ℵ0-extended supergravity and Chern-Simons theories

We give generalizations of extended Poincaré supergravity with arbitrarily many supersymmetries in the absence of central charges in three dimensions by gauging its intrinsic global SO(N) symmetry. We call these ℵ₀ (Aleph-null) supergravity theories. We further couple a non-Abelian supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory and an Abelian topological BF theory to ℵ₀ supergravity. Our result overcomes the previous difficulty for supersymmetrization of Chern-Simons theories beyond N = 4. This feature is peculiar to the Chern-Simons and BF theories including supergravity in three dimensions. We also show that dimensional reduction schemes for four-dimensional theories such as N = 1 self-dual supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory or N = 1 supergravity theory that can generate ℵ₀ globally and locally supersymmetric theories in three dimensions. As an interesting application, we present ℵ₀ supergravity Liouville theory in two dimensions after appropriate dimensional reduction from three dimensions.     

0-extended supergravity and Chern-Simons theories

We give generalizations of extended Poincaré supergravity with arbitrarily many supersymmetries in the absence of central charges in three dimensions by gauging its intrinsic global SO(N) symmetry. We call these ₀ (Aleph-null) supergravity theories. We further couple a non-Abelian supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory and an Abelian topological BF theory to ₀ supergravity. Our result overcomes the previous difficulty for supersymmetrization of Chern-Simons theories beyond N = 4. This feature is peculiar to the Chern-Simons and BF theories including supergravity in three dimensions. We also show that dimensional reduction schemes for four-dimensional theories such as N = 1 self-dual supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory or N = 1 supergravity theory that can generate ₀ globally and locally supersymmetric theories in three dimensions. As an interesting application, we present ₀ supergravity Liouville theory in two dimensions after appropriate dimensional reduction from three dimensions.     

Local supersymmetry anomaly in two dimensions

We study the local supersymmetry anomaly by constructing an N = 1 (counted by Majorana-Weyl spinors) chiral supergravity model in two dimensions. There is the local supersymmetry anomaly as well as the gravitational anomaly. We obtain the linearized forms of these anomalies by perturbation calculation. The full non-linear forms are obtained by finding a solution to the Wess-Zumino consistency condition. These anomalies can be derived from the supersymmetric extension of the Chern-Simons invariant in three dimensions.     

Euclidean D-branes and higher-dimensional gauge theory

We consider euclidean D-branes wrapping around manifolds of exceptional holonomy in dimensions seven and eight. The resulting theory on the D-brane—that is, the dimensional reduction of 10-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory—is a cohomological field theory which describes the topology of the moduli space of instantons. The 7-dimensional theory is an N_T = 2 (or balanced) cohomological theory given by an action potential of Chern-Simons type. As a by-product of this method, we construct a related cohomological field theory which describes the monopole moduli space on a 7-manifold of G₂ holonomy.     

The gauge-invariant N=2 supersymmetric σ-model with general scalar potential

We construct the supersymmetric σ-model, in six dimensions, for an arbitrary hyper-Kähler manifold, and its minimal coupling to super-Yang-Mills theory. Non-trivial reduction to five or four dimensions yields the corresponding five- or four-dimensional N = 2 supersymmetric model with general scalar potential. We discuss briefly the coupling to supergravity in six dimensions and we give the on-shell supergravity torsion constraints.     

Quantum gravity as Escher's Dragon

The main obstacle in attempts to construct a consistent quantum gravity is the absence of independent flat time. This can in principle be cured by going out to higher dimensions. The modern paradigm assumes that the fundamental theory of everything is some form of string theory living in space of more than four dimensions. We advocate another possibility that the fundamental theory is a form of D=4 higher derivative gravity. This class of theories has a nice feature of renormalizability, so that perturbative calculations are feasible. There are also finite N=4 supersymmetric conformal supergravity theories. This possibility is particularly attractive. Einstein's gravity is obtained in a natural way as an effective low-energy theory. The N=1 supersymmetric version of the theory has a natural higher dimensional interpretation due to V.I. Ogievetsky and E.S. Sokatchev, which involves embedding our curved Minkowski spacetime manifold into flat eight-dimensional space. Assuming that a variant of the finite N=4 theory also admits a similar interpretation, this may eventually allow one to construct consistent quantum theory of gravity. We argue, however, that, even though future gravity theory will probably use higher dimensions as construction scaffolds, its physical content and meaning should refer to four dimensions, where an observer lives.     

Euclidean SYM theories by time reduction and special holonomy manifolds

Euclidean supersymmetric theories are obtained from Minkowskian theories by performing a reduction in the time direction. This procedure elucidates certain mysterious features of Zumino's N = 2 model in four dimensions, provides manifestly hermitian Euclidean counterparts of all non-mimimal SYM theories, and is also applicable to supergravity theories. We reanalyse the twists of the 4d N = 2 and N = 4 models from this point of view. Other applications include SYM theories on special holonomy manifolds. In particular, we construct a twisted SYM theory on Kähler 3-folds and clarify the structure of SYM theory on hyper-Kähler 4-folds.     

Black hole attractors and the entropy function in four‐ and five‐dimensional N = 2 supergravity

In this overview of selected aspects of the black hole attractor mechanism, after introducing the necessary foundations, we examine the relationship between two ways to describe the attractor phenomenon in four‐dimensional N = 2 supergravity: the entropy function and the black hole potential. We also exemplify their practical application to finding solutions to the attractor equations for a conifold prepotential. Next we describe an extension of the original definition of the entropy function to a class of rotating black holes in five‐dimensional N = 2 supergravity based on cubic polynomials, exploiting a connection between four‐ and five‐dimensional black holes. This link allows further the derivation of five‐dimensional first‐order differential flow equations governing the profile of the fields from infinity to the event horizon and construction of non‐supersymmetric interpolating solutions in four dimensions by dimensional reduction. Finally, since four‐dimensional extremal black holes in N = 2 supergravity can be viewed as certain two‐dimensional string compactifications with fluxes, we discuss implications of the conifold example in the context of the entropic principle, which postulates as a probability measure on the space of these string compactifications the exponentiated entropy of the corresponding black holes.     

New challenges in unified theories

Among the research directions that we have presented during the Workshop SQS??2011, we have chosen to discuss here in some detail the derivation of the effective action in four dimensions of the tendimensional N = 1 heterotic supergravity coupled to N = 1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills resulting from the dimensional reduction over nearly-K?hler manifolds.     

Bianchi VI0 models in N=2, D=5 supergravity

We investigate Bianchi VI₀ cosmological models containing two interacting scalar fields. These models are derived from a dimensional reduction of theN=2,D=5 supergravity theory. Exact solutions are found and the existence of singularities for them is considered.     

M‐theory and gauged supergravities

We present a pedagogical discussion of the emergence of gauged supergravities from M‐theory. First, a review of maximal supergravity and its global symmetries and supersymmetric solutions is given. Next, different procedures of dimensional reduction are explained: reductions over a torus, a group manifold and a coset manifold and reductions with a twist. Emphasis is placed on the consistency of the truncations, the resulting gaugings and the possibility to generate field equations without an action. Using these techniques, we construct a number of gauged maximal supergravities in diverse dimensions with a string or M‐theory origin. One class consists of the CSO gaugings, which comprise the analytic continuations and group contractions of SO(n) gaugings. We construct the corresponding half‐supersymmetric domain walls and discuss their uplift to D‐ and M‐brane distributions. Furthermore, a number of gauged maximal supergravities are constructed that do not have an action.     

AdS 5 Solutions of Type IIB Supergravity and Generalized Complex Geometry

We use the formalism of generalized geometry to study the generic supersymmetric AdS ₅ solutions of type IIB supergravity that are dual to ${\mathcal{N}=1}We use the formalism of generalized geometry to study the generic supersymmetric AdS ₅ solutions of type IIB supergravity that are dual to N=1{\mathcal{N}=1} superconformal field theories (SCFTs) in d = 4. Such solutions have an associated six-dimensional generalized complex cone geometry that is an extension of Calabi-Yau cone geometry. We identify generalized vector fields dual to the dilatation and R-symmetry of the dual SCFT and show that they are generalized holomorphic on the cone. We carry out a generalized reduction of the cone to a transverse four-dimensional space and show that this is also a generalized complex geometry, which is an extension of K?hler-Einstein geometry. Remarkably, provided the five-form flux is non-vanishing, the cone is symplectic. The symplectic structure can be used to obtain Duistermaat-Heckman type integrals for the central charge of the dual SCFT and the conformal dimensions of operators dual to BPS wrapped D3-branes. We illustrate these results using the Pilch-Warner solution.     

N = 8 supergravity in various dimensions and the implications for four dimensions

The possibilities for constructing new spontaneously broken N = 8 supergravity theories in four dimensions by applying the generalized dimensional reduction method to symmetrical theories in higher dimensions are explored.     

Gauge fixing of Chern-Simons <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-extended supergravity

We treat 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.Received: 26 January 2004, Published online: 25 June 2004W. Spalenza: Supported in part by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico CNPq, Brazil     

On the low energy spectra of the non-supersymmetric heterotic string theories

The ten dimensional string theories as well as eleven dimensional supergravity are conjectured to arise as limits of a more basic theory, traditionally dubbed M-theory. This notion is confined to the ten dimensional supersymmetric theories. String theory, however, also contains ten dimensional non-supersymmetric theories that have not been incorporated into this picture. In this note we explore the possibility of generating the low energy spectra of various non-supersymmetric heterotic string vacua from the Horava–Witten model. We argue that this can be achieved by imposing on the Horava–Witten model an invariance with respect to some extra operators which identify the orbifold fixed planes in a non-trivial way, and we demonstrate it for the E₈ and SO(16)×SO(16) heterotic string vacua in ten dimensions.     

Secret supersymmetry

We present new non-linear realizations of the N = 1 supergravity algebra. They allow us to build interesting realistic models of the four forces of nature. These models are different from all previous ones in that particles do not appear in (broken) supersymmetric multiplets.These new non-linear realizations also permit us to construct the effective low-energy lagrangian of an arbitrary supergravity theory in which supersymmetry is spontaneously broken. We are thus able to analyze what are the model-independent low-energy effects of supergravity. We find that the number of Higgs fields and the way they couple to quark and lepton matter is a feature which distinguishes supersymmetric theories from non-supersymmetric ones.     

Structure ofN=1 conformal and Poincaré supergravity in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions

We discuss a component formalism ofN=1 supergravity theories in 2 and 3 spacetime dimensions. Starting from gauge theories of the superconformal group, we derive the tensor calculus for conformal and Poincaré supergravity theories. A supersymmetric extension of the non-trivial analog of Einstein's equation for 2 dimensions is given in terms of the scalar curvature multiplet.     

N = 4 supergravity coupled to N = 4 matter and hidden symmetries

We present the N = 1 supergravity in 10 dimensions obtained by truncating the reduced N = 1 supergravity from 11 dimensions. This is further reduced to 4 dimensions to give SU(4) supergravity coupled to six SO(4) vector multiplets. As the reduction is from 10 dimensions, the theory is expected to have the symmetry SL(6R)_global×SO(6)_local, but we give a theoretical argument that this can be extended to SO(6,6)×SU(1,1)_global and SO(6)×SO(6)×U(1)_local.     

Observations on the moduli space of superconformal field theories

Some aspects of the moduli space of superconformal field theories are discussed. It is helpful to consider the conformal field theory as a background for propagation of strings and to exploit the space-time interpretation. Using this point of view we show that the metric on the moduli space of N = 4 superconformal field theory with c = 6 is locally that of O(20,4)/O(20) × O(4). We also discover some properties of the moduli space of N = 2 superconformal field theories with c = 9. Particular examples of these conformal field theories are sigma models on four- and six-dimensional Calabi-Yau spaces. Therefore, we can use this technique to learn about the moduli space of these spaces. For c = 6 we recover the known moduli space of K₃. Our analysis of the c = 9 system leads to a new coupling in four dimensional supergravity. As a by-product, we prove that gauge couplings cannot depend on the moduli of N = 1 space-time supersymmetric compactifications.     

The one-loop Green’s functions of dimensionally reduced gauge theories

We apply the dimensional regularization technique as well as that by dimensional reduction to the calculation of the regularized one-loop Green’s functions ind ₀-dimensional Yang-Mills theory with real massless scalars and spinors in arbitrary (real) representations of a gauge groupG. As a particular example, the super-symmetrically regularized one-loop Green’s functions of theN=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills model are derived.