SO(9) supergravity in two dimensions

We present maximal supergravity in two dimensions with gauge group SO(9). The construction is based on selecting the proper embedding of the gauge group into the infinite-dimensional symmetry group of the ungauged theory. The bosonic part of the Lagrangian is given by a (dilaton-)gravity coupled non-linear gauged sigma-model with Wess-Zumino term. We give explicit expressions for the fermionic sector, the Yukawa couplings and the scalar potential which supports a half-supersymmetric domain wall solution. The theory is expected to describe the low-energy effective action upon reduction on the D0-brane near-horizon warped AdS_2 x S^8 geometry, dual to the supersymmetric (BFSS) matrix quantum mechanics.Comment: 35 pages, 1 figur

Matrix model holography

We set up the formalism of holographic renormalization for the matter-coupled two-dimensional maximal supergravity that captures the low-lying fluctuations around the non-conformal D0-brane near-horizon geometry. As an application we compute holographically one- and two-point functions of the BFSS matrix quantum mechanics and its supersymmetric $SO(3)\times SO(6)$ deformation.Comment: 30 pages, 1 figure; v2: ten-dimensional interpretation of the deformed solution as the near-horizon limit of a distribution of D0 branes; version to appear in JHE

Spontaneous symmetry breaking by double lithium adsorption in polyacenes

We show that adsorption of one lithium atom to a polyacenes, i.e. chains of linearly fused benzene rings, will cause this chain to be slightly deformed. If we adsorb a second identical atom on the opposite side of the same ring, this deformation is dramatically enhanced despite of the fact, that a symmetric configuration seems possible. We argue, that this may be due to an instability of the Jahn-Teller type possibly indeed to a Peierls instability.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure