arXiv subjects

Josh O'Connor

Publications and source records attributed to Josh O'Connor.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Duality-covariant particles and exotic branes

In this paper we construct duality-covariant worldvolume dynamics of particles and branes. We extend known actions and phase space formulations to include the hidden $E_8$ symmetry of 11D supergravity, analogous to the Ehlers symmetry of 4D gravity. Making the worldvolume theory manifestly duality-covariant requires the ancillary structure of $E_8$ exceptional field theory to be taken into account. For zero-branes, we propose an enlarged worldline model with a coadjoint orbit term to encode this. More generally, we propose worldvolume theories for arbitrary exotic branes in a way that generalises the known gauged sigma model of the Kaluza-Klein monopole. These are natural in the duality-covariant Hamiltonian formulation employed here. We discuss the case of zero-branes in eleven dimensions as an illustrative example.

hep-th↗

arXiv2026

Higher dualities in $E_{11}$ exceptional field theory

It was proposed that there exists an $E_{11}$-invariant formulation of eleven-dimensional supergravity in which the propagating fields of the theory are realised through an infinite tower of higher duals. We show how to derive the propagating equations of the higher dual fields within $E_{11}$ exceptional field theory at the linearised level. Starting from the pseudo-Lagrangian, we construct parent actions for all higher gradient dual fields that are associated with the three-form, the six-form, and the dual graviton. We show that the resulting Euler-Lagrange equations constrain the St\"uckelberg fields to be pure curls, ensuring that the higher duals propagate the same physical degrees of freedom as the original supergravity fields. The additional St\"uckelberg fields, which are not predicted by the tensor hierarchy algebra, are shown to play a specific role as sources for the Labastida tensors of the higher dual fields.

hep-th↗