arXiv subjects

S. Ferrara

Publications and source records attributed to S. Ferrara.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Extremal Black Hole and Flux Vacua Attractors

These lectures provide a pedagogical, introductory review of the so-called Attractor Mechanism (AM) at work in two different 4-dimensional frameworks: extremal black holes in N=2 supergravity and N=1 flux compactifications. In the first case, AM determines the stabilization of scalars at the black hole event horizon purely in terms of the electric and magnetic charges, whereas in the second context the AM is responsible for the stabilization of the universal axion-dilaton and of the (complex structure) moduli purely in terms of the RR and NSNS fluxes. Two equivalent approaches to AM, namely the so-called ``criticality conditions'' and ``New Attractor'' ones, are analyzed in detail in both frameworks, whose analogies and differences are discussed. Also a stringy analysis of both frameworks (relying on Hodge-decomposition techniques) is performed, respectively considering Type IIB compactified on $CY_{3}$ and its orientifolded version, associated with $\frac{CY_{3}\times T^{2}}{\mathbb{Z}_{2}}$. Finally, recent results on the U-duality orbits and moduli spaces of non-BPS extremal black hole attractors in $3\leqslant N\leqslant 8$, d=4 supergravities are reported.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Black hole entropy and quantum information

We review some recently established connections between the mathematics of black hole entropy in string theory and that of multipartite entanglement in quantum information theory. In the case of N=2 black holes and the entanglement of three qubits, the quartic [SL(2)]^3 invariant, Cayley's hyperdeterminant, provides both the black hole entropy and the measure of tripartite entanglement. In the case of N=8 black holes and the entanglement of seven qubits, the quartic E_7 invariant of Cartan provides both the black hole entropy and the measure of a particular tripartite entanglement encoded in the Fano plane.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

E_7 and the tripartite entanglement of seven qubits

In quantum information theory, it is well known that the tripartite entanglement of three qubits is described by the group [SL(2,C)]^3 and that the entanglement measure is given by Cayley's hyperdeterminant. This has provided an analogy with certain N=2 supersymmetric black holes in string theory, whose entropy is also given by the hyperdeterminant. In this paper, we extend the analogy to N=8. We propose that a particular tripartite entanglement of seven qubits, encoded in the Fano plane, is described by the exceptional group E_7(C) and that the entanglement measure is given by Cartan's quartic E_7 invariant.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

E_6 and the bipartite entanglement of three qutrits

Recent investigations have established an analogy between the entropy of four-dimensional supersymmetric black holes in string theory and entanglement in quantum information theory. Examples include: (1) N=2 STU black holes and the tripartite entanglement of three qubits (2-state systems), where the common symmetry is [SL(2)]^3 and (2) N=8 black holes and the tripartite entanglement of seven qubits where the common symmetry is E_7 which contains [SL(2)]^7. Here we present another example: N=8 black holes (or black strings) in five dimensions and the bipartite entanglement of three qutrits (3-state systems), where the common symmetry is E_6 which contains [SL(3)]^3. Both the black hole (or black string) entropy and the entanglement measure are provided by the Cartan cubic E_6 invariant. Similar analogies exist for ``magic'' N=2 supergravity black holes in both four and five dimensions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Non-BPS Attractors in 5d and 6d Extended Supergravity

We connect the attractor equations of a certain class of N=2, d=5 supergravities with their (1,0), d=6 counterparts, by relating the moduli space of non-BPS d=5 black hole/black string attractors to the moduli space of extremal dyonic black string d=6 non-BPS attractors. For d = 5 real special symmetric spaces and for N = 4,6,8 theories, we explicitly compute the flat directions of the black object potential corresponding to vanishing eigenvalues of its Hessian matrix. In the case N = 4, we study the relation to the (2,0), d=6 theory. We finally describe the embedding of the N=2, d=5 magic models in N=8, d=5 supergravity as well as the interconnection among the corresponding charge orbits.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

4d/5d Correspondence for the Black Hole Potential and its Critical Points

We express the d=4, N=2 black hole effective potential for cubic holomorphic F functions and generic dyonic charges in terms of d=5 real special geometry data. The 4d critical points are computed from the 5d ones, and their relation is elucidated. For symmetric spaces, we identify the BPS and non-BPS classes of attractors and the respective entropies. These are related by simple formulae, interpolating between four and five dimensions, depending on the volume modulus and on the 4d magnetic (or electric) charges, and holding true also for generic field configurations and for non-symmetric cubic geometries.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Black Hole Attractors in Extended Supergravity

We review some aspects of the attractor mechanism for extremal black holes of (not necessarily supersymmetric) theories coupling Einstein gravity to scalars and Maxwell vector fields. Thence, we consider N=2 and N=8, d=4 supergravities, reporting some recent advances on the moduli spaces associated to BPS and non-BPS attractor solutions supported by charge orbits with non-compact stabilizers.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

On the Moduli Space of non-BPS Attractors for N=2 Symmetric Manifolds

We study the ``flat'' directions of non-BPS extremal black hole attractors for N=2, d=4 supergravities whose vector multiplets' scalar manifold is endowed with homogeneous symmetric special Kahler geometry. The non-BPS attractors with non-vanishing central charge have a moduli space described by real special geometry (and thus related to the d=5 parent theory), whereas the moduli spaces of non-BPS attractors with vanishing central charge are certain Kahler homogeneous symmetric manifolds. The moduli spaces of the non-BPS attractors of the corresponding N=2, d=5 theories are also indicated, and shown to be rank-1 homogeneous symmetric manifolds.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

N=8 non-BPS Attractors, Fixed Scalars and Magic Supergravities

We analyze the Hessian matrix of the black hole potential of N=8, d=4 supergravity, and determine its rank at non-BPS critical points, relating the resulting spectrum to non-BPS solutions (with non-vanishing central charge) of N=2, d=4 magic supergravities and their ``mirror'' duals. We find agreement with the known degeneracy splitting of N=2 non-BPS spectrum of generic special Kahler geometries with cubic holomorphic prepotential. We also relate non-BPS critical points with vanishing central charge in N=2 magic supergravities to a particular reduction of the N=8, 1/8-BPS critical points.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Mirror Fermat Calabi-Yau Threefolds and Landau-Ginzburg Black Hole Attractors

We study black hole attractor equations for one-(complex structure)modulus Calabi-Yau spaces which are the mirror dual of Fermat Calabi-Yau threefolds (CY_{3}s). When exploring non-degenerate solutions near the Landau-Ginzburg point of the moduli space of such 4-dimensional compactifications, we always find two species of extremal black hole attractors, depending on the choice of the Sp(4,Z) symplectic charge vector, one 1/2-BPS (which is always stable, according to general results of special Kahler geometry) and one non-BPS. The latter turns out to be stable (local minimum of the ``effective black hole potential'' V_{BH}) for non-vanishing central charge, whereas it is unstable (saddle point of V_{BH}) for the case of vanishing central charge. This is to be compared to the large volume limit of one-modulus CY_{3}-compactifications (of Type II A superstrings), in which the homogeneous symmetric special Kahler geometry based on cubic prepotential admits (beside the 1/2-BPS ones) only non-BPS extremal black hole attractors with non-vanishing central charge, which are always stable.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

On the supergravity formulation of mirror symmetry in generalized Calabi-Yau manifolds

We derive the complete supergravity description of the N=2 scalar potential which realizes a generic flux-compactification on a Calabi-Yau manifold (generalized geometry). The effective potential V_{eff}=V_{(\partial_Z V=0)}$, obtained by integrating out the massive axionic fields of the special quaternionic manifold, is manifestly mirror symmetric, i.e. invariant with respect to {\rm Sp}(2 h_2+2)\times {\rm Sp}(2 h_1+2) and their exchange, being h_1, h_2 the complex dimensions of the underlying special geometries. {\Scr V}_{eff} has a manifestly N=1 form in terms of a mirror symmetric superpotential $W$ proposed, some time ago, by Berglund and Mayr.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Critical points of the Black-Hole potential for homogeneous special geometries

We extend the analysis of N=2 extremal Black-Hole attractor equations to the case of special geometries based on homogeneous coset spaces. For non-BPS critical points (with non vanishing central charge) the (Bekenstein-Hawking) entropy formula is the same as for symmetric spaces, namely four times the square of the central charge evaluated at the critical point. For non homogeneous geometries the deviation from this formula is given in terms of geometrical data of special geometry in presence of a background symplectic charge vector.

hep-th↗

arXiv2006

Spontaneously broken supergravity: Old and new facts

We report on some recent investigations of the structure of the four dimensional gauged supergravity Lagrangian which emerges from flux and Scherk-Schwarz compactifications in higher dimensions. Special attention is given to the gauge structure of M-theory compactified on a seven torus with 4-form and geometrical (spin connection) fluxes turned on. A class of vacua, with flat space-time and described by ``no-scale'' supergravity models, is analyzed.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

Curvatures and potential of M-theory in D=4 with fluxes and twist

We give the curvatures of the free differential algebra (FDA) of M--theory compactified to D=4 on a twisted seven--torus with the 4--form flux switched on. Two formulations are given, depending on whether the 1--form field strengths of the scalar fields (originating from the 3--form gauge field $\hat{A}^{(3)}$) are included or not in the FDA. We also give the bosonic equations of motion and discuss at length the scalar potential which emerges in this type of compactifications. For flat groups we show the equivalence of this potential with a dual formulation of the theory which has the full $\rE_{7(7)}$ symmetry.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

E_{7(7)} symmetry and dual gauge algebra of M-theory on a twisted seven-torus

We consider M-theory compactified on a twisted 7-torus with fluxes when all the seven antisymmetric tensor fields in four dimensions have been dualized into scalars and thus the E_{7(7)} symmetry is recovered. We find that the Scherk--Schwarz and flux gaugings define a ``dual'' gauge algebra, subalgbra of E_{7(7)}, where some of the generators are associated with vector fields which are dual to part of the original vector fields (deriving from the 3-form). In particular they are dual to those vector fields which have been ``eaten'' by the antisymmetric tensors in the original theory by the (anti-)Higgs mechanism. The dual gauge algebra coincides with the original gauge structure when the quotient with respect to these dual (broken) gauge generators is taken. The particular example of the S-S twist corresponding to a ``flat group'' is considered.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

Integration of massive states as contractions of non linear $σ$-models

We consider the contraction of some non linear sigma models which appear in effective supergravity theories. In particular we consider the contractions of maximally symmetric spaces corresponding to N=1 and N=2 theories, as they appear in certain low energy effective supergravity actions with mass deformations. The contraction procedure is shown to describe the integrating out of massive modes in the presence of interactions, as it happens in many supergravity models after spontaneous supersymmetry breaking.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

N=1 reductions of N=2 supergravity in the presence of tensor multiplets

We consider consistent truncations of N=2 supergravites in the presence of tensor multiplets (dual to hypermultiplets) as they occur in type IIB compactifications on Calabi--Yau orientifolds. We analyze in detail the scalar potentials encompassing these reductions when fluxes are turned on and study vacua of the N=1 phases.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

Dyonic Masses from Conformal Field Strengths in D even Dimensions

We show that D/2--form gauge fields in D even dimensions can get a mass with both electric and magnetic contributions when coupled to conformal field--strengths whose gauge potentials is are \frac {D-2}{2}- forms. Denoting by e^I_Łand m^{IŁ} the electric and magnetic couplings, gauge invariance requires: e^I_Łm^{JŁ}\mp e^J_Łm^{IŁ}=0, where I,Ł= 1... m denote the species of gauge potentials of degree D/2 and gauge fields of degree D/2-1, respectively. The minus and plus signs refer to the two different cases D=4n and D=4n+2 respectively and the given constraints are respectively {\rm {Sp}}(2m) and {\rm {O}}(m,m) invariant. For the simplest examples, (I,Ł=1 for D=4n and I,Ł=1,2 for D=4n+2) both the e,m quantum numbers contribute to the mass \m=\sqrt {e^2 +m^2} . This phenomenon generalizes to $D$ even dimensions the coupling of massive antisymmetric tensors which appear in D=4 supergravity Lagrangians which derive from flux compactifications in higher dimensions. For D=4 we give the supersymmetric generalization of such couplings using N=1 superspace.

hep-th↗