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C. S. Shahbazi

Publications and source records attributed to C. S. Shahbazi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The geometry and DSZ quantization of four-dimensional supergravity

We implement the Dirac-Schwinger-Zwanziger integrality condition on four-dimensional classical ungauged supergravity and use it to obtain its duality-covariant, gauge-theoretic, differential-geometric model on an oriented four-manifold $M$ of arbitrary topology. Classical bosonic supergravity is completely determined by a submersion $π$ over $M$ equipped with a complete Ehresmann connection, a vertical euclidean metric, and a vertically-polarized flat symplectic vector bundle $Ξ$. Building on these structures, we implement the Dirac-Schwinger-Zwanziger integrality condition through the choice of an element in the degree-two sheaf cohomology group with coefficients in a locally constant sheaf $\mathcal{L}\subset Ξ$ valued in the groupoid of integral symplectic spaces. We show that this data determines a Siegel principal bundle $P_{\mathfrak{t}}$ of fixed type $\mathfrak{t}\in \mathbb{Z}^{n_v}$ whose connections provide the global geometric description of the local electromagnetic gauge potentials of the theory. Furthermore, we prove that the Maxwell gauge equations of the theory reduce to the polarized self-duality condition determined by $Ξ$ on the connections of $P_{\mathfrak{t}}$. In addition, we investigate the continuous and discrete U-duality groups of the theory, characterizing them through short exact sequences and realizing the latter through the gauge group of $P_{\mathfrak{t}}$ acting on its adjoint bundle. This elucidates the geometric origin of U-duality, which we explore in several examples, illustrating its dependence on the topology of the fiber bundles $π$ and $P_{\mathfrak{t}}$ as well as on the isomorphism type of $\mathcal{L}$.

math.DG↗

Canonical metrics on holomorphic Courant algebroids

The solution of the Calabi Conjecture by Yau implies that every Kähler Calabi-Yau manifold $X$ admits a metric with holonomy contained in $\textrm{SU}(n)$, and that these metrics are parametrized by the positive cone in $H^{1,1}(X,\mathbb{R})$. In this work we give evidence of an extension of Yau's theorem to non-Kähler manifolds, where $X$ is replaced by a compact complex manifold with vanishing first Chern class endowed with a holomorphic Courant algebroid $Q$ of Bott-Chern type. The equations that define our notion of best metric correspond to a mild generalization of the Hull-Strominger system, whereas the role of $H^{1,1}(X,\mathbb{R})$ is played by an affine space of 'Aeppli classes' naturally associated to $Q$ via Bott-Chern secondary characteristic classes.

math.DG↗

Parallel spinors on globally hyperbolic Lorentzian four-manifolds

We investigate the differential geometry and topology of globally hyperbolic four-manifolds $(M,g)$ admitting a parallel real spinor $\varepsilon$. Using the theory of parabolic pairs recently introduced in arXiv:1911.08658 , we first formulate the parallelicity condition of $\varepsilon$ on $M$ as a system of partial differential equations, the parallel spinor flow equations, for a family of polyforms on any given Cauchy surface $Σ\hookrightarrow M$. Existence of a parallel spinor on $(M,g)$ induces a system of constraint partial differential equations on $Σ$, which we prove to be equivalent to an exterior differential system involving a cohomological condition on the shape operator of the embedding $Σ\hookrightarrow M$. Solutions of this differential system are precisely the allowed initial data for the evolution problem of a parallel spinor and define the notion of parallel Cauchy pair $(\mathfrak{e},Θ)$, where $\mathfrak{e}$ is a coframe and $Θ$ is a symmetric two-tensor. We characterize all parallel Cauchy pairs on simply connected Cauchy surfaces, refining a result of Baum, Leistner and Lischewski. Furthermore, we classify all compact three-manifolds admitting parallel Cauchy pairs, proving that they are canonically equipped with a locally free action of $\mathbb{R}^2$ and are isomorphic to certain torus bundles over $S^1$, whose Riemannian structure we characterize in detail. Moreover, we classify all left-invariant parallel Cauchy pairs on simply connected Lie groups, specifying when they are allowed initial data for the Ricci flat equations and when the shape operator is Codazzi. Finally, we give a novel geometric interpretation of a class of parallel spinor flows and solve it in several examples, obtaining explicit families of four-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds carrying parallel spinors.

math.DG↗

Dirac operators on real spinor bundles of complex type

Let $(M,g)$ be a pseudo-Riemannian manifold of signature $(p,q)$. We compute the obstruction for a vector bundle $S$ over $(M,g)$ to admit a Dirac operator whose principal symbol induces on $S$ the structure of a bundle of irreducible real Clifford modules of complex type, that is, a real spinor bundle of irreducible complex type. In order to do this, we use the theory of Lipschitz structures in signature $p-q\equiv_8 3,7$ to reformulate the problem as the obstruction problem for $(M,g)$ to admit a $\mathrm{Spin}^{o}_α$ structure with $α= -1$ if $p-q \equiv_{8} 3$ or $α= +1$ if $ p-q \equiv_{8} 7$, where $\mathrm{Spin}^o_+(p,q)=\mathrm{Spin}(p,q)\cdot\mathrm{Pin}_{2,0}$ and $\mathrm{Spin}^o_-(p,q)=\mathrm{Spin}(p,q)\cdot \mathrm{Pin}_{0,2}$. This allows computing the obstruction in terms of the Karoubi Stiefel-Whitney classes of $(M,g)$ and the existence of an auxiliary $\mathrm{O}(2)$ bundle with prescribed characteristic classes. Furthermore, we explicitly show how a $\mathrm{Spin}^o_α$ structure can be used to construct $S$ and we give geometric characterizations (in terms of associated bundles) of the conditions under which the structure group of $S$ reduces to certain natural subgroups of $\mathrm{Spin}^o_α$. Finally, we prove that certain codimension two submanifolds of spin manifolds and certain products of tori with Grassmanians, which were not known to admit irreducible real spinor bundles, do admit $\mathrm{Spin}^{o}_α$ structures and therefore do admit real spinor bundles of irreducible complex type.

math.DG↗

Contact metric three manifolds and Lorentzian geometry with torsion in six-dimensional supergravity

We introduce the notion of $\varepsilonη\,$-Einstein $\varepsilon\,$-contact metric three-manifold, which includes as particular cases $η\,$-Einstein Riemannian and Lorentzian (para) contact metric three-manifolds, but which in addition allows for the Reeb vector field to be null. We prove that the product of an $\varepsilonη\,$-Einstein Lorentzian $\varepsilon\,$-contact metric three-manifold with an $\varepsilonη\,$-Einstein Riemannian contact metric three-manifold carries a bi-parametric family of Ricci-flat Lorentzian metric-compatible connections with isotropic, totally skew-symmetric, closed and co-closed torsion, which in turn yields a bi-parametric family of solutions of six-dimensional minimal supergravity coupled to a tensor multiplet. This result allows for the systematic construction of families of Lorentzian solutions of six-dimensional supergravity from pairs of $\varepsilonη\,$-Einstein contact metric three-manifolds. We classify all left-invariant $\varepsilonη\,$-Einstein structures on simply connected Lie groups, paying special attention to the case in which the Reeb vector field is null. In particular, we show that the Sasaki and K-contact notions extend to $\varepsilon\,$-contact structures with null Reeb vector field but are however not equivalent conditions, in contrast to the situation occurring when the Reeb vector field is not light-like. Furthermore, we pose the Cauchy initial-value problem of an $\varepsilon\,$-contact $\varepsilonη\,$-Einstein structure, briefly studying the associated constraint equations in a particularly simple decoupling limit. Altogether, we use these results to obtain novel families of six-dimensional supergravity solutions, some of which can be interpreted as continuous deformations of the maximally supersymmetric solution on $\widetilde{\mathrm{Sl}}(2,\mathbb{R})\times S^3$.

math.DG↗

The duality covariant geometry and DSZ quantization of abelian gauge theory

We develop the Dirac-Schwinger-Zwanziger (DSZ) quantization of classical abelian gauge theories with general duality structure on oriented Lorentzian four-manifolds $(M,g)$ of arbitrary topology, obtaining, as a result, the duality-covariant geometric formulation of such theories through connections on principal bundles. We implement the DSZ condition by restricting the field strengths of the theory to those which define classes originating in the degree-two cohomology of a local system valued in the groupoid of integral symplectic spaces. We prove that such field strengths are curvatures of connections $\mathcal{A}$ defined on principal bundles $P$ whose structure group $G$ is the disconnected group of automorphisms of an integral affine symplectic torus. The connected component of the identity of $G$ is a torus group, while its group of connected components is a modified Siegel modular group. This formulation includes electromagnetic and magnetoelectric gauge potentials on an equal footing and describes the equations of motion through a first-order polarized self-duality condition for the curvature of $\mathcal{A}$. The condition involves a combination of the Hodge operator of $(M,g)$ with a taming of the duality structure determined by $P$, whose choice encodes the self-couplings of the theory. This description is reminiscent of the theory of four-dimensional euclidean instantons, even though we consider a two-derivative theory in Lorentzian signature. We use this formulation to characterize the hierarchy of duality groups of abelian gauge theory, providing a gauge-theoretic description of the electromagnetic duality group as the discrete remnant of the gauge group of $P$. We also perform the time-like reduction of the polarized self-duality condition to a Riemannian three-manifold, obtaining a new type of Bogomolny equation which we solve explicitly in a particular case.

math.DG↗

Four-dimensional geometric supergravity and electromagnetic duality: a brief guide for mathematicians

We give a gentle introduction to the global geometric formulation of the bosonic sector of four-dimensional supergravity on an oriented four-manifold $M$ of arbitrary topology, providing a geometric characterization of its U-duality group. The geometric formulation of four-dimensional supergravity is based on a choice of a vertically Riemannian submersion $π$ over $M$ equipped with a flat Ehresmann connection, which determines the non-linear section sigma model of the theory, and a choice of flat symplectic vector bundle $\mathcal{S}$ equipped with a positive complex polarization over the total space of $π$, which encodes the inverse gauge couplings and theta angles of the theory and determines its gauge sector. The classical fields of the theory consist of Lorentzian metrics on $M$, global sections of $π$ and two-forms valued in $\mathcal{S}$ that satisfy an algebraic relation which defines the notion of \emph{twisted} self-duality in four Lorentzian dimensions. We use this geometric formulation to investigate the group of electromagnetic duality transformations of supergravity, also known as the continuous classical U-duality group, which we characterize using a certain short exact sequence of automorphism groups of vector bundles. Moreover, we discuss the general structure of the Killing spinor equations of four-dimensional supergravity, providing several explicit examples and remarking on a few open mathematical problems. This presentation is aimed at mathematicians working in differential geometry.

math.DG↗

Generalized Einstein-Scalar-Maxwell theories and locally geometric U-folds

We give a global formulation of the coupling of four-dimensional scalar sigma models to Abelian gauge fields for the generalized situation when the "duality structure" of the Abelian gauge theory is described by a flat symplectic vector bundle $(\mathcal{S},D,ω)$ defined over the scalar manifold $\mathcal{M}$. The construction uses a taming of $(\mathcal{S}, ω)$, which encodes globally the inverse gauge couplings and theta angles of the "twisted" Abelian gauge theory in a manner that makes no use of duality frames. We show that global solutions of the equations of motion of such models give classical locally geometric U-folds. We also describe the groups of duality transformations and scalar-electromagnetic symmetries arising in such models, which involve lifting isometries of $\mathcal{M}$ to a particular class of flat automorphisms of the bundle $\mathcal{S}$ and hence differ from expectations based on local analysis. The appropriate version of the Dirac quantization condition involves a discrete local system defined over $\mathcal{M}$ and gives rise to a smooth bundle of polarized Abelian varieties, endowed with a flat symplectic connection. This shows that a generalization of part of the mathematical structure familiar from $\mathcal{N}=2$ supergravity is already present in such purely bosonic models, without any coupling to fermions and hence without any supersymmetry.

hep-th↗

Spinors of real type as polyforms and the generalized Killing equation

We develop a new framework for the study of generalized Killing spinors, where generalized Killing spinor equations, possibly with constraints, can be formulated equivalently as systems of partial differential equations for a polyform satisfying algebraic relations in the Kähler-Atiyah bundle constructed by quantizing the exterior algebra bundle of the underlying manifold. At the core of this framework lies the characterization, which we develop in detail, of the image of the spinor squaring map of an irreducible Clifford module $Σ$ of real type as a real algebraic variety in the Kähler-Atiyah algebra, which gives necessary and sufficient conditions for a polyform to be the square of a real spinor. We apply these results to Lorentzian four-manifolds, obtaining a new description of a real spinor on such a manifold through a certain distribution of parabolic 2-planes in its cotangent bundle. We use this result to give global characterizations of real Killing spinors on Lorentzian four-manifolds and of four-dimensional supersymmetric configurations of heterotic supergravity. In particular, we find new families of Einstein and non-Einstein four-dimensional Lorentzian metrics admitting real Killing spinors, some of which are deformations of the metric of AdS$_4$ space-time.

math.DG↗

Complexity measures in QFT and constrained geometric actions

We study the conditions under which, given a generic quantum system, complexity metrics provide actual lower bounds to the circuit complexity associated to a set of quantum gates. Inhomogeneous cost functions ---many examples of which have been recently proposed in the literature--- are ruled out by our analysis. Such measures are shown to be unrelated to circuit complexity in general and to produce severe violations of Lloyd's bound in simple situations. Among the metrics which do provide lower bounds, the idea is to select those which produce the tightest possible ones. This establishes a hierarchy of cost functions and considerably reduces the list of candidate complexity measures. In particular, the criterion suggests a canonical way of dealing with penalties, consisting in assigning infinite costs to directions not belonging to the gate set. We discuss how this can be implemented through the use of Lagrange multipliers. We argue that one of the surviving cost functions defines a particularly canonical notion in the sense that: i) it straightforwardly follows from the standard Hermitian metric in Hilbert space; ii) its associated complexity functional is closely related to Kirillov's coadjoint orbit action, providing an explicit realization of the ``complexity equals action'' idea; iii) it arises from a Hamilton-Jacobi analysis of the ``quantum action'' describing quantum dynamics in the phase space canonically associated to every Hilbert space. Finally, we explain how these structures provide a natural framework for characterizing chaos in classical and quantum systems on an equal footing, find the minimal geodesic connecting two nearby trajectories, and describe how complexity measures are sensitive to Lyapunov exponents.

hep-th↗

$\mathcal{N}=1$ Geometric Supergravity and chiral triples on Riemann surfaces

We construct a global geometric model for the bosonic sector and Killing spinor equations of four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ supergravity coupled to a chiral non-linear sigma model and a Spin$^{c}_0$ structure. The model involves a Lorentzian metric $g$ on a four-manifold $M$, a complex chiral spinor and a map $φ\colon M\to \mathcal{M}$ from $M$ to a complex manifold $\mathcal{M}$ endowed with a novel geometric structure which we call chiral triple. Using this geometric model, we show that if $M$ is spin the Kähler-Hodge condition on a complex manifold $\mathcal{M}$ is enough to guarantee the existence of an associated $\mathcal{N}=1$ chiral geometric supergravity, positively answering a conjecture proposed by D. Z. Freedman and A. V. Proeyen. We dimensionally reduce the Killing spinor equations to a Riemann surface $X$, obtaining a novel system of partial differential equations for a harmonic map with potential $φ\colon X\to \mathcal{M}$ from $X$ into the Kähler moduli space $\mathcal{M}$ of the theory. We characterize all Riemann surfaces admitting supersymmetric solutions with vanishing superpotential, proving that they consist on holomorphic maps of Riemann surfaces into $\mathcal{M}$ satisfying certain compatibility condition with respect to the canonical bundle of $X$ and the chiral triple of the theory. Furthermore, we classify the biholomorphism type of all Riemann surfaces carrying supersymmetric solutions with complete Riemannian metric and finite-energy scalar map.

hep-th↗

Generalized two-field $α$-attractor models from geometrically finite hyperbolic surfaces

We consider four-dimensional gravity coupled to a non-linear sigma model whose scalar manifold is a non-compact geometrically finite surface $Σ$ endowed with a Riemannian metric of constant negative curvature. When the space-time is an FLRW universe, such theories produce a very wide generalization of two-field $α$-attractor models, being parameterized by a positive constant $α$, by the choice of a finitely-generated surface group $Γ\subset \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R})$ (which is isomorphic with the fundamental group of $Σ$) and by the choice of a scalar potential defined on $Σ$. The traditional two-field $α$-attractor models arise when $Γ$ is the trivial group, in which case $Σ$ is the Poincaré disk. We give a general prescription for the study of such models through uniformization in the so-called "non-elementary" case and discuss some of their qualitative features in the gradient flow approximation, which we relate to Morse theory. We also discuss some aspects of the SRST approximation in these models, showing that it is generally not well-suited for studying dynamics near cusp ends. When $Σ$ is non-compact and the scalar potential is "well-behaved" at the ends, we show that, in the {\em naive} local one-field truncation, our generalized models have the same universal behavior as ordinary one-field $α$-attractors if inflation happens near any of the ends of $Σ$ where the extended potential has a local maximum, for trajectories which are well approximated by non-canonically parameterized geodesics near the ends, we also discuss spiral trajectories near the ends.

hep-th↗

Real pinor bundles and real Lipschitz structures

We obtain the topological obstructions to existence of a bundle of irreducible real Clifford modules over a pseudo-Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ of arbitrary dimension and signature and prove that bundles of Clifford modules are associated to so-called real Lipschitz structures. The latter give a generalization of spin structures based on certain groups which we call real Lipschitz groups. In the fiberwise-irreducible case, we classify the latter in all dimensions and signatures. As a simple application, we show that the supersymmetry generator of eleven-dimensional supergravity in "mostly plus" signature can be interpreted as a global section of a bundle of irreducible Clifford modules if and $\textit{only if}$ the underlying eleven-manifold is orientable and spin.

math.DG↗

Transversality for the moduli space of Spin(7)-instantons

We construct the moduli space of Spin(7)-instantons on a hermitian complex vector bundle over a closed 8-dimensional manifold endowed with a (possibly non-integrable) Spin(7)-structure. We find suitable perturbations that achieve regularity of the moduli space, so that it is smooth and of the expected dimension over the irreducible locus.

math.DG↗

Section sigma models coupled to symplectic duality bundles on Lorentzian four-manifolds

We give the global mathematical formulation of a class of generalized four-dimensional theories of gravity coupled to scalar matter and to Abelian gauge fields. In such theories, the scalar fields are described by a section of a surjective pseudo-Riemannian submersion $π$ over space-time, whose total space carries a Lorentzian metric making the fibers into totally-geodesic connected Riemannian submanifolds. In particular, $π$ is a fiber bundle endowed with a complete Ehresmann connection whose transport acts through isometries between the fibers. In turn, the Abelian gauge fields are "twisted" by a flat symplectic vector bundle defined over the total space of $π$. This vector bundle is endowed with a vertical taming which locally encodes the gauge couplings and theta angles of the theory and gives rise to the notion of twisted self-duality, of crucial importance to construct the theory. When the Ehresmann connection of $π$ is integrable, we show that our theories are locally equivalent to ordinary Einstein-Scalar-Maxwell theories and hence provide a global non-trivial extension of the universal bosonic sector of four-dimensional supergravity. In this case, we show using a special trivializing atlas of $π$ that global solutions of such models can be interpreted as classical "locally-geometric" U-folds. In the non-integrable case, our theories differ locally from ordinary Einstein-Scalar-Maxwell theories and may provide a geometric description of classical U-folds which are "locally non-geometric".

hep-th↗

Geometric U-folds in four dimensions

We describe a construction of geometric U-folds compatible with a non-trivial extension of the global formulation of four-dimensional extended supergravity on a differentiable spin manifold. The topology of geometric U-folds depends on certain flat fiber bundles which encode how supergravity fields are globally glued together. We show that smooth non-trivial U-folds of this type can exist only in theories where both the scalar and space-time manifolds have non-trivial fundamental group and in addition, the scalar map of the solution is homotopically non-trivial. Consistency with string theory requires smooth geometric U-folds to be glued using subgroups of the effective discrete U-duality group, implying that the fundamental group of the scalar manifold of such solutions must be a subgroup of the latter. We construct simple examples of geometric U-folds in a generalization of the axion-dilaton model of $\mathcal{N}=2$ supergravity coupled to a single vector multiplet, whose scalar manifold is a generally non-compact Riemann surface of genus at least two endowed with its uniformizing metric. We also discuss the relation between geometric U-folds and a moduli space of flat connections defined on the scalar manifold, which involves certain character varieties not studied in the literature.

hep-th↗

Complex Lipschitz structures and bundles of complex Clifford modules

Let $(M,g)$ be a pseudo-Riemannian manifold of signature $(p,q)$. We construct mutually quasi-inverse equivalences between the groupoid of bundles of weakly-faithful complex Clifford modules on $(M,g)$ and the groupoid of reduced complex Lipschitz structures on $(M,g)$. As an application, we show that $(M,g)$ admits a bundle of irreducible complex Clifford modules if and only if it admits either a $Spin^{c}(p,q)$ structure (when $p+q$ is odd) or a $Pin^{c}(p,q)$ structure (when $p+q$ is even). When $p-q\equiv_8 3,4,6, 7$, we compare with the classification of bundles of irreducible real Clifford modules which we obtained in previous work. The results obtained in this note form a counterpart of the classification of bundles of faithful complex Clifford modules which was previously given by T. Friedrich and A. Trautman.

math.DG↗

Orientability of the moduli space of Spin(7)-instantons

Let $(M,Ω)$ be a closed $8$-dimensional manifold equipped with a generically non-integrable $\mathrm{Spin}(7)$-structure $Ω$. We prove that if $\mathrm{Hom}(H^{3}(M,\mathbb{Z}), \mathbb{Z}_{2}) = 0$ then the moduli space of irreducible $\mathrm{Spin}(7)$-instantons on $(M,Ω)$ with gauge group $\mathrm{SU}(r)$, $r\geq 2$, is orientable.

math.DG↗