Higher Spin N=8 Supergravity

The product of two N=8 supersingletons yields an infinite tower of massless states of higher spin in four dimensional anti de Sitter space. All the states with spin s > 1/2 correspond to generators of Vasiliev's super higher spin algebra shs^E (8|4) which contains the D=4, N=8 anti de Sitter superalgebra OSp(8|4). Gauging the higher spin algebra and introducing a matter multiplet in a quasi-adjoint representation leads to a consistent and fully nonlinear equations of motion as shown sometime ago by Vasiliev. We show the embedding of the N=8 AdS supergravity equations of motion in the full system at the linearized level and discuss the implications for the embedding of the interacting theory. We furthermore speculate that the boundary N=8 singleton field theory yields the dynamics of the N=8 AdS supergravity in the bulk, including all higher spin massless fields, in an unbroken phase of M-theory.Comment: 64 pages, latex, considerably expanded version, submitted for publicatio

Towards Massless Higher Spin Extension of D=5, N=8 Gauged Supergravity

The AdS_5 superalgebra PSU(2,2|4) has an infinite dimensional extension, which we denote by hs(2,2|4). We show that the gauging of hs(2,2|4) gives rise to a spectrum of physical massless fields which coincides with the symmetric tensor product of two AdS_5 spin-1 doubletons (i.e. the N=4 SYM multiplets living on the boundary of AdS_5). This product decomposes into levels \ell=0,1,2,..,\infty of massless supermultiplets of PSU(2,2|4). In particular, the D=5, N=8 supergravity multiplet arises at level \ell=0. In addition to a master gauge field, we construct a master scalar field containing the s=0,1/2 fields, the anti-symmetric tensor field of the gauged supergravity and its higher spin analogs. We define the linearized constraints and obtain the linearized field equations of the full spectrum, including those of D=5,N=8 gauged supergravity and in particular the self-duality equations for the 2-form potentials of the gauged supergravity (forming a 6-plet of SU(4)), and their higher spin cousins with s=2,3,...,\infty.Comment: 36 pages, late

Doubletons and 5D Higher Spin Gauge Theory

We use Grassmann even spinor oscillators to construct a bosonic higher spin extension hs(2,2) of the five-dimensional anti-de Sitter algebra SU(2,2), and show that the gauging of hs(2,2) gives rise to a spectrum S of physical massless fields with spin s=0,2,4,... that is a UIR of hs(2,2). In addition to a master gauge field which contains the massless s=2,4,.. fields, we construct a scalar master field containing the massless s=0 field, the generalized Weyl tensors and their derivatives. We give the appropriate linearized constraint on this master scalar field, which together with a linearized curvature constraint produces the correct linearized field equations. A crucial step in the construction of the theory is the identification of a central generator K which is eliminated by means of a coset construction. Its charge vanishes in the spectrum S, which is the symmetric product of two spin zero doubletons. We expect our results to pave the way for constructing an interacting theory whose curvature expansion is dual to a CFT based on higher spin currents formed out of free doubletons in the large N limit. Thus, extending a recent proposal of Sundborg (hep-th/0103247), we conjecture that the hs(2,2) gauge theory describes a truncation of the bosonic massless sector of tensionless Type IIB string theory on AdS_5 x S^5 for large N. This implies AdS/CFT correspondence in a parameter regime where both boundary and bulk theories are perturbative.Comment: 31 pages, late

An action for the super-5-brane in D=11 supergravity

An alternative path is taken for deriving an action for the supersymmetric 5-brane in 11 dimensions. Selfduality does not follow from the action, but is consistent with the equations of motion for arbitrary supergravity backgrounds. The action involves a 2-form as well as a 5-form world-volume potential; inclusion of the latter makes the action, as well as the non-linear selfduality relation for the 3-form field strength, polynomial. The requirement of invariance under kappa-transformations determines the form of the selfduality relation, as well as the action. The formulation is shown to be equivalent to earlier formulations of 5-brane dynamics.Comment: plain tex, 8pp. Essential correction to the selfduality equation. Added paragraph showing equivalence to other formulation

Massive Dualities in Six Dimensions

We study compactifications of string theory and M-theory to six dimensions with background fluxes. The nonzero fluxes lead to additional mass parameters. We derive the S- and T-duality rules for the corresponding (massive) supergravity theories. Specifically, we investigate the massive T-duality between Type IIA superstring theory compactified on K3 with background fluxes and Type IIB superstring theory compactified on K3. Furthermore, we generalise to the massive case the 6D 'string-string' S-duality between M-theory on K3 x S^1 and the Heterotic String on T^4. Whereas in the case of massive T--duality the mass parameters are in the fundamental representation of the U-duality group O(4,20) we find that in the case of massive S-duality they are in the 3-index antisymmetric representation. In the latter case the mass parameters involved extend those of Kaloper and Myers. We apply our duality rules to massive brane solutions, like the domain wall solutions corresponding to the mass parameters and find new massive brane solutions. Finally, we discuss the higher-dimensional interpretation of the dualities and brane solutions.Comment: 28 page

Codimension One Branes

We study codimension one branes, i.e. p-branes in (p+2)-dimensions, in the superembedding approach for the cases where the worldvolume superspace is embedded in a minimal target superspace with half supersymmetry breaking. This singles out the cases p=1,2,3,5,9. For p=3,5,9 the superembedding geometry naturally involves a fundamental super 2-form potential on the worldvolume whose generalised field strength obeys a constraint deducible from considering an open supermembrane ending on the p-brane. This constraint, together with the embedding constraint, puts the system on-shell for p=5 but overconstrains the 9-brane in D=11 such that the Goldstone superfield is frozen. For p=3 these two constraints give rise to an off-shell linear multiplet on the worldvolume. An alternative formulation of this case is given in which the linear multiplet is dualised to an off-shell scalar multiplet. Actions are constructed for both cases and are shown to give equivalent equations of motion. After gauge fixing a local Sp(1) symmetry associated with shifts in the Sp(1)_R Goldstone modes, we find that the auxiliary fields in the scalar multiplet parametrise a two-sphere. For completeness we also discuss briefly the cases p=1,2 where the equations of motion (for off-shell multiplets) are obtained from an action principle.Comment: 38 pages, latex, cover page correcte