Intersection rules, dynamics and symmetries

We consider theories containing gravity, at most one dilaton and form field strengths. We show that the existence of particular BPS solutions of intersecting extremal closed branes select the theories, which upon dimensional reduction to three dimensions possess a simple simply laced Lie group symmetry G. Furthermore these theories can be fully reconstructed from the dynamics of such branes and of their openings. Amongst such theories are the effective actions of the bosonic sector of M-theory and of the bosonic string. The BPS intersecting brane solutions form representations of a subgroup of the group of Weyl reflections and outer automorphisms of the triple Kac-Moody extension G+++ of the G algebra, which cannot be embedded in the overextended Kac-Moody subalgebra G++ characterising the cosmological Kasner solutions.Comment: Latex 30 pages, 3 figure

Interconnections between type II superstrings, M theory and N=4 supersymmetric Yang--Mills

These lecture notes begin with a review of the first nonleading contributions to the derivative expansion of the M theory effective action compactified on a two-torus. The form of these higher-derivative interactions is shown to follow from ten-dimensional type IIB supersymmetry as well as from one-loop quantum corrections to classical eleven-dimensional supergravity. The detailed information concerning D-instanton effects encoded in these terms is related to the problem of evaluating the Witten index for $N$ D-particles in the type IIA theory. Using the AdS/CFT conjecture, it also leads to very specific predictions of multi-instanton contributions in $\cal N=4$ supersymmetric SU(N) Yang--Mills theory in the limit of strong 't Hooft coupling. [Extended version of lectures given at 22nd Johns Hopkins Workshop (Gothenberg, August 20-22 1998); `Quantum Aspects of Gauge Theories, Supersymmetry and Unification', TMR meeting (Corfu, September 20-26 1998); Andrjewski lectures (Berlin, November 1-6 1998).]Comment: 80 pages, LaTe

The symmetry of M-theories

We consider the Cartan subalgebra of any very extended algebra Script G+++ where Script G is a simple Lie algebra and let the parameters be space-time fields. These are identified with diagonal metrics and dilatons. Using the properties of the algebra, we find that for all very extensions Script G+++ of simple Lie algebras there are theories of gravity and matter, which admit classical solutions carrying representations of the Weyl group of Script G+++. We also identify the T and S-dualities of superstrings and of the bosonic string with Weyl reflections and outer automorphisms of well-chosen very extended algebras and we exhibit specific features of the very extensions. We take these results as indication that very extended algebras underlie symmetries of any consistent theory of gravity and matter, and might encode basic information for the construction of such theory