Induced Action for Conformal Higher Spins from Worldline Path Integrals

Conformal higher spin (CHS) fields, despite being non unitary, provide a remarkable example of a consistent interacting higher spin theory in flat space background, that is local to all orders. The non-linear action is defined as the logarithmically UV divergent part of a one-loop scalar effective action. In this paper we take a particle model, that describes the interaction of a scalar particle to the CHS background, and compute its path integral on the circle. We thus provide a worldline representation for the CHS action, and rederive its quadratic part. We plan to come back to the subject, to compute cubic and higher vertices, in a future work.Comment: 24 pages, references added, minor typos correcte

Leibniz Gauge Theories and Infinity Structures

We formulate gauge theories based on Leibniz(-Loday) algebras and uncover their underlying mathematical structure. Various special cases have been developed in the context of gauged supergravity and exceptional field theory. These are based on `tensor hierarchies', which describe towers of $p$-form gauge fields transforming under non-abelian gauge symmetries and which have been constructed up to low levels. Here we define `infinity-enhanced Leibniz algebras' that guarantee the existence of consistent tensor hierarchies to arbitrary level. We contrast these algebras with strongly homotopy Lie algebras ($L_{\infty}$ algebras), which can be used to define topological field theories for which all curvatures vanish. Any infinity-enhanced Leibniz algebra carries an associated $L_{\infty}$ algebra, which we discuss.Comment: 50 pages, v2: refs added, new subsection 3.2, version to appear in Comm. Math. Phy

Particles with non abelian charges

Efficient methods for describing non abelian charges in worldline approaches to QFT are useful to simplify calculations and address structural properties, as for example color/kinematics relations. Here we analyze in detail a method for treating arbitrary non abelian charges. We use Grassmann variables to take into account color degrees of freedom, which however are known to produce reducible representations of the color group. Then we couple them to a U(1) gauge field defined on the worldline, together with a Chern-Simons term, to achieve projection on an irreducible representation. Upon gauge fixing there remains a modulus, an angle parametrizing the U(1) Wilson loop, whose dependence is taken into account exactly in the propagator of the Grassmann variables. We test the method in simple examples, the scalar and spin 1/2 contribution to the gluon self energy, and suggest that it might simplify the analysis of more involved amplitudes.Comment: 14 page

Mode Regularization for N=1,2 SUSY Sigma Model

Worldline N=1 and N=2 supersymmetric sigma models in curved background are useful to describe spin one-half and spin one particles coupled to external gravity, respectively. It is well known that worldline path integrals in curved space require regularization: we present here the mode-regularization for these models, finding in particular the corresponding counterterms, both in the case of flat and curved indices for worldline fermions. For N=1, using curved indices we find a contribution to the counterterm from the fermions that cancels the contribution of the bosons, leading to a vanishing total counterterm and thus preserving the covariance and supersymmetry of the classical action. Conversely in the case of N=2 supersymmetries we obtain a non-covariant counterterm with both curved and flat indices. This work completes the analysis of the known regularization schemes for N=1,2 nonlinear sigma models in one dimension.Comment: 15 page