No Arabic abstract
Just as string T-duality originates from transforming field equations into Bianchi identities on the string worldsheet, so it has been suggested that M-theory U-dualities originate from transforming field equations into Bianchi identities on the membrane worldvolume. However, this encounters a problem unless the target space has dimension $D = p + 1$. We identify the problem to be the nonintegrability of the U-duality transformation assigned to the pull-back map. Just as a double geometry renders manifest the $O(D,D)$ string T-duality, here we show in the case of the M2-brane in $D = 3$ that a generalised geometry renders manifest the $SL(3) times SL(2)$ U-duality. In the case of M2-brane in $D=4$, with and without extra target space coordinates, we show that only the ${rm GL}(4,R)ltimes R^4$ subgroup of the expected $SL(5,R)$ U-duality symmetry is realised.
Motivated by a recent progress in studying the duality-symmetric models of nonlinear electrodynamics, we revert to the auxiliary tensorial (bispinor) field formulation of the O(2) duality proposed by us in arXiv:hep-th/0110074, arXiv:hep-th/0303192. In this approach, the entire information about the given duality-symmetric system is encoded in the O(2) invariant interaction Lagrangian which is a function of the auxiliary fields V_{alphabeta}, bar V_{dot alphadot beta}. We extend this setting to duality-symmetric systems with higher derivatives and show that the recently employed nonlinear twisted self-duality constraints amount to the equations of motion for the auxiliary tensorial fields in our approach. Some other related issues are briefly discussed and a few instructive examples are explicitly worked out.
In this paper we discuss $3d$ ${cal N}=2$ supersymmetric gauge theories and their IR dualities when they are compactified on a circle of radius $r$, and when we take the $2d$ limit in which $rto 0$. The $2d$ limit depends on how the mass parameters are scaled as $rto 0$, and often vacua become infinitely distant in the $2d$ limit, leading to a direct sum of different $2d$ theories. For generic mass parameters, when we take the same limit on both sides of a duality, we obtain $2d$ dualities (between gauge theories and/or Landau-Ginzburg theories) that pass all the usual tests. However, when there are non-compact branches the discussion is subtle because the metric on the moduli space, which is not controlled by supersymmetry, plays an important role in the low-energy dynamics after compactification. Generally speaking, for IR dualities of gauge theories, we conjecture that dualities involving non-compact Higgs branches survive. On the other hand when there is a non-compact Coulomb branch on at least one side of the duality, the duality fails already when the $3d$ theories are compactified on a circle. Using the valid reductions we reproduce many known $2d$ IR dualities, giving further evidence for their validity, and we also find new $2d$ dualities.
In this paper, we investigate the properties of a membrane in the M5-brane background. Through solving the classical equations of motion of the membrane, we can understand the classical dynamics of the membrane in this background.
We describe D=4 twistorial membrane in terms of two twistorial three-dimensional world volume fields. We start with the D-dimensional p-brane generalizations of two phase space string formulations: the one with $p+1$ vectorial fourmomenta, and the second with tensorial momenta of $(p+1)$-th rank. Further we consider tensionful membrane case in D=4. By using the membrane generalization of Cartan-Penrose formula we express the fourmomenta by spinorial fields and obtain the intermediate spinor-space-time formulation. Further by expressing the worldvolume dreibein and the membrane space-time coordinate fields in terms of two twistor fields one obtains the purely twistorial formulation. It appears that the action is generated by a geometric three-form on two-twistor space. Finally we comment on higher-dimensional (D>4) twistorial p-brane models and their superextensions.
We show that string theory on a compact negatively curved manifold, preserving a U(1)^{b_1} winding symmetry, grows at least b_1 new effective dimensions as the space shrinks. The winding currents yield a D-dual description of a Riemann surface of genus h in terms of its 2h dimensional Jacobian torus, perturbed by a closed string tachyon arising as a potential energy term in the worldsheet sigma model. D-branes on such negatively curved manifolds also reveal this structure, with a classical moduli space consisting of a b_1-torus. In particular, we present an AdS/CFT system which offers a non-perturbative formulation of such supercritical backgrounds. Finally, we discuss generalizations of this new string duality.