The Minimal Unitary Representation of E_8(8)

We give a new construction of the minimal unitary representation of the exceptional group E_8(8) on a Hilbert space of complex functions in 29 variables. Due to their manifest covariance with respect to the E_7(7) subgroup of E_8(8) our formulas are simpler than previous realizations, and thus well suited for applications in superstring and M theory.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure, version to be published in ATM

Domain Wall World(s)

Gravitational properties of domain walls in fundamental theory and their implications for the trapping of gravity are reviewed. In particular, the difficulties to embed gravity trapping configurations within gauged supergravity is reviewed and the status of the domain walls obtained via the breathing mode of sphere reduced Type IIB supergravity is presented.Comment: 11 pages, Based on talk given at Strings 2000 Minor corrections, references adde

Conformal and Quasiconformal Realizations of Exceptional Lie Groups

We present a nonlinear realization of E_8 on a space of 57 dimensions, which is quasiconformal in the sense that it leaves invariant a suitably defined ``light cone'' in 57 dimensions. This realization, which is related to the Freudenthal triple system associated with the unique exceptional Jordan algebra over the split octonions, contains previous conformal realizations of the lower rank exceptional Lie groups on generalized space times, and in particular a conformal realization of E_7 on a 27 dimensional vector space which we exhibit explicitly. Possible applications of our results to supergravity and M-Theory are briefly mentioned.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure. Revised version. Connection between SU(8) and SL(8,R) bases clarified; formulas corrected; references adde

Intertwining Operator Realization of the AdS/CFT Correspondence

We give a group-theoretic interpretation of the AdS/CFT correspondence as relation of representation equivalence between representations of the conformal group describing the bulk AdS fields $\phi$ and the coupled boundary fields $\phi_0$ and ${\cal O}$. We use two kinds of equivalences. The first kind is equivalence between bulk fields and boundary fields and is established here. The second kind is the equivalence between coupled boundary fields. Operators realizing the first kind of equivalence for special cases were given by Witten and others - here they are constructed in a more general setting from the requirement that they are intertwining operators. The intertwining operators realizing the second kind of equivalence are provided by the standard conformal two-point functions. Using both equivalences we find that the bulk field has in fact two boundary fields, namely, the coupled boundary fields. Thus, from the viewpoint of the bulk-boundary correspondence the coupled fields are on an equal footing. Our setting is more general since our bulk fields are described by representations of the Euclidean conformal group $G=SO(d+1,1)$, induced from representations $\tau$ of the maximal compact subgroup $SO(d+1)$ of $G$. From these large reducible representations we can single out representations which are equivalent to conformal boundary representations labelled by the conformal weight and by arbitrary representations $\mu$ of the Euclidean Lorentz group $M=SO(d)$, such that $\mu$ is contained in the restriction of $\tau$ to $M$. Thus, our boundary-to-bulk operators can be compared with those in the literature only when for a fixed $\mu$ we consider a 'minimal' representation $\tau=\tau(\mu)$ containing $\mu$.Comment: 25 pages, TEX file using harvmac.tex; v2: misprints corrected; to appear in Nuclear Physics

Explicit Orbit Classification of Reducible Jordan Algebras and Freudenthal Triple Systems

We determine explicit orbit representatives of reducible Jordan algebras and of their corresponding Freudenthal triple systems. This work has direct application to the classification of extremal black hole solutions of N = 2, 4 locally supersymmetric theories of gravity coupled to an arbitrary number of Abelian vector multiplets in D = 4, 5 space-time dimensions.Comment: 18 pages. Updated to match published versio

Fake Supergravity and Domain Wall Stability

We review the generalized Witten-Nester spinor stability argument for flat domain wall solutions of gravitational theories. Neither the field theory nor the solution need be supersymmetric. Nor is the space-time dimension restricted. We develop the non-trivial extension required for AdS-sliced domain walls and apply this to show that the recently proposed "Janus" solution of Type IIB supergravity is stable non-perturbatively for a broad class of deformations. Generalizations of this solution to arbitrary dimension and a simple curious linear dilaton solution of Type IIB supergravity are byproducts of this work.Comment: 37 pages, 3 figures, v2: minor corrections, references and acknowledgments adde

Lectures on Spectrum Generating Symmetries and U-duality in Supergravity, Extremal Black Holes, Quantum Attractors and Harmonic Superspace

We review the underlying algebraic structures of supergravity theories with symmetric scalar manifolds in five and four dimensions, orbits of their extremal black hole solutions and the spectrum generating extensions of their U-duality groups. For 5D, N=2 Maxwell-Einstein supergravity theories (MESGT) defined by Euclidean Jordan algebras, J, the spectrum generating symmetry groups are the conformal groups Conf(J) of J which are isomorphic to their U-duality groups in four dimensions. Similarly, the spectrum generating symmetry groups of 4D, N=2 MESGTs are the quasiconformal groups QConf(J) associated with J that are isomorphic to their U-duality groups in three dimensions. We then review the work on spectrum generating symmetries of spherically symmetric stationary 4D BPS black holes, based on the equivalence of their attractor equations and the equations for geodesic motion of a fiducial particle on the target spaces of corresponding 3D supergravity theories obtained by timelike reduction. We also discuss the connection between harmonic superspace formulation of 4D, N=2 sigma models coupled to supergravity and the minimal unitary representations of their isometry groups obtained by quantizing their quasiconformal realizations. We discuss the relevance of this connection to spectrum generating symmetries and conclude with a brief summary of more recent results.Comment: 55 pages; Latex fil

M-Theory on (K3 X S^1)/Z_2

We analyze $M$-theory compactified on $(K3\times S^1)/Z_2$ where the $Z_2$ changes the sign of the three form gauge field, acts on $S^1$ as a parity transformation and on K3 as an involution with eight fixed points preserving SU(2) holonomy. At a generic point in the moduli space the resulting theory has as its low energy limit N=1 supergravity theory in six dimensions with eight vector, nine tensor and twenty hypermultiplets. The gauge symmetry can be enhanced (e.g. to $E_8$) at special points in the moduli space. At other special points in the moduli space tensionless strings appear in the theory.Comment: LaTeX file, 11 page

Strings, Black Holes, and Quantum Information

We find multiple relations between extremal black holes in string theory and 2- and 3-qubit systems in quantum information theory. We show that the entropy of the axion-dilaton extremal black hole is related to the concurrence of a 2-qubit state, whereas the entropy of the STU black holes, BPS as well as non-BPS, is related to the 3-tangle of a 3-qubit state. We relate the 3-qubit states with the string theory states with some number of D-branes. We identify a set of "large" black holes with the maximally entangled GHZ-class of states and "small" black holes with separable, bipartite and W states. We sort out the relation between 3-qubit states, twistors, octonions, and black holes. We give a simple expression for the entropy and the area of stretched horizon of "small'' black holes in terms of a norm and 2-tangles of a 3-qubit system. Finally, we show that the most general expression for the black hole and black ring entropy in N=8 supergravity/M-theory, which is given by the famous quartic Cartan E_{7(7)} invariant, can be reduced to Cayley's hyperdeterminant describing the 3-tangle of a 3-qubit state.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures. A version to appear in Physical Revie

Generalized Attractors in Five-Dimensional Gauged Supergravity

In this paper we study generalized attractors in N=2 gauged supergravity theory in five dimensions coupled to arbitrary number of hyper, vector and tensor multiplets. We look for attractor solutions with constant anholonomy coefficients. By analyzing the equations of motion we derive the attractor potential. We further show that the generalized attractor potential can be obtained from the fermionic shifts. We study some simple examples and show that constant anholonomy gives rise to homogeneous black branes in five dimensions.Comment: 30 pages, no figures,V3 minor revisions, to appear in JHE