Spectrum of D=6, N=4b Supergravity on AdS_3 x S^3

The complete spectrum of D=6, N=4b supergravity with n tensor multiplets compactified on AdS_3 x S^3 is determined. The D=6 theory obtained from the K_3 compactification of Type IIB string requires that n=21, but we let n be arbitrary. The superalgebra that underlies the symmetry of the resulting supergravity theory in AdS_3 coupled to matter is SU(1,1|2)_L x SU(1,1|2)_R. The theory also has an unbroken global SO(4)_R x SO(n) symmetry inherited from D=6. The spectrum of states arranges itself into a tower of spin-2 supermultiplets, a tower of spin-1, SO(n) singlet supermultiplets, a tower of spin-1 supermultiplets in the vector representation of SO(n) and a special spin-1/2 supermultiplet also in the vector representation of SO(n). The SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R Yang-Mills states reside in the second level of the spin-2 tower and the lowest level of the spin-1, SO(n) singlet tower and the associated field theory exhibits interesting properties.Comment: 37 pages, latex, 5 tables and 3 figures, typos corrected, a reference adde

Vacuum interpolation in supergravity via super p-branes

We show that many of the recently proposed supersymmetric p-brane solutions of d=10 and d=11 supergravity have the property that they interpolate between Minkowski spacetime and a compactified spacetime, both being supersymmetric supergravity vacua. Our results imply that the effective worldvolume action for small fluctuations of the super p-brane is a supersingleton field theory for $(adS)_{p+2}$, as has been often conjectured in the past.Comment: 8p

Zero Modes for the D=11 Membrane and Five-Brane

There exist extremal p-brane solutions of $D\!=\!11$ supergravity for p=2~and~5. In this paper we investigate the zero modes of the membrane and the five-brane solutions as a first step toward understanding the full quantum theory of these objects. It is found that both solutions possess the correct number of normalizable zero modes dictated by supersymmetry.Comment: Minor typos corrected, one reference added, agrees with published version. 9 RevTeX pages, 1 figure include

Reducing SS- duality to TT- duality

The infrared limit of $D=4,~~N=4$ Yang-Mills theory with compact gauge group $G$ compactified on a two-torus is governed by an effective superconformal field theory. We conjecture that this is a certain orbifold involving the maximal torus of $G$. Yang-Mills $S$-duality makes predictions for all correlators of this effective conformal field theory. These predictions are shown to be implied by the standard $T$-duality of the conformal field theory. Consequently, Montonen-Olive duality between electric and magnetic states reduces to the standard two-dimensional duality between momentum and winding states.Comment: 13 pages, harvmac, no figures. (Some Comments added. Some references added.

Complementarity of the Maldacena and Karch-Randall Pictures

We perform a one-loop test of the holographic interpretation of the Karch-Randall model, whereby a massive graviton appears on an AdS_4 brane in an AdS_5 bulk. Within the AdS/CFT framework, we examine the quantum corrections to the graviton propagator on the brane, and demonstrate that they induce a graviton mass in exact agreement with the Karch-Randall result. Interestingly enough, at one loop order, the spin 0, spin 1/2 and spin 1 loops contribute to the dynamically generated (mass)^2 in the same 1: 3: 12 ratio as enters the Weyl anomaly and the 1/r^3 corrections to the Newtonian gravitational potential.Comment: 20 pages, Revtex 3, Discussion on the absence of a scalar ghost clarified; Additional details on the computation give

Self-Duality in Nonlinear Electromagnetism

We discuss duality invariant interactions between electromagnetic fields and matter. The case of scalar fields is treated in some detail.Comment: 10 pages, full postscript also available from http://theor1.lbl.gov/www/theorygroup/papers/40770.p

Coupling of branes and normalization of effective actions in string/M-theory

We discuss issues involving p(D)- brane charge quantization and the normalization of effective actions, in string/M-theory. We also construct the action of (the bosonic sector of) eleven dimensional supergravity in the presence of two- and five- branes and discuss (perturbative) anomaly cancellation.Comment: Discussion of anomaly cancellation expanded. 36 pages, latex, no figure

One-loop effective multi-gluon Lagrangian in arbitrary dimensions

We exhibit the one-loop multi-gluon effective Lagrangian in any dimension for a field theory with a quasilocal background, using the background-field formalism. Specific results, including counter terms (up to 12 spacetime dimensions), have been derived, applied to the Yang-Mills theory and found to be in agreement with other string-inspired approaches.Comment: 16 pages, LaTe

Quantum critical transport, duality, and M-theory

We consider charge transport properties of 2+1 dimensional conformal field theories at non-zero temperature. For theories with only Abelian U(1) charges, we describe the action of particle-vortex duality on the hydrodynamic-to-collisionless crossover function: this leads to powerful functional constraints for self-dual theories. For the n=8 supersymmetric, SU(N) Yang-Mills theory at the conformal fixed point, exact hydrodynamic-to-collisionless crossover functions of the SO(8) R-currents can be obtained in the large N limit by applying the AdS/CFT correspondence to M-theory. In the gravity theory, fluctuating currents are mapped to fluctuating gauge fields in the background of a black hole in 3+1 dimensional anti-de Sitter space. The electromagnetic self-duality of the 3+1 dimensional theory implies that the correlators of the R-currents obey a functional constraint similar to that found from particle-vortex duality in 2+1 dimensional Abelian theories. Thus the 2+1 dimensional, superconformal Yang Mills theory obeys a "holographic self duality" in the large N limit, and perhaps more generally.Comment: 35 pages, 4 figures; (v2) New appendix on CFT2, corrected normalization of gauge field action, added ref

E(7) Symmetric Area of the Black Hole Horizon

Extreme black holes with 1/8 of unbroken N=8 supersymmetry are characterized by the non-vanishing area of the horizon. The central charge matrix has four generic eigenvalues. The area is proportional to the square root of the invariant quartic form of $E_{7(7)}$. It vanishes in all cases when 1/4 or 1/2 of supersymmetry is unbroken. The supergravity non-renormalization theorem for the area of the horizon in N=8 case protects the unique U-duality invariant.Comment: a reference added, misprints remove