arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Sergio Ferrara.
We report on recent advances in the study of critical points of the ``black hole effective potential'' V_{BH} (usually named \textit{attractors}) of N=2, d=4 supergravity coupled to n_{V} Abelian vector multiplets, in an asymptotically flat extremal black hole background described by 2n_{V}+2 dyonic charges and (complex) scalar fields which are coordinates of an n_{V}-dimensional Special Kahler manifold.
We present the main features of the physics of extremal black holes embedded in supersymmetric theories of gravitation, with a detailed analysis of the attractor mechanism for BPS and non-BPS black-hole solutions in four dimensions.
We present explicit U-duality invariants for the R, C, Q, O$ (real, complex, quaternionic and octonionic) magic supergravities in four and five dimensions using complex forms with a reality condition. From these invariants we derive an explicit entropy function and corresponding stabilization equations which we use to exhibit stationary multi-center 1/2 BPS solutions of these N=2 d=4 theories, starting with the octonionic one with E_{7(-25)} duality symmetry. We generalize to stationary 1/8 BPS multicenter solutions of N=8, d=4 supergravity, using the consistent truncation to the quaternionic magic N=2 supergravity. We present a general solution of non-BPS attractor equations of the STU truncation of magic models. We finish with a discussion of the BPS-non-BPS relations and attractors in N=2 versus N= 5, 6, 8.
We study the critical points of the black hole scalar potential $V_{BH}$ in N=2, d=4 supergravity coupled to $n_{V}$ vector multiplets, in an asymptotically flat extremal black hole background described by a 2(n_{V}+1)-dimensional dyonic charge vector and (complex) scalar fields which are coordinates of a special Kähler manifold. For the case of homogeneous symmetric spaces, we find three general classes of regular attractor solutions with non-vanishing Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. They correspond to three (inequivalent) classes of orbits of the charge vector, which is in a 2(n_{V}+1)-dimensional representation $R_{V}$ of the U-duality group. Such orbits are non-degenerate, namely they have non-vanishing quartic invariant (for rank-3 spaces). Other than the 1/2-BPS one, there are two other distinct non-BPS classes of charge orbits, one of which has vanishing central charge. The three species of solutions to the N=2 extremal black hole attractor equations give rise to different mass spectra of the scalar fluctuations, whose pattern can be inferred by using invariance properties of the critical points of $V_{BH}$ and some group theoretical considerations on homogeneous symmetric special Kähler geometry.
BPS and non-BPS orbits for extremal black-holes in N=2 Maxwell-Einstein supergravity theories (MESGT) in five dimensions were classified long ago by the present authors for the case of symmetric scalar manifolds. Motivated by these results and some recent work on non-supersymmetric attractors we show that attractor equations in N=2 MESGTs in d=5 do indeed possess the distinct families of solutions with finite Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. The new non-BPS solutions have non-vanishing central charge and matter charge which is invariant under the maximal compact subgroup of the stabilizer of the non-BPS orbit. Our analysis covers all symmetric space theories G/H such that G is a symmetry of the action. These theories are in one-to-one correspondence with (Euclidean) Jordan algebras of degree three. In the particular case of N=2 MESGT with scalar manifold SU*(6)/USp(6) a duality of the two solutions with regard to N=2 and N=6 supergravity is also considered.
We derive and solve the black hole attractor conditions of N=8 supergravity by finding the critical points of the corresponding black hole potential. This is achieved by a simple generalization of the symplectic structure of the special geometry to all extended supergravities with $N>2$. There are two solutions for regular black holes, one for 1/8 BPS ones and one for the non-BPS. We discuss the solutions of the moduli at the horizon for BPS attractors using N=2 language. An interpretation of some of these results in N=2 STU black hole context helps to clarify the general features of the black hole attractors.
We consider a formulation of local special geometry in terms of Darboux special coordinates $P^I=(p^i,q_i)$, $I=1,...,2n$. A general formula for the metric is obtained which is manifestly $\mathbf{Sp}(2n,\mathbb{R})$ covariant. Unlike the rigid case the metric is not given by the Hessian of the real function $S(P)$ which is the Legendre transform of the imaginary part of the holomorphic prepotential. Rather it is given by an expression that contains $S$, its Hessian and the conjugate momenta $S_I=\frac{\partial S}{\partial P^I}$. Only in the one-dimensional case ($n=1$) is the real (two-dimensional) metric proportional to the Hessian with an appropriate conformal factor.
We exploit some relations which exist when (rigid) special geometry is formulated in real symplectic special coordinates $P^I=(p^Λ,q_Λ), I=1,...,2n$. The central role of the real $2n\times 2n$ matrix $M(\Re \mathcal{F},\Im \mathcal{F})$, where $\mathcal{F} = \partial_Λ\partial_ΣF$ and $F$ is the holomorphic prepotential, is elucidated in the real formalism. The property $MΩM=Ω$ with $Ω$ being the invariant symplectic form is used to prove several identities in the Darboux formulation. In this setting the matrix $M$ coincides with the (negative of the) Hessian matrix $H(S)=\frac{\partial^2 S}{\partial P^I\partial P^J}$ of a certain hamiltonian real function $S(P)$, which also provides the metric of the special Kähler manifold. When $S(P)=S(U+\bar U)$ is regarded as a "Kähler potential'' of a complex manifold with coordinates $U^I=\frac12(P^I+iZ^I)$, then it provides a Kähler metric of an hyperkähler manifold which describes the hypermultiplet geometry obtained by c-map from the original n-dimensional special Kähler structure.
We discuss the Attractor Equations of N=2, $d=4$ supergravity in an extremal black hole background with arbitrary electric and magnetic fluxes (charges) for field-strength two-forms. The effective one-dimensional Lagrangian in the radial (evolution) variable exhibits features of a spontaneously broken supergravity theory. Indeed, non-BPS Attractor solutions correspond to the vanishing determinant of a (fermionic) gaugino mass matrix. The stability of these solutions is controlled by the data of the underlying Special Kähler Geometry of the vector multiplets' moduli space. Finally, after analyzing the 1-modulus case more in detail, we briefly comment on the choice of the Kähler gauge and its relevance for the recently discussed entropic functional.
We give a basic review of some recent developments in local supersymmetry breaking in 4-dimensional effective theories coming from compactifications of string and M-theory in the presence of non-trivial form and geometrical fluxes.
We present the supersymmetric completion of the M-theory free differential algebra resulting from a compactification to four dimensions on a twisted seven-torus with 4-form and 7-form fluxes turned on. The super--curvatures are given and the local supersymmetry transformations derived. Dual formulations of the theory are discussed in connection with classes of gaugings corresponding to diverse choices of vacua. This also includes seven dimensional compactifications on more general spaces not described by group manifolds.
Using the equivalence between Scherk-Schwarz reductions and twisted tori compactifications, we discuss the effective theories obtained by this procedure from M-theory and N =4 type II orientifold constructions with Neveu-Schwarz and Ramond-Ramond form fluxes turned on. We derive the gauge algebras of the effective theories describing their general features, in particular the symplectic embedding in the duality symmetries of the theory. The generic gauge theory is non-abelian and its gauge group is given by the semidirect product of subgroups of SL(7) or SL(p-3) x SL(9-p) for p=3,...,9, with generators describing nilpotent subalgebras of e_{7(7)} or so(6,6) (in M and type II theories respectively).
We describe free differential algebras for non-abelian one and two form gauge potentials in four dimensions deriving the integrability conditions for the corresponding curvatures. We show that a realization of these algebras occurs in M-theory compactifications on twisted tori with constant four-form flux, due to the presence of antisymmetric tensor fields in the reduced theory.
We discuss recent results on the interpretation of flux compactifications on certain Type IIB orientifolds in terms of gauged N-extended supergravities of no--scale type.
We study some issues related to the effective theory of Calabi-Yau compactifications with fluxes in Type II theories. At first the scalar potential for a generic electric abelian gauging of the Heisenberg algebra, underlying all possible gaugings of RR isometries, is presented and shown to exhibit, in some circumstances, a "dual'' no-scale structure under the interchange of hypermultiplets and vector multiplets. Subsequently a new setting of such theories, when all RR scalars are dualized into antisymmetric tensors, is discussed. This formulation falls in the class of non-polynomial tensor theories considered long ago by Freedman and Townsend and it may be relevant for the introduction of both electric and magnetic charges.
We discuss some geometrical properties of the underlying N=2 geometry which encompasses some low--energy aspects of N=1 orientifolds as well as four dimensional N=2 Lagrangians including bulk and open string moduli.In the former case we illustrate how properly defined involutions allow to define N=1 Kaehler subspaces of special quaternionic manifolds. In the latter case we show that the full shift symmetry of the brane coordinates, which is abelian in the rigid limit, is partially distorted by bulk fields to a nilpotent algebra.
We show that for all very special quaternionic manifolds a different N=1 reduction exists, defining a Kaehler Geometry which is ``dual'' to the original very special Kaehler geometry with metric G_{a\bar{b}}= - \partial_a \partial_b \ln V (V={1/6}d_{abc}λ^a λ^b λ^c). The dual metric g^{ab}=V^{-2} (G^{-1})^{ab} is Kaehler and it also defines a flat potential as the original metric. Such geometries and some of their extensions find applications in Type IIB compactifications on Calabi--Yau orientifolds.
We analyse different N=4 supergravities coupled to six vector multiplets corresponding to low-energy descriptions of the bulk sector of T6/Z2 orientifolds with p-brane in IIB (p odd) and in IIA (p even) superstrings. When fluxes are turned on, a gauging emerges corresponding to some non-semisimple Lie algebra related to nilpotent algebras N_p inside so(6,6), with dimension 15 + (p-3)(9-p). The non-metric axions have Stueckelberg couplings that induce a spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetries. In four cases the gauge algebra is non-abelian with a non-commutative structure of the compactification torus, due to fluxes of NS-NS and R-R forms.