Multiple M5-branes, string 2-connections, and 7d nonabelian Chern-Simons theory

DOI10.4310/ATMP.2014.V18.N2.A1zbMATH Open1322.81066arXiv1201.5277OpenAlexW2963775052MaRDI QIDQ485852FDOQ485852

Authors: Domenico Fiorenza, Hisham Sati, Urs Schreiber 

Publication date: 14 January 2015

Published in: Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The worldvolume theory of coincident M5-branes is expected to contain a nonabelian 2-form/nonabelian gerbe gauge theory that is a higher analog of self-dual Yang-Mills theory. But the precise details -- in particular the global moduli / instanton / magnetic charge structure -- have remained elusive. Here we deduce from anomaly cancellation a natural candidate for the holographic dual of this nonabelian 2-form field, under AdS7/CFT6-duality. We find this way a 7-dimensional nonabelian Chern-Simons theory of String 2-connection fields, which, in a certain higher gauge, are given locally by non-abelian 2-forms with values in an affine Kac-Moody Lie algebra. We construct the corresponding action functional on the entire smooth moduli 2-stack of field configurations, thereby defining the theory globally, at all levels and with the full instanton structure, which is nontrivial due to the twists imposed by the quantum corrections. Along the way we explain some general phenomena of higher nonabelian gauge theory that we need.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1201.5277

Recommendations

• Higher gauge theory with string 2-groups
• An invitation to higher gauge theory
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6787722
• A Lie based 4-dimensional higher Chern-Simons theory
• Extended higher cup-product Chern-Simons theories

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of vector bundles and moduli spaces in mathematical physics (twistor theory, instantons, quantum field theory) (14D21) Infinite-dimensional Lie (super)algebras (17B65) Loop groups and related constructions, group-theoretic treatment (22E67) Eta-invariants, Chern-Simons invariants (58J28) Yang-Mills and other gauge theories in quantum field theory (81T13) String and superstring theories; other extended objects (e.g., branes) in quantum field theory (81T30) String and superstring theories in gravitational theory (83E30) Supergravity (83E50)

Cited In (46)

• Extended higher cup-product Chern-Simons theories
• Real ADE-equivariant (co)homotopy and super M-branes
• Ninebrane structures
• \(E_8\) gauge theory and gerbes in string theory
• String structures associated to indefinite Lie groups
• Integrals detecting degree 3 string cobordism classes
• The \(E_8\) moduli 3-stack of the C-field in M-theory
• Higher groupoid bundles, higher spaces, and self-dual tensor field equations
• Two-dimensional algebra in lattice gauge theory
• Constraints in the BV formalism: six-dimensional supersymmetry and its twists
• Extended Riemannian geometry. II: Local heterotic double field theory
• A nonabelian \((1, 0)\) tensor multiplet theory in 6D
• 4-D semistrict higher Chern-Simons theory. I
• The global anomalies of \((2,0)\) superconformal field theories in six dimensions
• Orbifolds by 2-groups and decomposition
• Six-dimensional superconformal couplings of non-abelian tensor and hypermultiplets
• Six-dimensional superconformal field theories from principal 3-bundles over twistor space
• Multiple membranes in M-theory
• M-theory from the superpoint
• Toric 2-group anomalies via cobordism
• Variations of rational higher tangential structures
• 4d quantum geometry from 3d supersymmetric gauge theory and holomorphic block
• Towards an M5-brane model. I: A 6d superconformal field theory
• Equivariant cohomotopy implies orientifold tadpole cancellation
• Differential cohomotopy versus differential cohomology for M-theory and differential lifts of Postnikov towers
• Five-branes, seven-branes and five-dimensional \(E_n\) field theories
• Higher abelian gauge theory associated to gerbes on noncommutative deformed M5-branes and S-duality
• Framed M-branes, corners, and topological invariants
• M-brane models from non-abelian gerbes
• Note on non-abelian two-form gauge fields
• Non-abelian tensor multiplet equations from twistor space
• The Rational Higher Structure of M‐theory
• Manifestly covariant polynomial M5-brane Lagrangians
• A Lie based 4-dimensional higher Chern-Simons theory
• Semistrict higher gauge theory
• Twisted Cohomotopy implies M-theory anomaly cancellation on 8-manifolds
• Global anomalies & bordism of non-supersymmetric strings
• Twistorial cohomotopy implies Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation
• Super-Lie n-algebra extensions, higher WZW models and super-p-branes with tensor multiplet fields
• Higher \(\mathrm U(1)\)-gerbe connections in geometric prequantization
• Twisted cohomotopy implies twisted string structure on M5-branes
• The M5-brane action revisited
• The non-abelian self-dual string
• 2-group symmetries of 6D little string theories and T-duality
• Topological actions via gauge variations of higher structures
• Super-exceptional geometry: origin of heterotic M-theory and super-exceptional embedding construction of M5

This page was built for publication: Multiple M5-branes, string 2-connections, and 7d nonabelian Chern-Simons theory

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q485852)