β-functions in extended supergravities

Given that extended supergravity theories can be written in N = 1 superfield form, the non-renormalization of chiral superspace integrals implies a vanishing β-function for the SO(N) gauged Poincaré supergravity theories for N ? 5 at one loop and probably to all orders. In particular, this explains the results of existing one-loop calculations of the β-function.     

Zilch currents,supersymmetry and Kaluza-Klein consistency

We give a simple explanation for the fact that one can always perform a consistent truncation of a normal second-order Kaluza-Klein supergravity theory to the irreducible massless graviton supermulitplet. The basic reason for consistency is the highly restrictive requirement that massive fields of spins s⩾1 couple at lowest order to conserved currents constructed from field strengths of the massless fields. Inparticular, one understands in this way the consistency of the truncation of D=11 supergravity compactified on the seven-sphere to d=4, N=8 gauged supergravity.     

Gauge boson/Higgs boson unification: The Higgs bosons as superpartners of massive gauge bosons

The N = 4 supergravity theories with local SO(4) invariance are formulated in superspace. The gauged SO(4) theory with two coupling constants (g₁, g₂) is shown to reduce to three inequivalent models: g₁ = g₂ with negative cosmological constant, g₁ = ?g₂ with positive cosmological constant, and g₁ = 0, g₂ ≠ 0 which is a particular case of the Freedman-Schwarz gauged SU(2) ? SU(2) model. The Higgs effect in the vector-scalar sector of the gauged N = 5 supergravity is analyzed.     

Gauged N = 8 supergravity in five dimensions

We construct gauged N = 8 supergravity theories in five dimensions. Instead of the twenty-seven vector fields of the ungauged theory, the gauged theories contain fifteen vector fields and twelve second-rank antisymmetric tensor fields satisfying self-dual field equations. The fifteen vector fields can be used to gauge any of the fifteen-dimensional semisimple subgroups of SL(6,R), specially SO(p, 6?p) for p = 0, 1, 2, 3. The gauged theories also have a physical global SU(1,1) symmetry which survives from the E₆₍₆₎ symmetry of the ungauged theory. This SU(1,1) for the SO(6) gauging is presumably related to that of the chiral N = 2 theory in ten dimensions. In our formalism we maintain a composite local USp(8) symmetry analogous to SU(8) in four dimensions.     

Asymptotic freedom in extended conformal supergravities

We present the calculation of the one-loop β-function in extended conformal supergravities. N = 1, 2, 3, theories (free or coupled to the Einstein supergravities) are found to the asymptotically free (like the N = 0 Weyl theory) while the N = 4 theory becomes finite under some plausible hypothesis. The results support the possibility to solve the problem of ghosts in these theories. The obtained sequence of SU(N) β-functions appears to be in remarkable correspondence with that for gauged O(N) supergravity theories.     

4D localization in Randall-Sundrum 2 supergravity and in Vasiliev theories

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 naked singularities, thus avoiding the curvature singularity of the 5D uplift of an isolated charged BPS black hole. Finally, we resolve a puzzle with localization of massless high spin fields on a (putative) Randall-Sundrum 2 construction based on Vasiliev?s high spin theories. We show that while high spin fields do localize, the gauge symmetry that ensures decoupling of their unphysical polarizations is anomalous. This implies that the high spin fields must acquire a mass.     

Asymptotically anti-de Sitter spaces

Asymptotically anti-de Sitter spaces are defined by boundary conditions on the gravitational field which obey the following criteria: (i) they are O(3, 2) invariant; (ii) they make the O(3, 2) surface integral charges finite; (iii) they include the Kerr-anti-de Sitter metric. An explicit expression of the O(3, 2) charges in terms of the canonical variables is given. These charges are shown to close in the Dirac brackets according to the anti-de Sitter algebra. The results are extended to the case ofN=1 supergravity. The coupling to gravity of a third-rank, completely antisymmetric, abelian gauge field is also considered. That coupling makes it possible to vary the cosmological constant and to compare the various anti-de Sitter spaces which are shown to have the same energy.On leave from Département de Physique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, BelgiumChercheur qualifié du Fonds National Belge de la Recherche Scientifique     

Consistency in explicitly broken N = 1 supergravity with matter couplings

Using N = 1 supergravity coupled to general, gauged, N = 1 matter, we show that the addition of a wide class of explicit supersymmetry breaking terms in the N = 1 matter fields can still lead to the spin $\text{3}\text{2}$ field satisfying an equation of motion in which propagation is causal. We argue that a similar result holds in the case of N = 2 supergravity coupled to matter, plus explicit terms.     

1616 supergravity coupled to matter: The low energy limit of the superstring

We analyze irreducible, N = 1 supergravity theories with 16 fermionic degrees of freedom. The lagrangians for pure $\text{16}\text{16}$ supergravity, and for $\text{16}\text{16}$ supergravity coupled to arbitrary chiral superfields are constructed. These theories are shown to have natural SU(1,1) non-compact symmetry. The low energy field theory limit of the superstring is conjectured to be of this type.     

Positive energy without supersymmetry

Witten's positive energy theorem and its generalizations can be viewed as stating that supersymmetric solutions of any supergravity theory are stable. In this paper we give a criterion to test the stability of non-supersymmetric solutions of supergravity theories and solutions of theories which cannot be embedded in a supergravity theory. Previously some of these solutions might have been considered to be unstable. In particular, we show that the non-supersymmetric stationary point of the scalar potential of the gauged N = 5 supergravity theory is stable. We also give an elegant derivation of the Breitenlohner-Freedman condition for (small fluctuation) stability.     

Compactification of d = 11 supergravity on S4 (or 11 = 7 + 4, too)

Eleven-dimensional supergravity can compactify spontaneously on either S⁷ or S⁴. We study the latter case, with attention to its connection with a possible gauged N = 4 supergravity in d = 7. We derive the linearized field equations and supersymmetry transformation rules for the effective d = 7 supergravity multiplet. There are five third rank antisymmetric tensors in this multiplet which are in the 5 representation of the gauge group USp(4) and they are propagated with a self-duality condition in 7 dimensions. There is also a 14 of scalar fields and they are found to propagate with a non-conformal wave operator.     

Designer gravity and field theory effective potentials

Motivated by the anti-de Sitter conformal field theory correspondence, we show that there is remarkable agreement between static supergravity solutions and extrema of a field theory potential. For essentially any function V(alpha) there are boundary conditions in anti-de Sitter space so that gravitational solitons exist precisely at the extrema of V and have masses given by the value of V at these extrema. Based on this, we propose new positive energy conjectures. On the field theory side, each function V can be interpreted as the effective potential for a certain operator in the dual field theory.     

New Dynamics in the Anti-de Sitter Universe AdS 5

This paper deals with the propagation of the gravitational waves in the Poincaré patch of the 5-dimensional Anti-de Sitter universe. We construct a large family of unitary dynamics with respect to some high order energies that are conserved and positive. These dynamics are associated with asymptotic conditions on the conformal time-like boundary of the universe. This result does not contradict the statement of Breitenlohner-Freedman that the hamiltonian is essentially self-adjoint in L ² and thus accordingly the dynamics is uniquely determined. The key point is the introduction of a new Hilbert functional framework that contains the massless graviton which is not normalizable in L ². Then the hamiltonian is not essentially self-adjoint in this new space and possesses a lot of different positive self-adjoint extensions. These dynamics satisfy a holographic principle: there exists a renormalized boundary value which completely characterizes the whole field in the bulk.     

N=3 supersymmetry multiplets with vanishing trace anomaly: Building blocks of the N>3 supergravities

N?3 supergravity theories with vanishing one-loop trace anomaly may be constructed fron three basic N=3 multiplets, one of which contains an antisymmetric tensor gauge field. As an example we construct the N=4 theory and discuss its relationship to ten-dimensional supergravity.     

Magnetovacs in gauged N = 4 supergravity

A two-parameter family of supersymmetric background field solutions of the recently formulated version of gauged N = 4 supergravity is found. This constitutes strong evidence that the theory has stable vacua, despite energy densities that are unbounded below. The background geometries are metric products of (AdS)₂ × S₂, and there are covariantly constant magnetic and electric fields. For a special choice of parameters the (AdS)₂ factor becomes a flat Minkowski space and electric fields vanish.     

The improved tensor multiplet in N = 2 supergravity

We construct a scale-invariant action for the N = 2 tensor multiplet which can be coupled to conformal supergravity. In spite of its non-polynomial form the action describes a free massless hypermultiplet. When used as a compensating multiplet it leads to a new minimal formulation of N = 2 Poincaré or de Sitter supergravity. We discuss its consequences and present a comparison with previous off-shell formulations.