arXiv research

Introduces generalized complex geometry for studying type II supergravity backgrounds.

We study the geometry of type II supergravity compactifications in terms of an oriented vector bundle $E$, endowed with a bundle metric of split signature and further datum. The geometric structure is associated with a so-called generalised $G$-structure and characterised by an $E$-spinor $ρ$, which we can regard as a …

I will discuss the emergence of lorentzian symmetric spaces as supersymmetric supergravity backgrounds. I will focus on supergravity theories in dimension 11, 10, and 6, and will concentrate on the determination of the so-called maximally supersymmetric backgrounds, for which a classification exists up to local isometr…

We reformulate ten-dimensional type II supergravity as a generalised geometrical analogue of Einstein gravity, defined by an $O(9,1)\times O(1,9)\subset O(10,10)\times\mathbb{R}^+$ structure on the generalised tangent space. Using the notion of generalised connection and torsion, we introduce the analogue of the Levi-C…

We study a supersymmetry-preserving solution-generating method in heterotic supergravity. In particular, we use this method to construct one-parameter non-Kahler deformations of Calabi-Yau manifolds with a U(1) isometry, in which the complex structure remains invariant. We explain how to obtain corresponding solutions …

We present details of a geometric method to associate a Lie superalgebra with a large class of bosonic supergravity vacua of the type AdS x X, corresponding to elementary branes in M-theory and type II string theory.

We analyse the geometrical structure of supersymmetric solutions of type II supergravity of the form R^{1,9-n} x M_n with non-trivial NS flux and dilaton. Solutions of this type arise naturally as the near-horizon limits of wrapped NS fivebrane geometries. We concentrate on the case d=7, preserving two or four supersym…

In the context of generalised geometry we investigate reductions to $SU(m)\times SU(m)$ together with an integrability condition which in dimension 6 describes the geometry of type II supergravity compactifications.

Extends dualities in supergravity to broader setups.

The presentation of supergravity theories of our previous paper "Super-Poincare' algebras, space-times and supergravities (I)" is re-formulated in the language of Berezin-Leites-Kostant theory of supermanifolds. It is also shown that the equations of Cremmer, Julia and Scherk's theory of 11D-supergravity are equivalent…

Paper shows how Non-Abelian T-duality solves pure spinor equations in supersymmetric vacua.

Researchers calculate exact moduli for type II flux backgrounds using spectral sequences.

New method uses equivariant volume for gravitational extremization in holography.

We consider type II string theory in space-time backgrounds which admit eight supercharges and can be characterized by the existence of an SU(3) x SU(3) structure. We show that the couplings of such backgrounds strongly resemble the couplings of four-dimensional N=2 supergravities and precisely coincide with the N=2 co…

We classify generalised supersymmetric fluxbranes in type II string theory obtained as Kaluza-Klein reductions of the Minkowski space vacuum of eleven-dimensional supergravity. We obtain two families of smooth solutions which contains all the known solutions, new solutions called nullbranes, and solutions interpolating…

Derives supergravity equations in coordinate-free notation.

We classify non-dilatonic NS-NS type II supergravity backgrounds admitting a consistent absolute parallelism. They are all given by parallelised Lie groups admitting scalar flat bi-invariant lorentzian metrics. There are seven different classes, some of them containing moduli. For each class we determine the amount of …

We prove that supersymmetry backgrounds of (1,0) and (2,0) six-dimensional supergravity theories preserving more than one half of the supersymmetry are locally homogeneous. As a byproduct we also establish that the Killing spinors of such a background generate a Lie superalgebra.

We study compactifications of type II theories on SU(2) x SU(2) structure manifolds to six, five and four spacetime dimensions. We use the framework of generalized geometry to describe the NS-NS sector of such compactifications and derive the structure of their moduli spaces. We show that in contrast to SU(3) x SU(3) s…

We obtain new supersymmetric flux vacua of type II supergravities on four-dimensional Minkowski times six-dimensional solvmanifolds. The orientifold O4, O5, O6, O7, or O8-planes and D-branes are localized. All vacua are in addition not T-dual to a vacuum on the torus. The corresponding solvmanifolds are proven to be Ca…

By formulating N = 1, 2, 4, 8, D = 3, Yang-Mills with a single Lagrangian and single set of transformation rules, but with fields valued respectively in R,C,H,O, it was recently shown that tensoring left and right multiplets yields a Freudenthal-Rosenfeld-Tits magic square of D = 3 supergravities. This was subsequently…

We reformulate eleven-dimensional supergravity, including fermions, in terms of generalised geometry, for spacetimes that are warped products of Minkowski space with a $d$-dimensional manifold $M$ with $d\leq7$. The reformation has a $E_{d(d)} \times \mathbb{R}^+$ structure group and is has a local $\tilde{H}_d$ symmet…

In this technical note we give a purely geometric understanding of discrete torsion, as an analogue of orbifold Wilson lines for two-form tensor field potentials. In order to introduce discrete torsion in this context, we describe gerbes and the description of certain type II supergravity tensor field potentials as con…

The paper establishes a correspondence between special Kähler manifolds and their deformations.

Study of AdS backgrounds preserving supersymmetry using generalised geometry.

In this paper we study homogeneous backgrounds of type IIB supergravity where the underlying geometry is that of a symmetric space. We determine which ten-dimensional lorentzian symmetric spaces (up to local isometry) admit such backgrounds and in about two thirds of the cases we determine fully their moduli space.

Parabolic flow techniques applied to 11D supergravity solutions.

We study the existence of D-brane bound states at threshold in Type II string theories. In a number of situations, we can reduce the question of existence to quadrature, and the study of a particular limit of the propagator for the system of D-branes. This involves a derivation of an index theorem for a family of non-F…

New decomposable solutions found in 11D supergravity.

In this paper we reformulate N=2 supergravity backgrounds arising in type II string theory in terms of quantities transforming under the U-duality group E7(7). In particular we combine the Ramond--Ramond scalar degrees of freedom together with the O(6,6) pure spinors which govern the Neveu-Schwarz sector by considering…

The theory of locally anisotropic superspaces (supersymmetric generalizations of various types of Kaluza--Klein, Lagrange and Finsler spaces) is laid down. In this framework we perform the analysis of construction of the supervector bundles provided with nonlinear and distinguished connections and metric structures. Tw…

We study constrained generalized Killing spinors over the metric cone and cylinder of a (pseudo-)Riemannian manifold, developing a toolkit which can be used to investigate certain problems arising in supersymmetric flux compactifications of supergravity theories. Using geometric algebra techniques, we give conceptually…

We show that generalised geometry gives a unified description of bosonic eleven-dimensional supergravity restricted to a $d$-dimensional manifold for all $d\leq7$. The theory is based on an extended tangent space which admits a natural $E_{d(d)} \times \mathbb{R}^+$ action. The bosonic degrees of freedom are unified as…

These notes record three lectures given at the workshop "Higher symmetries in Physics", held at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in November 2008. In them we explain how to construct a Lie (super)algebra associated to a spin manifold, perhaps with extra geometric data, and a notion of privileged spinors. The typic…

The paper proves rigidity results for certain supergravity backgrounds in 11 dimensions.

Holomorphic supergravity theory simplifies anomaly cancellation in heterotic moduli.

We investigate the Penrose limits of classical string and M-theory backgrounds. We prove that the number of (super)symmetries of a supergravity background never decreases in the limit. We classify all the possible Penrose limits of AdS x S spacetimes and of supergravity brane solutions. We also present the Penrose limi…

The thesis explores dualities and gaugings in supergravity theories.

New solutions of gravity from branes wrapped on orbifolds.

We consider compactification of type IIA supergravity on nearly Kaehler manifolds. These represent a simple class of SU(3) structure manifolds which includes S^6 and CP^3. We exhibit for the first time an explicit reduction ansatz in this context, obtaining an N=2 gauged supergravity in 4d with a single vector and hype…

The paper integrates supergravity with geometric and symplectic structures.

We show that for every positive curvature Kahler-Einstein manifold in dimension 2n there is a countably infinite class of associated Sasaki-Einstein manifolds X_{2n+3} in dimension 2n+3. When n=1 we recover a recently discovered family of supersymmetric AdS_5 x X_5 solutions of type IIB string theory, while when n=2 we…

Decomposable 11D supergravity backgrounds on product manifolds are described.

Geometric U-folds explained in 4D supergravity.

Necessary and sufficient conditions to the existence of a hermitian connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy contained in SU(3) are given. Non-compact solution to the supergravity-type I equations of motion with non-zero flux and non-constant dilaton is found in dimensions 6. Non-conformally flat non…

The paper explores how fields in higher dimensions are quantized.

Study finds all possible 5D minimal supergravity solutions with nondegenerate horizons.

Summarizes spin geometry in supergravity and string theory.