arXiv subjects

Guillaume Bossard

Publications and source records attributed to Guillaume Bossard.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Minimal unitary representations from supersymmetry

We compute the supersymmetry constraints on the R^4 type corrections in maximal supergravity in dimension 8, 6, 4 and 3, and determine the tensorial differential equations satisfied by the function of the scalar fields multiplying the R^4 term in the corresponding invariants. The second order derivative of this function restricted to the Joseph ideal vanishes in dimension lower than six. These results are extended to the d^4 R^4 and the d^6 R^4 corrections, based on the harmonic superspace construction of these invariants in the linearised approximation. We discuss the solutions of these differential equations and analysis the consequences on the non-perturbative type II low energy string theory effective action.

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arXiv2014

A bubbling bolt

We present a new solvable system, solving the equations of five-dimensional ungauged N=1 supergravity coupled to vector multiplets, that allows for non-extremal solutions and reduces to a known system when restricted to the floating brane Ansatz. A two-centre globally hyperbolic smooth geometry is obtained as a solution to this system, describing a bubble linking a Gibbons--Hawking centre to a charged bolt. However this solution turns out to violate the BPS bound, and we show that its generalisation to an arbitrary number of Gibbons--Hawking centres never admits a spin structure.

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arXiv2013

non-BPS walls of marginal stability

We explore the properties of non-BPS multi-centre extremal black holes in ungauged N=2 supergravity coupled to n_v vector multiplets, as described by solutions to the composite non-BPS linear system. After setting up an explicit description that allows for arbitrary non-BPS charges to be realised at each centre, we study the structure of the resulting solutions. Using these results, we prove that the binding energy of the composite is always positive and we show explicitly the existence of walls of marginal stability for generic choices of charges. The two-centre solutions only exist on a hypersurface of dimension n_v+1 in moduli space, with an n_v-dimensional boundary, where the distance between the centres diverges and the binding energy vanishes.

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arXiv2013

Duality covariant multi-centre black hole systems

We present a manifestly duality covariant formulation of the composite non-BPS and almost-BPS systems of multi-centre black hole solutions in four dimensions. The method of nilpotent orbits is used to define the two systems in terms of first order flow equations that transform covariantly under the duality group. Subsequently, we rewrite both systems of equations in terms of real, manifestly duality covariant, linear systems of Poisson equations. Somewhat unexpectedly, we find that the two systems are naturally described by the same equations involving space dependent abelian isometries that are conjugate to T-dualities by similarity transformations.

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arXiv2012

Duality covariant non-BPS first order systems

We study extremal black hole solutions to four dimensional N=2 supergravity based on a cubic symmetric scalar manifold. Using the coset construction available for these models, we define the first order flow equations implied by the corresponding nilpotency conditions on the three-dimensional scalar momenta for the composite non-BPS class of multi-centre black holes. As an application, we directly solve these equations for the single-centre subclass, and write the general solution in a manifestly duality covariant form. This includes all single-centre under-rotating non-BPS solutions, as well as their non-interacting multi-centre generalisations.

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arXiv2012

Octonionic black holes

Using algebraic tools inspired by the study of nilpotent orbits in simple Lie algebras, we obtain a large class of solutions describing interacting non-BPS black holes in N=8 supergravity, which depend on 44 harmonic functions. For this purpose, we consider a truncation E6(6) / Sp(8,R) of the non-linear sigma model describing stationary solutions of the theory, which permits a reduction of algebraic computations to the multiplication of 27 by 27 matrices. The lift to N=8 supergravity is then carried out without loss of information by using a pertinent representation of the moduli parametrizing E7(7) / SU(8) in terms of complex valued Hermitian matrices over the split octonions, which generalise the projective coordinates of exceptional special Kaehler manifolds. We extract the electromagnetic charges, mass and angular momenta of the solutions, and exhibit the duality invariance of the black holes distance separations. We discuss in particular a new type of interaction which appears when interacting non-BPS black holes are not aligned. Finally we will explain the possible generalisations toward the description of the most general stationary black hole solutions of N=8 supergravity.

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arXiv2011

Counterterms vs. Dualities

We investigate and clarify the mutual compatibility of the higher order corrections arising in supergravity and string theory effective actions and the non-linear duality symmetries of these theories. Starting from a conventional tree level action leading to duality invariant equations of motion, we show how to accommodate duality invariant counterterms given as functionals of both electric and magnetic fields in a perturbative expansion, and to deduce from them a non-polynomial bona fide action satisfying the Gaillard-Zumino constraint. There exists a corresponding consistency constraint in the non-covariant Henneaux-Teitelboim formalism which ensures that one can always restore diffeomorphism invariance by perturbatively solving this functional identity. We illustrate how this procedure works for the R^2 \nabla F \nabla F and F^4 counterterms in Maxwell theory.

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arXiv2011

Interacting non-BPS black holes

We explain how to exploit systematically the structure of nilpotent orbits to obtain a solvable system of equations describing extremal solutions of (super-)gravity theories, i.e. systems that can be solved in a linear way. We present the procedure in the case of the STU model, where we show that all extremal solutions with a flat three-dimensional base are fully described with the help of three different nilpotent orbits: the BPS, the almost-BPS and the composite non-BPS. The latter describes a new class of solutions for which the orientation of half of the constituent branes have been inverted with respect to the BPS one, such that all the centres are intrinsically non-BPS, and interact with each others. We finally recover explicitly the ensemble of the almost-BPS solutions in our formalism and present an explicit two-centre solution of the new class.

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arXiv2010

E7(7) symmetry in perturbatively quantised N=8 supergravity

We study the perturbative quantisation of N=8 supergravity in a formulation where its E7(7) symmetry is realised off-shell. Relying on the cancellation of SU(8) current anomalies we show that there are no anomalies for the non-linearly realised E7(7) either; this result extends to all orders in perturbation theory. As a consequence, the e7(7) Ward identities can be consistently implemented and imposed at all orders in perturbation theory, and therefore potential divergent counterterms must in particular respect the full non-linear E7(7) symmetry.

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arXiv2010

1/8 BPS black hole composites

We show that the 1/8 BPS condition for composite stationary black holes can be rewritten as a first order system of differential equations associated to the nilpotent orbit in which lie the Noether charges of the black holes. Solving these equations, we prove that the most general 1/8 BPS black hole composites are solutions of the N=2 truncation of the theory associated to the quaternions. This system of first order differential equations generalises to the non-BPS solutions with a vanishing central charge at the horizon in N=2, 4 supergravity theories with a symmetric moduli space. We solve these equations for the exceptional N=2 supergravity associated to the octonions.

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arXiv2010

Extremal black holes, nilpotent orbits and the true fake superpotential

Dimensional reduction along time offers a powerful way to study stationary solutions of 4D symmetric supergravity models via group-theoretical methods. We apply this approach systematically to extremal, BPS and non-BPS, spherically symmetric black holes, and obtain their "fake superpotential" W. The latter provides first order equations for the radial problem, governs the mass and entropy formula and gives the semi-classical approximation to the radial wave function. To achieve this goal, we note that the Noether charge for the radial evolution must lie in a certain Lagrangian submanifold of a nilpotent orbit of the 3D continuous duality group, and construct a suitable parametrization of this Lagrangian. For general non-BPS extremal black holes in N=8 supergravity, W is obtained by solving a non-standard diagonalization problem, which reduces to a sextic polynomial in $W^2$ whose coefficients are SU(8) invariant functions of the central charges. By consistent truncation we obtain W for other supergravity models with a symmetric moduli space. In particular, for the one-modulus $S^3$ model, $W^2$ is given explicitely as the root of a cubic polynomial. The STU model is investigated in detail and the nilpotency of the Noether charge is checked on explicit solutions.

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arXiv2009

Extremal black holes and nilpotent orbits

The stationary solutions of a large variety of (super)gravity theories can be described within a non-linear sigma model G / H* coupled to Euclidean gravity in three-dimensions, for which G is a simple group and H* a non-compact real form of its maximal compact subgroup. The absence of naked singularities in four dimensions requires the G Noether charge in 3D to satisfy a characteristic equation that determines it in function of the mass, the NUT charge and the electro-magnetic charges of the solution. It follows that the Noether charge associated to extremal black holes must lie in a certain Lagrangian submanifold of a nilpotent orbit of G. Constructing a suitable parameterisation of this Lagrangian, we are able to determine the so-called `fake superpotential' that governs the radial dependency of the scalar fields.

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arXiv2009

Multi-black holes from nilpotent Lie algebra orbits

For N \ge 2 supergravities, BPS black hole solutions preserving four supersymmetries can be superposed linearly, leading to well defined solutions containing an arbitrary number of such BPS black holes at arbitrary positions. Being stationary, these solutions can be understood via associated non-linear sigma models over pseudo-Riemaniann spaces coupled to Euclidean gravity in three spatial dimensions. As the main result of this paper, we show that whenever this pseudo-Riemanniann space is an irreducible symmetric space G/H*, the most general solutions of this type can be entirely characterised and derived from the nilpotent orbits of the associated Lie algebra Lie(G). This technique also permits the explicit computation of non-supersymmetric extremal solutions which cannot be obtained by truncation to N=2 supergravity theories. For maximal supergravity, we not only recover the known BPS solutions depending on 32 independent harmonic functions, but in addition find a set of non-BPS solutions depending on 29 harmonic functions. While the BPS solutions can be understood within the appropriate N=2 truncation of N=8 supergravity, the general non-BPS solutions require the whole field content of the theory.

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arXiv2009

The extremal black holes of N=4 supergravity from so(8,2+n) nilpotent orbits

We consider the stationary solutions of N=4 supergravity coupled to n vector multiplets that define linear superpositions of non-interacting extremal black holes. The most general solutions of this type are derived from the graded decompositions of so(8,2+n) associated to its nilpotent orbits. We illustrate the formalism by giving explicitly asymptotically Minkowski non-BPS solutions of the most exotic class depending on 6+n harmonic functions.

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arXiv2009

Universal BPS structure of stationary supergravity solutions

We study asymptotically flat stationary solutions of four-dimensional supergravity theories via the associated G/H* pseudo-Riemannian non-linear sigma models in three spatial dimensions. The Noether charge C associated to G is shown to satisfy a characteristic equation that determines it as a function of the four-dimensional conserved charges. The matrix C is nilpotent for non-rotating extremal solutions. The nilpotency degree of C is directly related to the BPS degree of the corresponding solution when they are BPS. Equivalently, the charges can be described in terms of a Weyl spinor |C > of Spin*(2N), and then the characteristic equation becomes equivalent to a generalisation of the Cartan pure spinor constraint on |C>. The invariance of a given solution with respect to supersymmetry is determined by an algebraic `Dirac equation' on the Weyl spinor |C>. We explicitly solve this equation for all pure supergravity theories and we characterise the stratified structure of the moduli space of asymptotically Taub-NUT black holes with respect with their BPS degree. The analysis is valid for any asymptotically flat stationary solutions for which the singularities are protected by horizons. The H*-orbits of extremal solutions are identified as Lagrangian submanifolds of nilpotent orbits of G, and so the moduli space of extremal spherically symmetric black holes as a Lagrangian subvariety of the variety of nilpotent elements of Lie(G). We also generalise the notion of active duality transformations to an `almost action' of the three-dimensional duality group G on asymptotically flat stationary solutions.

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arXiv2008

Gravitational multi-NUT solitons, Komar masses and charges

Generalising expressions given by Komar, we give precise definitions of gravitational mass and solitonic NUT charge and we apply these to the description of a class of Minkowski-signature multi-Taub-NUT solutions without rod singularities. A Wick rotation then yields the corresponding class of Euclidean-signature gravitational multi-instantons.

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arXiv2008

Twisted Superspace

We formulate the ten-dimensional super-Yang-Mills theory in a twisted superspace with 8+1 supercharges. Its constraints do not imply the equations of motion and we solve them. As a preliminary step for a complete formulation in a twisted superspace, we give a superspace path-integral formulation of the N=2, d=4 super-Yang-Mills theory without matter. The action is the sum of a Chern--Simons term depending on a super-connection plus a BF-like term. The integration over the superfield B implements the twisted superspace constraints on the super-gauge field, and the Chern-Simons action reduces to the known action in components.

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arXiv2008

Shadow Fields and Local Supersymmetric Gauges

To control supersymmetry and gauge invariance in super-Yang-Mills theories we introduce new fields, called shadow fields, which enable us to enlarge the conventional Faddeev-Popov framework and write down a set of useful Slavnov-Taylor identities. These identities allow us to address and answer the issue of the supersymmetric Yang-Mills anomalies, and to perform the conventional renormalization programme in a fully regularization-independent way.

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