Geometric Construction of AdS Twistors

Time-like geodesics in AdS_4, AdS_5 and AdS_7 are constructed geometrically and independently of choice of AdS coordinates from division algebra spinors of the corresponding AdS groups, explaining and generalising the construction by Claus et al. of AdS_5 twistors.Comment: 11 pp, 1 figur

D=11 supergravity with manifest supersymmetry

The complete supersymmetric action for eleven-dimensional supergravity is presented. The action is polynomial in the scalar fermionic pure spinor superfield, and contains only a minor modification to the recently proposed three-point coupling.Comment: 14 pp., plain te

Superspace Methods in String Theory, Supergravity and Gauge Theory

In these two lectures, delivered at the XXXVII Karpacz Winter School, February 2001, I review some applications of superspace in various topics related to string theory and M-theory. The first lecture is mainly devoted to descriptions of brane dynamics formulated in supergravity backgrounds. The second lecture concerns the use of superspace techniques for determining consistent interactions in supersymmetric gauge theory and supergravity, e.g. alpha'-corrections from string/M-theory.Comment: 15 pp., latex, aippro

Non-gravitational exceptional supermultiplets

We examine non-gravitational minimal supermultiplets which are based on the tensor gauge fields appearing as matter fields in exceptional generalised geometry. When possible, off-shell multiplets are given. The fields in the multiplets describe non-gravitational parts of the internal dynamics of compactifications of M-theory. In flat backgrounds, they enjoy a global U-duality symmetry, but also provide multiplets with a possibility of coupling to a generalised exceptional geometry.Comment: 11 pp., plain te

Spinorial cohomology and maximally supersymmetric theories

Fields in supersymmetric gauge theories may be seen as elements in a spinorial cohomology. We elaborate on this subject, specialising to maximally supersymmetric theories, where the superspace Bianchi identities, after suitable conventional constraints are imposed, put the theories on shell. In these cases, the spinorial cohomologies describe in a unified manner gauge transformations, fields and possible deformations of the models, e.g. string-related corrections in an alpha' expansion. Explicit cohomologies are calculated for super-Yang-Mills theory in D=10, for the N=(2,0) tensor multiplet in D=6 and for supergravity in D=11, in the latter case from the point of view of both the super-vielbein and the super-3-form potential. The techniques may shed light on some questions concerning the alpha'-corrected effective theories, and result in better understanding of the role of the 3-form in D=11 supergravity.Comment: 23 pp, plain tex. v2: Minor changes, references adde

Boundaries of 11-Dimensional Membranes

The action for an 11-dimensional supermembrane contains a chiral Wess-Zumino-Witten model coupling to the E8 super-Yang-Mills theory on the end-of-the-world 9-brane. It is demonstrated that this boundary string theory is dictated both by gauge invariance and by kappa-symmetry.Comment: plain tex, 6p

World-volume fields and background coupling of branes

This is the written version of an invited talk delivered at the workshop ``Quantum gravity in the Southern Cone'' held in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, January 7-10, 1998. After giving a brief introduction to the concept of branes and their role in string theory, this talk describes a method for formulating the dynamics of branes, especially those containing non-scalar moduli. Emphasis is put on the coupling of branes to fields in the low-energy background supergravity theories, and on preservation of maximal amount of manifest symmetry. Due to the nature of the workshop, the presentation is aimed at physicists who are not experts in string theory.Comment: 12 pp, plain tex, talk presented at the workshop ``Quantum gravity in the Southern Cone'' held in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, January 7-10, 199

M-branes on U-folds

We give a preliminary discussion of how the addition of extra coordinates in M-theory, which together with the original ones parametrise a U-fold, can serve as a tool for formulating brane dynamics with manifest U-duality. The redundant degrees of freedom are removed by generalised self-duality constraints or calibration conditions made possible by the algebraic structure of U-duality. This is the written version of an invited talk at the 7th International Workshop "Supersymmetries and Quantum Symmetries", Dubna, July 30-August 4, 2007.Comment: 8 p

E7E_7 as D=10D=10 space-time symmetry --- Origin of the twistor transform

Massless particle dynamics in $D=10$ Minkowski space is given an $E_7$-covariant formulation, including both space-time and twistor variables. $E_7$ contains the conformal algebra as a subalgebra. Analogous constructions apply to $D=3,4$ and 6.Comment: 4 page

Thoughts on Membranes, Matrices and Non-Commutativity

We review the passage from the supermembrane to matrix theory via a consistent truncation following a non-commutative deformation in light-cone gauge. Some indications are given that there should exist a generalisation of non-commutativity involving a three-index theta on the membrane, and we discuss some possible ways of investigating the corresponding algebraic structure.Comment: 11 pp, plain tex. Invited talk presented at the conference ``Non-Commutative Geometry and Representation Theory in Mathematical Physics'', Karlstad, Sweden, July 5-10, 200