On supersymmetry breaking and the Dijkgraaf-Vafa conjecture

We investigate the Dijkgraaf-Vafa proposal when supersymmetry is broken. We consider U(N) SYM with chiral adjoint matter where the coupling constants in the tree-level superpotential are promoted to chiral spurions. The holomorphic part of the low-energy glueball superpotential can still be analyzed. We compute the holomorphic supersymmetry breaking contributions using methods of the geometry underlying the N=1 effective gauge theory viewed as a Whitham system. We also study the change in the effective glueball superpotential using perturbative supergraph techniques in the presence of spurions.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX; minor changes, one reference added, version to appear in JHE

Chiral supergravity actions and superforms

The superform construction of supergravity actions, christened the "ectoplasm method," is based on the use of a closed super d-form in the case of d space-time dimensions. In known examples, such superforms are obtained by iteratively solving nontrivial cohomological problems. The latter usually makes this scheme no less laborious than the normal coordinate method for deriving component actions for matter-coupled supergravity. In this note we present an alternative procedure to generate required superforms in four space-time dimensions, which makes use of self-dual vector multiplets. It provides the shortest derivation of chiral actions in two different theories: (i) N = 1 old minimal supergravity; and (ii) N = 2 conformal supergravity. The N = 2 superform construction is developed here for the first time. Although our consideration is restricted to the case of four dimensions, a generalization to higher dimensions is plausible.Comment: 14 pages; V2: minor correction

Covariant superspace approaches to N=2{\cal N}=2 supergravity

We provide a unified description of the three covariant superspace approaches to ${\cal N}=2$ conformal supergravity in four dimensions: (i) conformal superspace; (ii) $\mathsf{U}(2)$ superspace; and (iii) $\mathsf{SU}(2)$ superspace. Each of them can be used to formulate general supergravity-matter systems, although conformal superspace has the largest structure group and is intimately related to the superconformal tensor calculus. We review the structure of covariant projective multiplets and demonstrate how they are used to describe pure and matter-coupled supergravity, including locally superconformal off-shell sigma models. Higher-derivative invariants, topological invariants and super-Weyl anomalies are also briefly discussed.Comment: 58 pages. Invited chapter for the "Handbook of Quantum Gravity" (Eds. C. Bambi, L. Modesto and I.L. Shapiro, Springer, expected in 2023

4D N = 2 Supergravity and Projective Superspace

This paper presents a projective superspace formulation for 4D N = 2 matter-coupled supergravity. We first describe a variant superspace realization for the N = 2 Weyl multiplet. It differs from that proposed by Howe in 1982 by the choice of the structure group (SO(3,1) x SU(2) versus SO(3,1) x U(2)), which implies that the super-Weyl transformations are generated by a covariantly chiral parameter instead of a real unconstrained one. We introduce various off-shell supermultiplets which are curved superspace analogues of the superconformal projective multiplets in global supersymmetry and which describe matter fields coupled to supergravity. A manifestly locally supersymmetric and super-Weyl invariant action principle is given. Off-shell locally supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models are presented in this new superspace.Comment: 26 pages, LaTeX, no figures; V2: comments and references added, version published in JHEP; V3: typo in eq. (2.7e) correcte

Superspace calculation of the four-loop spectrum in N=6 supersymmetric Chern-Simons theories

Using N=2 superspace techniques we compute the four-loop spectrum of single trace operators in the SU(2) x SU(2) sector of ABJM and ABJ supersymmetric Chern-Simons theories. Our computation yields a four-loop contribution to the function h^2(\lambda) (and its ABJ generalization) in the magnon dispersion relation which has fixed maximum transcendentality and coincides with the findings in components given in the revised versions of arXiv:0908.2463 and arXiv:0912.3460. We also discuss possible scenarios for an all-loop function h^2(\lambda) that interpolates between weak and strong couplings.Comment: LaTeX, feynmp, 34 pages; v2: typos corrected, formulations improved, references adde

Ectoplasm & Superspace Integration Measure for 2D Supergravity with Four Spinorial Supercurrents

Building on a previous derivation of the local chiral projector for a two dimensional superspace with eight real supercharges, we provide the complete density projection formula required for locally supersymmetrical theories in this context. The derivation of this result is shown to be very efficient using techniques based on the Ectoplasmic construction of local measures in superspace.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX; V2: minor changes, typos corrected, references added; V3: version to appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Theor., some comments and references added to address a referee reques

A Derivation of an Off-Shell N = (2,2) Supergravity Chiral Projection Operator

Utilizing the known off-shell formulation of 2D, N = (2,2) supergravity, containing a finite number of auxiliary fields, there is shown to exist a simple form for a 'chiral projection operator' and an explicit expression for it is given.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, one new reference adde

Three-dimensional (p,q) AdS superspaces and matter couplings

We introduce N-extended (p,q) AdS superspaces in three space-time dimensions, with p+q=N and p>=q, and analyse their geometry. We show that all (p,q) AdS superspaces with X^{IJKL}=0 are conformally flat. Nonlinear sigma-models with (p,q) AdS supersymmetry exist for p+q4 the target space geometries are highly restricted). Here we concentrate on studying off-shell N=3 supersymmetric sigma-models in AdS_3. For each of the cases (3,0) and (2,1), we give three different realisations of the supersymmetric action. We show that (3,0) AdS supersymmetry requires the sigma-model to be superconformal, and hence the corresponding target space is a hyperkahler cone. In the case of (2,1) AdS supersymmetry, the sigma-model target space must be a non-compact hyperkahler manifold endowed with a Killing vector field which generates an SO(2) group of rotations of the two-sphere of complex structures.Comment: 52 pages; V3: minor corrections, version published in JHE

Six-dimensional Supergravity and Projective Superfields

We propose a superspace formulation of N=(1,0) conformal supergravity in six dimensions. The corresponding superspace constraints are invariant under super-Weyl transformations generated by a real scalar parameter. The known variant Weyl super-multiplet is recovered by coupling the geometry to a super-3-form tensor multiplet. Isotwistor variables are introduced and used to define projective superfields. We formulate a locally supersymmetric and super-Weyl invariant action principle in projective superspace. Some families of dynamical supergravity-matter systems are presented.Comment: 39 pages; v3: some modifications in section 2; equations (2.3), (2.14b), (2.16) and (2.17) correcte

On conformal supergravity and projective superspace

The projective superspace formulation for four-dimensional N = 2 matter-coupled supergravity presented in arXiv:0805.4683 makes use of the variant superspace realization for the N = 2 Weyl multiplet in which the structure group is SL(2,C) x SU(2) and the super-Weyl transformations are generated by a covariantly chiral parameter. An extension to Howe's realization of N = 2 conformal supergravity in which the tangent space group is SL(2,C) x U(2) and the super-Weyl transformations are generated by a real unconstrained parameter was briefly sketched. Here we give the explicit details of the extension.Comment: 17 pages, no figure; V2: comments and references added, published versio