Fuzzy Toric Geometries

We describe a construction of fuzzy spaces which approximate projective toric varieties. The construction uses the canonical embedding of such varieties into a complex projective space: The algebra of fuzzy functions on a toric variety is obtained by a restriction of the fuzzy algebra of functions on the complex projective space appearing in the embedding. We give several explicit examples for this construction; in particular, we present fuzzy weighted projective spaces as well as fuzzy Hirzebruch and del Pezzo surfaces. As our construction is actually suited for arbitrary subvarieties of complex projective spaces, one can easily obtain large classes of fuzzy Calabi-Yau manifolds and we comment on fuzzy K3 surfaces and fuzzy quintic three-folds. Besides enlarging the number of available fuzzy spaces significantly, we show that the fuzzification of a projective toric variety amounts to a quantization of its toric base.Comment: 1+25 pages, extended version, to appear in JHE

On the Mini-Superambitwistor Space and N=8 Super Yang-Mills Theory

We construct a new supertwistor space suited for establishing a Penrose-Ward transform between certain bundles over this space and solutions to the N=8 super Yang-Mills equations in three dimensions. This mini-superambitwistor space is obtained by dimensional reduction of the superambitwistor space, the standard superextension of the ambitwistor space. We discuss in detail the construction of this space and its geometry before presenting the Penrose-Ward transform. We also comment on a further such transform for purely bosonic Yang-Mills-Higgs theory in three dimensions by considering third order formal "sub-neighborhoods" of a mini-ambitwistor space.Comment: 24 pages, revised and published versio

The Mini-Superambitwistor Space

We present the construction of the mini-superambitwistor space, which is suited for establishing a Penrose-Ward transform between certain bundles over this space and solutions to the N=6 super Yang-Mills equations in three dimensions.Comment: 8 pages, talk given at the International Workshop "Supersymmetries and Quantum Symmetries" (SQS'05), Dubna, July 27-31 2005; to appear in the proceeding

Towards an M5-Brane Model I: A 6d Superconformal Field Theory

We present an action for a six-dimensional superconformal field theory containing a non-abelian tensor multiplet. All of the ingredients of this action have been available in the literature. We bring these pieces together by choosing the string Lie 2-algebra as a gauge structure, which we motivated in previous work. The kinematical data contains a connection on a categorified principal bundle, which is the appropriate mathematical description of the parallel transport of self-dual strings. Our action can be written down for each of the simply laced Dynkin diagrams, and each case reduces to a four-dimensional supersymmetric Yang--Mills theory with corresponding gauge Lie algebra. Our action also reduces nicely to an M2-brane model which is a deformation of the ABJM model. While this action is certainly not the desired M5-brane model, we regard it as a key stepping stone towards a potential construction of the (2,0)-theory.Comment: 1+39 pages, v3: minor improvements, published versio

L∞L_\infty-Algebra Models and Higher Chern-Simons Theories

We continue our study of zero-dimensional field theories in which the fields take values in a strong homotopy Lie algebra. In a first part, we review in detail how higher Chern-Simons theories arise in the AKSZ-formalism. These theories form a universal starting point for the construction of $L_\infty$-algebra models. We then show how to describe superconformal field theories and how to perform dimensional reductions in this context. In a second part, we demonstrate that Nambu-Poisson and multisymplectic manifolds are closely related via their Heisenberg algebras. As a byproduct of our discussion, we find central Lie $p$-algebra extensions of $\mathfrak{so}(p+2)$. Finally, we study a number of $L_\infty$-algebra models which are physically interesting and which exhibit quantized multisymplectic manifolds as vacuum solutions.Comment: 44 pages, minor corrections, published versio

The Non-Abelian Self-Dual String and the (2,0)-Theory

We argue that the relevant higher gauge group for the non-abelian generalization of the self-dual string equation is the string 2-group. We then derive the corresponding equations of motion and discuss their properties. The underlying geometric picture is a string structure, i.e. a categorified principal bundle with connection whose structure 2-group is the string 2-group. We readily write down the explicit elementary solution to our equations, which is the categorified analogue of the 't Hooft-Polyakov monopole. Our solution passes all the relevant consistency checks; in particular, it is globally defined on $\mathbb{R}^4$ and approaches the abelian self-dual string of charge one at infinity. We note that our equations also arise as the BPS equations in a recently proposed six-dimensional superconformal field theory and we show that with our choice of higher gauge structure, the action of this theory can be reduced to four-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory.Comment: v3: 1+42 pages, presentation improved, typos fixed, published versio

Lie 2-algebra models

In this paper, we begin the study of zero-dimensional field theories with fields taking values in a semistrict Lie 2-algebra. These theories contain the IKKT matrix model and various M-brane related models as special cases. They feature solutions that can be interpreted as quantized 2-plectic manifolds. In particular, we find solutions corresponding to quantizations of R^3, S^3 and a five-dimensional Hpp-wave. Moreover, by expanding a certain class of Lie 2-algebra models around the solution corresponding to quantized R^3, we obtain higher BF-theory on this quantized space.Comment: 47 pages, presentation improved, version published in JHE

A Multitrace Matrix Model from Fuzzy Scalar Field Theory

We present the analytical approach to scalar field theory on the fuzzy sphere which has been developed in arXiv:0706.2493 [hep-th]. This approach is based on considering a perturbative expansion of the kinetic term in the partition function. After truncating this expansion at second order, one arrives at a multitrace matrix model, which allows for an application of the saddle-point method. The results are in agreement with the numerical findings in the literature.Comment: 8 pages, talk given by CS at the International Workshop "Supersymmetries and Quantum Symmetries" (SQS'07), Dubna, July 30 - August 4 2007; to appear in the proceeding

The Phase Diagram of Scalar Field Theory on the Fuzzy Disc

Using a recently developed bootstrapping method, we compute the phase diagram of scalar field theory on the fuzzy disc with quartic even potential. We find three distinct phases with second and third order phase transitions between them. In particular, we find that the second order phase transition happens approximately at a fixed ratio of the two coupling constants defining the potential. We compute this ratio analytically in the limit of large coupling constants. Our results qualitatively agree with previously obtained numerical results.Comment: 1+17 pages, v2: typos fixed, published versio