Ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in terms of four-dimensional superfields

We show that the usual formulation of the N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in terms of N = 1 superfields can be generalized to describe the full ten-dimensional theory.     

N = 1 superspace formulation of N = 2 and N = 4 super-Yang-Mills models with central charge

The component models of N = 2 and N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories of Sohnius, Stelle and West are reformulated in terms of N = 1 superfields. The non-supersymmetric constraints are supersymmetrized generalizing the linear multiplet in the presence of the non-abelian gauge superfield and (in the N = 4 case) a doublet of chiral superfields. The extended supersymmetry transformations preserving constraints are explicitly given in terms of N = 1 superfields. We are able to introduce the constraints back into the lagrangian using superfield Lagrange multipliers. The on-shell equivalence of this formulation with the formulation of Fayet with one (for N = 2) and three (for N = 4) chiral superfields is shown. The abelian N = 2 model is worked out to show the connection between full superspace treatment and the N = 1 superfield formulation.     

Superfield approach to the construction of effective action in quantum field theory with extended supersymmetry

We review the current state of research on the construction of effective actions in supersymmetric quantum field theory. Special attention is paid to gauge models with extended supersymmetry in the superfield approach. The advantages of formulation of such models in harmonic superspace for the calculation of effective action are emphasized. Manifestly supersymmetric and manifestly gauge-invariant methods for constructing the low-energy effective actions and deriving the corrections to them are considered and the possibilities to obtain the exact solutions are discussed. The calculations of one-loop effective actions in N = 2 supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory with hypermultiplets and in N = 4 supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory are analyzed in detail. The relationship between the effective action in supersymmetric quantum field theory and the low-energy limit in superstring theory is discussed.     

N = 2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory and its supercurrent

Using the off-shell two-component formulation of N = 2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory and the gauge covariantized supersymmetry transformations for the fields, the non-abelian supercurrent and anomaly multiplets are developed and the transformation rules for their components are obtained. The superfields in N = 2 superspace whose components are the non-abelian supercurrent and anomaly multiplets are written down.     

On the integrable hierarchies associated with the N = 2 super Wn algebra

A new Lax operator is proposed from the viewpoint of constructing the integrable hierarchies related with the N = 2 super W_n algebra. It is shown that the Poisson algebra associated to the second Hamiltonian structure for the resulting hierarchy contains the N = 2 super Virasoro algebra as a proper subalgebra. The simplest cases are discussed in detail. In particular, it is proved that the supersymmetric two-boson hierarchy is one of the N = 2 supersymmetric KdV hierarchies. Also, a Lax operator is supplied for one of the N = 2 supersymmetric Boussinesq hierarchies.     

Manifestly supersymmetric extensions of (curvature)2-terms in six-dimensional N = 2 supergravity

A systematic and manifestly supersymmetric procedure for supersymmetrization of general (curvature)²-terms in N = 2 supergravity in six dimensions (D = 6) is presented in superspace. The general form of new terms for the supersymmetrization in supertranslation rules is given. As a by-product, the superspace structure of quaternionic Kähler manifolds is elucidated. Our method is the D = 6 application of our previously established formulation for the D = 10, N = 1 supergravity with the O(α′) superstring corrections.     

N = 1 complex supersymmetric theory in the harmonic superspace

The N = 1 complex supersymmetric algebra is studied using the harmonic techniques. The massless representations and the classification of their field content in terms of SU(2) n-uplets is obtained. The superspace formulation is developed and the U(1) × U(1) gauge supermultiplet is examined. Other features are discussed.     

Towards the construction of N = 2 supersymmetric integrable hierarchies

We formulate a conjecture for the three different Lax operators that describe the bosonic sectors of the three possible N = 2 supersymmetric integrable hierarchies with N = 2 super-W_n second Hamiltonian structure. We check this conjecture in the simplest cases, then we verify it in general in one of the three possible supersymmetric extensions. To this end we construct the N = 2 supersymmetric extensions of the Generalized Non-Linear Schrödinger hierarchy by exhibiting the corresponding super Lax operator. To find the correct Hamiltonians we are led to a new definition of super-residues for degenerate N = 2 supersymmetric pseudo-differential operators. We have found a new non-polynomials Miura-like realization for N = 2 superconformal algebra in terms of two bosonic chiral-anti-chiral free superfields.     

Aspects of effective action for super Chern-Simons-Matter models

We develop the superfield background field method and study the effective action in the N = 2, d3 supersymmetric Chern-Simons-matter systems. The one-loop low-energy effective action for non-Abelian supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory is computed to order F ⁴ by use of N = 2 superfield heat kernel techniques.     

Central Charge Extended Supersymmetric Structures for Fundamental Fermions Around Non-Abelian Vortices

Fermionic zero modes around non-abelian vortices are shown that they constitute two N = 2, d = 1 supersymmetric quantum mechanics algebras. These two algebras can be combined under certain circumstances to form a central charge extended N = 4 supersymmetric quantum algebra. We thoroughly discuss the implications of the existence of supersymmetric quantum mechanics algebras, in the quantum Hilbert space of the fermionic zero modes.     

Towards Higher-N Superextensions of Born–Infeld Theory

We give a brief account of supersymmetric Born–Infeld theories with extended supersymmetry, including those with partially broken supersymmetry. Some latest developments in this area are presented. One of them is N = 3 supersymmetric Born–Infeld theory which admits a natural off-shell formulation in N = 3 harmonic superspace.     

Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz for N = 1 supersymmetric theories

We study a series of N = 1 supersymmetric integrable particle theories in d = 1 + 1 dimensions. These theories are represented as integrable perturbations of specific N = 1 superconformal field theories. Starting from the conjectured S-matrices for these theories, we develop the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz (TBA), where we use that the 2-particle S-matrices satisfy a free fermion condition. Our analysis proves a conjecture by E. Melzer, who proposed that these N = 1 supersymmetric. TBA systems are “folded” versions of N = 2 supersymmetric TBA systems that were first studied by P. Fendley and K. Intriligator.     

The Hamiltonian structure of the N = 2 supersymmetric GNLS hierarchy

The first two Hamiltonian structures and the recursion operator connecting all evolution systems and Hamiltonian structures of the N = 2 supersymmetric (n, m)-GNLS hierarchy are constructed in terms of N = 2 superfields in two different superfield bases with local evolution equations. Their bosonic limits are studied in detail. New local and nonlocal bosonic and fermionic integrals both for the N = 2 supersymmetric (n, m)-GNLS hierarchy and its bosonic counterparts are derived. As an example, in the n = 1, m = 1 case, the algebra and the symmetry transformations for some of them are worked out and a rich N = 4 supersymmetry structure is uncovered.     

Integrability and Seiberg-Witten theory curves and periods

The interpretation of exact results on the low-energy limit of 4D N = 2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in the language of 1D integrable system of particles is discussed. The Riemann surfaces of the Seiberg-Witten theory are explicitly described as spectral curves of Lax operators. The case of the elliptic Calogero system, associated with the flow between N = 4 and N = 2 supersymmetric in 4D, is considered in some detail. Equations for the corresponding Riemann surfaces are written down rather explicitly for all the SU(n) groups.     

The N = 2 supersymmetric Toda lattice hierarchy

We propose a new integrable N = 2 supersymmetric Toda lattice hierarchy which may be relevant for constructing a supersymmetric one-matrix model. We define its first two Hamiltonian structures, the recursion operator and Lax-pair representation. We provide partial evidence for the existence of an infinite-dimensional N = 2 superalgebra of its flows. We study its bosonic limit and introduce new Lax-pair representations for the bosonic Toda lattice hierarchy. Finally we discuss the relevance this approach for constructing N = 2 supersymmetric generalized Toda lattice hierarchies.     

On quantum mechanics with extended supersymmetry and nonabelian gauge constraints

We analyze a weakly restricted general class of quantum mechanical models with at least four real supercharges and nonabelian gauge constraints. The innocent-looking restrictions lead automatically and exclusively to the quantum mechanics which are the dimensionally reduced counterparts of supersymmetric Yang-Mills field theories. This result provides in turn an independent proof that N = 1, N = 2 and N = 4 Yang-Mills fields are the only possible supersymmetric gauge field theories (without central charges) in four dimensions.     

Superspace gauge theories with central charges

The superspace constraints leading to off-shell formulations of extended supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories for N = 2 and 4 are generalised to N = 6 in the abelian case. This leads to an on-shell representation of linearized N = 6 supergravity.     

Supersymmetric gauge theories in quantum mechanics

A general construction for supersymmetric U(1) gauge invariant Hamiltonians in quantum mechanics is given. For a given number of fermionic and bosonic degrees of freedom it is shown that for four supercharges the interactions are determined uniquely, and coincide with the dimensionally reduced N = 1, d = 3 + 1 supersymmetric electrodynamics. With two supercharges one gets models which cannot be obtained through dimensional reduction. For two special choices of a parameter one recovers the dimensionally reduced d = 1 + 1 Weyl supersymmetric and Majorana supersymmetric electrodynamics.     

Polynomial invariants for SU(2) monopoles

We present an explicit expression for the topological invariants associated to SU(2) monopoles in the fundamental representation on spin four-manifolds. The computation of these invariants is based on the analysis of their corresponding topological quantum field theory, and it turns out that they can be expressed in terms of Seiberg-Witten invariants. In this analysis we use recent exact results on the moduli space of vacua of the untwisted N = 1 and N = 2 supersymmetric counterparts of the topological quantum field theory under consideration, as well as on electric-magnetic duality for N = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories.