760 research outputs found
The Geometry of D=11 Null Killing Spinors
We determine the necessary and sufficient conditions on the metric and the
four-form for the most general bosonic supersymmetric configurations of D=11
supergravity which admit a null Killing spinor i.e. a Killing spinor which can
be used to construct a null Killing vector. This class covers all
supersymmetric time-dependent configurations and completes the classification
of the most general supersymmetric configurations initiated in hep-th/0212008.Comment: 30 pages, typos corrected, reference added, new solution included in
section 5.1; uses JHEP3.cl
Brane Resolution Through Fibration
We consider p-branes with one or more circular directions fibered over the
transverse space. The fibration, in conjunction with the transverse space
having a blown-up cycle, enables these p-brane solutions to be completely
regular. Some such circularly-wrapped D3-brane solutions describe flows from
SU(N)^3 N=2 theory, F_0 theory, as well as an infinite family of superconformal
quiver gauge theories, down to three-dimensional field theories. We discuss the
operators that are turned on away from the UV fixed points. Similarly, there
are wrapped M2-brane solutions which describe smooth flows from known
three-dimensional supersymmetric Chern-Simons matter theories, such as ABJM
theory. We also consider p-brane solutions on gravitational instantons, and
discuss various ways in which U-duality can be applied to yield other
non-singular solutions.Comment: 35 pages, additional referenc
Flowing with Eight Supersymmetries in M-Theory and F-theory
We consider holographic RG flow solutions with eight supersymmetries and
study the geometry transverse to the brane. For both M2-branes and for
D3-branes in F-theory this leads to an eight-manifold with only a four-form
flux. In both settings there is a natural four-dimensional hyper-Kahler slice
that appears on the Coulomb branch. In the IIB theory this hyper-Kahler
manifold encodes the Seiberg-Witten coupling over the Coulomb branch of a U(1)
probe theory. We focus primarily upon a new flow solution in M-theory. This
solution is first obtained using gauged supergravity and then lifted to eleven
dimensions. In this new solution, the brane probes have an Eguchi-Hanson moduli
space with the M2-branes spread over the non-trivial 2-sphere. It is also shown
that the new solution is valid for a class of orbifold theories. We discuss how
the hyper-Kahler structure on the slice extends to some form of G-structure in
the eight-manifold, and describe how this can be computed.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figure, harvma
Supersymmetry breaking at the end of a cascade of Seiberg dualities
We study the IR dynamics of the cascading non-conformal quiver theory on N
regular and M fractional D3 branes at the tip of the complex cone over the
first del Pezzo surface. The horizon of this cone is the irregular
Sasaki-Einstein manifold Y^{2,1}. Our analysis shows that at the end of the
cascade supersymmetry is dynamically broken.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, minor changes, typos correcte
Gravity duals to deformed SYM theories and Generalized Complex Geometry
We analyze the supersymmetry conditions for a class of SU(2) structure
backgrounds of Type IIB supergravity, corresponding to a specific ansatz for
the supersymmetry parameters. These backgrounds are relevant for the AdS/CFT
correspondence since they are suitable to describe mass deformations or
beta-deformations of four-dimensional superconformal gauge theories. Using
Generalized Complex Geometry we show that these geometries are characterized by
a closed nowhere-vanishing vector field and a modified fundamental form which
is also closed. The vector field encodes the information about the
superpotential and the type of deformation - mass or beta respectively. We also
show that the Pilch-Warner solution dual to a mass-deformation of N =4 Super
Yang-Mills and the Lunin-Maldacena beta-deformation of the same background fall
in our class of solutions.Comment: LaTex, 29 page
Are Mash-Ups the Future for Online Learning Platforms? Psychology A-Level Students' Judgements about VLE and MUPPLE Interfaces
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have become ubiquitous in colleges and universities but have failed to consistently improve learning (Machin, 2007). An alternative interface can be provided in the form of a mashed-up personal learning environment (MUPPLE). The aim of this study was to investigate student perceptions of its desirability and utility in comparison to their existing VLE. A psychology-oriented MUPPLE was constructed using a free online mash-up platform. A focus group of psychology A-level students was asked to identify likely advantages and disadvantages of the MUPPLE as compared to their existing VLE interface. They identified five potential advantages of the MUPPLE interface; aesthetics, congruence with online apps used outside formal education, user control, utility as an aid to A-level study, and likely utility as an aid to undergraduate study. With regard to utility as an aid to A-level study, the focus group expressed concern that, whilst the MUPPLE interface would be likely to enhance independent study, that this might not in turn advantage A-level students. However, no advantages were attributed to the VLE interface. Sixty-five psychology A-level students assessed a MUPPLE and a VLE interface against the five criteria identified by the focus group. A within-subjects MANOVA revealed significant preferences for the MUPPLE interface on all five criteria. Implications for psychology education are discussed, and further research is called fo
New Einstein-Sasaki and Einstein Spaces from Kerr-de Sitter
In this paper, which is an elaboration of our results in hep-th/0504225, we
construct new Einstein-Sasaki spaces L^{p,q,r_1,...,r_{n-1}} in all odd
dimensions D=2n+1\ge 5. They arise by taking certain BPS limits of the
Euclideanised Kerr-de Sitter metrics. This yields local Einstein-Sasaki metrics
of cohomogeneity n, with toric U(1)^{n+1} principal orbits, and n real
non-trivial parameters. By studying the structure of the degenerate orbits we
show that for appropriate choices of the parameters, characterised by the (n+1)
coprime integers (p,q,r_1,...,r_{n-1}), the local metrics extend smoothly onto
complete and non-singular compact Einstein-Sasaki manifolds
L^{p,q,r_1,...,r_{n-1}}. We also construct new complete and non-singular
compact Einstein spaces \Lambda^{p,q,r_1,...,r_n} in D=2n+1 that are not
Sasakian, by choosing parameters appropriately in the Euclideanised Kerr-de
Sitter metrics when no BPS limit is taken.Comment: latex, 26 page
AdS spacetimes from wrapped D3-branes
We derive a geometrical characterisation of a large class of AdS_3 and AdS_2
supersymmetric spacetimes in IIB supergravity with non-vanishing five-form flux
using G-structures. These are obtained as special cases of a class of
supersymmetric spacetimes with an or (time)
factor that are associated with D3-branes wrapping calibrated 2- or 3- cycles,
respectively, in manifolds with SU(2), SU(3), SU(4) and G_2 holonomy. We show
how two explicit AdS solutions, previously constructed in gauged supergravity,
satisfy our more general G-structure conditions. For each explicit solution we
also derive a special holonomy metric which, although singular, has an
appropriate calibrated cycle. After analytic continuation, some of the classes
of AdS spacetimes give rise to known classes of BPS bubble solutions with
, , and
symmetry. These have 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 supersymmetry,
respectively. We present a new class of 1/8 BPS geometries with
symmetry, obtained by analytic continuation of the
class of AdS spacetimes associated with D3-branes wrapped on associative
three-cycles.Comment: 1+30 pages; v2, references added; v3, typos corrected, reference
adde
1/4-BPS M-theory bubbles with SO(3) x SO(4) symmetry
In this paper we generalize the work of Lin, Lunin and Maldacena on the
classification of 1/2-BPS M-theory solutions to a specific class of 1/4-BPS
configurations. We are interested in the solutions of 11 dimensional
supergravity with symmetry, and it is shown that such
solutions are constructed over a one-parameter familiy of 4 dimensional almost
Calabi-Yau spaces. Through analytic continuations we can obtain M-theory
solutions having or factors. It is shown
that our result is equivalent to the solutions which have been recently
reported as the near-horizon geometry of M2 or M5-branes wrapped on 2 or
4-cycles in Calabi-Yau threefolds. We also discuss the hierarchy of M-theory
bubbles with different number of supersymmetries.Comment: 22 pages, JHEP3.cls; v2. revised version. showed that our results
agree with previous works hep-th/0605146 and hep-th/061219
The Geometry of D=11 Killing Spinors
We propose a way to classify all supersymmetric configurations of D=11
supergravity using the G-structures defined by the Killing spinors. We show
that the most general bosonic geometries admitting a Killing spinor have at
least a local SU(5) or an (Spin(7)\ltimes R^8)x R structure, depending on
whether the Killing vector constructed from the Killing spinor is timelike or
null, respectively. In the former case we determine what kind of local SU(5)
structure is present and show that almost all of the form of the geometry is
determined by the structure. We also deduce what further conditions must be
imposed in order that the equations of motion are satisfied. We illustrate the
formalism with some known solutions and also present some new solutions
including a rotating generalisation of the resolved membrane solutions and
generalisations of the recently constructed D=11 Godel solution.Comment: 36 pages. Typos corrected and discussion on G-structures improved.
Final version to appear in JHE
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