arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Lars Brink.
In 2021, to mark the occasion of 2021 was Yôichirô Nambu's birth centenary, we engaged in writing a historical/scientific description of his most incisive papers. Nambu was the humblest genius we have known, and we expected to find some of his great but forgotten insights. We found one, written in 1947: ``A Note on the Eigenvalue Problem in Crystal Statistics", where he formulates and solves the $(N\times N)$ Ising model in a $2N$-dimensional Hilbert space
We analyze the residual gauge freedom in gravity, in four dimensions, in the light-cone gauge, in a formulation where unphysical fields are integrated out. By checking the invariance of the light-cone Hamiltonian, we obtain a set of residual gauge transformations, which satisfy the BMS algebra realized on the two physical fields in the theory. Hence, the BMS algebra appears as a consequence of residual gauge invariance in the bulk and not just at the asymptotic boundary. We highlight the key features of the light-cone BMS algebra and discuss its connection with the quadratic form structure of the Hamiltonian.
We analyze possible local extensions of the Poincaré symmetry in light-cone gravity in four dimensions. We use a formalism where we represent the algebra on the two physical degrees of freedom, one with helicity $2$ and the other with helicity $-2$. The representation is non-linearly realized and one of the light-cone momenta is the Hamiltonian, which is hence a non-linear generator of the algebra. We find that this can be locally realized and the Poincaré algebra extended to the BMS symmetry without any reference to asymptotic limits.
When asked to write a contribution to the memorial volume for Peter Freund I went through my memory of the first time I met Peter. This was in 1971 when Dual Models were very popular and I had just joined in the efforts. For a number of years I worked on the problem of finding a realistic Dual Model/String Theory for hadrons, and here I will review those efforts as they happened, but also in the light of what we now know about hadrons from QCD. I will argue for when a string picture of hadrons is appropriate and discuss its limitations and the specific results you get from it.
The action integral contains more information than the equations of motion. We have previously shown that there are signs of an extended exceptional symmetry for N=8 supergravity in four dimensions. The symmetry is such that the fields used in the Lagrangian are not representations of the symmetry. Instead one has to add representations to obtain a representation of the extended symmetry group. In this paper we discuss an extended symmetry in four-dimensional gravity which is the Ehlers symmetry in three dimensions. It cannot be spanned by the helicity states of four-dimensional gravity but it can be realised once we treat the helicity states just as field variables of the functional integral, which can be changed like variables in any integral. We also explain how this symmetry is inherent to formulations of N=8 supergravity in four dimensions through a truncation in the field space to pure gravity.
We show that N = 8 supergravity may possess an even larger symmetry than previously believed. Such an enhanced symmetry is needed to explain why this theory of gravity exhibits ultraviolet behaviour reminiscent of the finite N = 4 Yang-Mills theory. We describe a series of three steps that leads us to this result.
We argue that $\mathcal N=8$ supergravity in four dimensions exhibits an exceptional $E_{8(8)}$ symmetry, enhanced from the known $E_{7(7)}$ invariance. Our procedure to demonstrate this involves dimensional reduction of the $\mathcal N=8$ theory to $d=3$, a field redefinition to render the $E_{8(8)}$ invariance manifest, followed by dimensional oxidation back to $d=4$.
The light-cone Hamiltonians describing both pure Yang-Mills and N=4 super Yang-Mills may be expressed as quadratic forms. Here, we show that this feature extends to theories of gravity. We demonstrate how the Hamiltonians of both pure gravity and N=8 supergravity, in four dimensions, may be written as quadratic forms. We examine the effect of residual reparametrizations on the Hamiltonian and the resulting quadratic form.
We describe how one may use either the superPoincaré algebra or the exceptional algebra to construct maximal supergravity theories in the light-cone formalism. The d=4 construction shows both symmetries albeit in a non-linearly realized manner. In d=11, we find that we have to choose which of these two symmetries to use, in constructing the theory. In order to understand the other "unused" symmetry, one has to perform a highly non-trivial field redefinition. We argue that this shows that one cannot trust counterterm arguments that do not take the full symmetry of the theory into account. Finally we discuss possible consequences for Superstring theory and M-theory.
This is a personally colored account of the history behind N=4 Yang-Mills Theory.
We show that the Hamiltonian of (N=1;d=10) super Yang-Mills can be expressed as a quadratic form in a very similar manner to that of the (N=4;d=4) theory. We find a similar quadratic form structure for pure Yang-Mills theory but this feature, in the non-supersymmetric case, seems to be unique to four dimensions. We discuss some consequences of this feature.
In this paper we discuss gravity in the light-front formulation (light-cone gauge) and show how possible counterterms arise. We find that Poincare invariance is not enough to find the three-point counterterms uniquely. Higher-spin fields can intrude and mimic three-point higher derivative gravity terms. To select the correct term we have to use the remaining reparametrization invariance that exists after the gauge choice. We finally sketch how the corresponding programme for N=8 Supergravity should work.
We construct an extension of the Poincare group which involves a mixture of internal and space-time supersymmetries. The resulting group is an extension of the superPoincare group with infinitely many generators which carry internal and space-time indices. It is a closed algebra since all Jacobi identities are satisfied and it has therefore explicit matrix representations. We investigate the massless case and construct the irreducible representations of the extended symmetry. They are divided into two sets, longitudinal and transversal representations. The transversal representations involve an infinite series of integer and half-integer helicities. Finally we suggest an extension of the conformal group along the same line.
We formulate maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions in light-cone superspace. The light-cone Hamiltonian is of the quadratic form and the theory can be understood as an oxidation of the N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory in four dimensions. We specifically study three-point counterterms and show how these counterterms vanish on-shell. This study is a preliminary to set up the technique in order to study possible four-point counterterms.
The article is a tribute to my old mentor, collaborator and friend Murray Gell-Mann. In it I describe work by Pierre Ramond, Sung-Soo Kim and myself where we describe the N = 8 Supergravity in the light-cone formalism. We show how the Cremmer-Julia E7(7) non-linear symmetry is implemented and how the full supermultiplet is a representation of the E7(7) symmetry. I also show how the E7(7) symmetry is a key to understand the higher order couplings in the theory and is very useful when we discuss possible counterterms for this theory.
The light-cone superspace version of the d=3, N=8 superconformal theory of Bagger, Lambert and Gustavsson (BLG) is obtained as a solution to constraints imposed by OSp(2,2|8) superalgebra. The Hamiltonian of the theory is shown to be a quadratic form of the dynamical supersymmetry transformation.
We derive the non-linear action of E8(8) on the constrained chiral superfield in the light-cone superspace with eight complex Grassmann variables. We construct (to lowest order in the coupling) the sixteen dynamical supersymmetries which generate a Hamiltonian with E8(8) invariance in three space-time dimensions, and show that it has only interactions with even powers of the coupling constant.
We use the Cremmer-Julia E_7(7) non-linear symmetry of N=8 Supergravity to derive its order $κ^2$ on-shell Hamiltonian in terms of one chiral light-cone superfield. By requiring that E_7(7) commute with the super-Poincare group, we deduce to lowest non-trivial order in $κ$, the light cone E_7(7) transformations of all fields of the theory, including the graviton. We then derive the dynamical supersymmetry transformation to order $κ^2$, and express the Hamiltonian as a quadratic form in the chiral superfield.