On the effective potential in higher-derivative superfield theories

We study the one-loop quantum corrections for higher-derivative superfield theories, generalizing the approach for calculating the superfield effective potential. In particular, we calculate the effective potential for two versions of higher-derivative chiral superfield models. We point out that the equivalence of the higher-derivative theory for the chiral superfield and the one without higher derivatives but with an extended number of chiral superfields occurs only when the mass term is contained in the general Lagrangian. The presence of divergences can be taken as an indication of this equivalence.Comment: 14 page

Quantum dynamics of N=1N=1, D=4D=4 supergravity compensator

A new $N=1$ superfield theory in $D=4$ flat superspace is suggested. It describes dynamics of supergravity compensator and can be considered as a low-energy limit for $N=1$, $D=4$ superfield supergravity. The theory is shown to be renormalizable in infrared limit and infrared free. A quantum effective action is investigated in infrared domain

Complete N=4 Structure of Low-Energy Effective Action in N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theories

Using the ${\cal N}=2$ superfield approach, we construct full ${\cal N}=4$ supersymmetric low-energy effective actions for ${\cal N}=4$ SYM models, with both ${\cal N}=2$ gauge superfield strengths and hypermultiplet superfields included. The basic idea is to complete the known non-holomorphic effective potentials which depend only on ${\cal N}=2$ superfield strengths $W$ and ${\bar W}$ to the full on-shell ${\cal N}=4$ invariants by adding the appropriate superfield hypermultiplet terms. We prove that the effective potentials of the form ${ln} W {ln} \bar W$ can be ${\cal N} = 4$ completed in this way and present the precise structure of the corresponding completions. However, the effective potentials of the non-logarithmic form suggested in hep-th/9811017 and hep-th/9909020 do not admit the ${\cal N}=4$ completion. Therefore, such potentials cannot come out as (perturbative or non-perturbative) quantum corrections in ${\cal N}=4$ SYM models.Comment: 14 pages, Latex, no figures, slight corrections, refs adde

Complete Low-Energy Effective action in N=4 SYM: a Direct N=2 Supergraph Calculation

Using the covariant N=2 harmonic supergraph techniques we calculate the one-loop low-energy effective action of N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory in Coulomb branch with gauge group SU(2) spontaneously broken down to U(1). The full dependence of the low-energy effective action on both the hypermultiplet and gauge fields is determined. The direct quantum calculation confirms the correctness of the exact N=4 SYM low-energy effective action derived in hep-th/0111062 on the purely algebraic ground by invoking a hidden N=2 supersymmetry which completes the manifest N=2 one to N=4. Our results provide an exhaustive solution to the problem of finding out the exact completely N=4 supersymmetric low-energy effective action for the theory under consideration.Comment: LaTeX, 21 pages; minor correction

Gauge invariant Lagrangian construction for massive bosonic mixed symmetry higher spin fields

We develop the BRST approach to gauge invariant Lagrangian construction for the massive mixed symmetry integer higher spin fields described by the rank-two Young tableaux in arbitrary dimensional Minkowski space. The theory is formulated in terms of auxiliary Fock space. No off-shell constraints on the fields and the gauge parameters are imposed. The approach under consideration automatically leads to a gauge invariant Lagrangian for massive theory with all appropriate Stuckelberg fields. It is shown that all the restrictions defining an irreducible representation of the Poincare group arise from Lagrangian formulation as a consequence of the equations of motion and gauge transformations. As an example of the general procedure, we derive the gauge-invariant Lagrangian for massive rank-2 antisymmetric tensor field containing the complete set of auxiliary fields and gauge parameters.Comment: v2: 15 pages, references added, minor changes, version accepted for publication in PL

Effective action of N = 4 super Yang-Mills: N = 2 superspace approach

Using the N = 2 off-shell formulation in harmonic superspace for N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory, we present a representation of the one-loop effective action which is free of so-called coinciding harmonic singularities and admits a straightforward evaluation of low-energy quantum corrections in the framework of an N = 2 superfield heat kernel technique. We illustrate our approach by computing the low-energy effective action on the Coulomb branch of SU(2) N = 4 super Yang-Mills. Our work provides the first derivation of the low-energy action of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory directly in N = 2 superspace without any reduction to N = 1 superfields and for a generic background N = 2 Yang-Mills multiplet.Comment: 12 pages, latex, no figures, references adde

Lagrangian formulation of massive fermionic totally antisymmetric tensor field theory in AdS_d space

We apply the BRST approach, developed for higher spin field theories, to Lagrangian construction for totally antisymmetric massive fermionic fields in AdS_d space. As well as generic higher spin massive theories, the obtained Lagrangian theory is a reducible gauge model containing, besides the basic field, a number of auxiliary (Stuckelberg) fields and the order of reducibility grows with the value of the rank of the antisymmetric field. However, unlike the generic higher spin theory, for the special case under consideration we show that one can get rid of all the auxiliary fields and the final Lagrangian for fermionic antisymmetric field is formulated only in terms of basic field.Comment: 22 pages; v2: 1 footnote and 2 references adde

Generalized canonical quantization of bosonic string model in massive background fields

A method of constructing a canonical gauge invariant quantum formulation for a non-gauge classical theory depending on a set of parameters is advanced and then applied to the theory of closed bosonic string interacting with massive background fields. It is shown that within the proposed formulation the correct linear equations of motion for background fields arise.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX, talk given by I.L. Buchbinder at the Second Conference on Constrained Dynamics and Quantum Gravity, S. Margherita Ligure, September 17-21 199

Scale Invariant Low-Energy Effective Action in N=3 SYM Theory

Using the harmonic superspace approach we study the problem of low-energy effective action in N=3 SYM theory. The candidate effective action is a scale and \gamma_5-invariant functional in full N=3 superspace built out of N=3 off-shell superfield strengths. This action is constructed as N=3 superfield generalization of F^4/\phi^4 component term which is leading in the low-energy effective action and is simultaneously the first nontrivial term in scale invariant Born-Infeld action. All higher-order terms in the scale invariant Born-Infeld action are also shown to admit an off-shell superfield completion in N=3 harmonic superspace.Comment: 17 pages; v2: typos correcte

Holomorphic effective potential in general chiral superfield model

We study a holomorphic effective potential $W_{eff}(\Phi)$ in chiral superfield model defined in terms of arbitrary k\"{a}hlerian potential $K(\bar{\Phi},\Phi)$ and arbitrary chiral potential $W(\Phi)$. Such a model naturally arises as an ingredient of low-energy limit of superstring theory and it is called here the general chiral superfield model. Generic procedure for calculating the chiral loop corrections to effective action is developed. We find lower two-loop correction in the form $W^{(2)}_{eff}(\Phi)= 6/(4\pi)^4 \bar{W}^{'''2}(0){(\frac{W^{''}(\Phi)}{K^2_{\Phi\bar{\Phi}(0,\Phi)}})}^3$ where $K_{\Phi\bar{\Phi}}(0,\Phi)=\frac{\partial^2 K(\bar{\Phi},\Phi)} {\partial\Phi\partial\bar{\Phi}}|_{\bar{\Phi}=0}$ and $\zeta(x)$ be Riemannian zeta-function. This correction is finite at any $K(\bar{\Phi},\Phi), W(\Phi)$.Comment: LaTeX, 10 page