Four-dimensional \(N=1\) super Yang-Mills theory from an \(M\)-theory orbifold (Q1394608)

The authors construct explictly an abelian orbifold of \(M\)-theory to obtain an \(N=1\) super Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions, using anomaly matching on the fixed planes of the \(M\)-theory orbifold to determine the gauge and representation structure. One interesting aspect of their analysis is the manner in which constraints from gravitational anomalies impinge on the four dimensional spectrum, despite the fact that there are no gravitational anomalies in purely four-dimensional field theories. The model they describe in the paper is the simplest four dimensional model which one can construct from \(M\)-theory compactified on an abelian orbifold without freely acting involutions. The gauge group is \(SO(12)\times SU(8)\times SU(2\times SU(2)\times U(1)\).