A Superspace Formulation for the Master Equation

It is shown that the quantum master equation of the Field Antifield quantization method at one loop order can be translated into the requirement of a superfield structure for the action. The Pauli Villars regularization is implemented in this BRST superspace and the case of anomalous gauge theories is investigated. The quantum action, including Wess Zumino terms, shows up as one of the components of a superfield that includes the BRST anomalies in the other component. The example of W2 quantum gravity is also discussed.Comment: The constrained nature of standard BRST superfields and the importance of using Alfaro and Damgaard's collective fields in the superspace approach to avoid undefined superfield derivatives was emphasized. To appear in Phys. Rev. D. Latex file, 20 page

Wess-Zumino Terms for Reducible Anomalous Gauge Theories

Reducible off-shell anomalous gauge theories are studied in the framework of an extended Field-Antifield formalism by introducing new variables associated with the anomalous gauge degrees of freedom. The Wess-Zumino term for these theories is constructed and new gauge invariances appear. The quantum effects due to the extra variables are considered.Comment: 31 pages, Latex file, no figures. Section added. To appear in Nucl.Phys.

One Loop Anomalies and Wess-Zumino Terms for General Gauge Theories

One loop anomalies and their dependence on antifields for general gauge theories are investigated within a Pauli-Villars regularization scheme. For on-shell theories {\it i.e.}, with open algebras or on-shell reducible theories, the antifield dependence is cohomologically non trivial. The associated Wess-Zumino term depends also on antifields. In the classical basis the antifield independent part of the WZ term is expressed in terms of the anomaly and finite gauge transformations by introducing gauge degrees of freedom as the extra dynamical variables. The complete WZ term is reconstructed from the antifield independent part.Comment: 15 pages, An example of non-abelian antisymmetric field is added. Some corrections are made to refrain from using the reconstruction theorem in the gauge fixed basi

Vortex loop operators, M2-branes and holography

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Branes at Quantum Criticality

In this paper we propose new non-relativistic p+1 dimensional theory. This theory is defined in such a way that the potential term obeys the principle of detailed balance where the generating action corresponds to p-brane action. This condition ensures that the norm of the vacuum wave functional of p+1 dimensional theory is equal to the partition function of p-brane theory.Comment: 17 pages, references added, typos fixed,v2. minor change

Open String Attractors

We present a simple example of a supersymmetric attractor mechanism in the purely open string context of D-branes embedded in curved space-time. Our example involves a class of D3-branes embedded in the 2-charge D1-D5 background of type IIB whose worldvolume contains a 2-sphere. Turning on worldvolume fluxes, these branes carry induced (p,q) string charges. Supersymmetric configurations display a flow of the open string moduli towards an attractor solution independent of their asymptotics. The equations governing this mechanism closely resemble the attractor flow equations for supersymmetric black holes in closed string theory. The BPS equations take the form of a gradient flow and describe worldvolume solitons interpolating between an AdS_2 geometry where the two-sphere has collapsed, and an attractor solution with AdS_2 x S^2 geometry. In these limiting solutions, the preserved supersymmetry is enhanced from 4 to 8 supercharges. We also discuss the interpretation of our solutions as intersecting brane configurations placed in the D1-D5 background, as well as the S-duality transformation to the F1-NS5 background.Comment: 37 pages, 6 figures. v2: small corrections, figure and references adde