Marco Cariglia

The general form of supersymmetric solutions of N = (1, 0) U(1) and SU(2) gauged supergravities in six dimensions

We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for a supersymmetric field configuration in the N = (1, 0) U(1) or SU(2) gauged supergravities in six dimensions, and impose the field equations on this general ansatz. It is found that any supersymmetric solution is associated with an structure. The structure is characterized by a null Killing vector which induces a natural 2 + 4 split of the six-dimensional spacetime. A suitable combination of the field equations implies that the scalar curvature of the four-dimensional Riemannian part, referred to as the base, obeys a second-order differential equation; surprisingly, for a large class of solutions the equation in the SU(2) theory requires the vanishing of the Weyl anomaly of N = 4 SYM on the base. Bosonic fluxes introduce torsion terms that deform the structure away from a covariantly constant one. The most general structure can be classified into terms of its intrinsic torsion. For a large class of solutions the gauge field strengths admit a simple geometrical interpretation: in the U(1) theory the base is Kahler, and the gauge field strength is the Ricci form; in the SU(2) theory, the gauge field strengths are identified with the curvatures of the left-hand spin bundle of the base. We employ our general ansatz to construct new solutions; we show that the U(1) theory admits a symmetric Cahen–Wallach4 × S2 solution together with a compactifying pp-wave. The SU(2) theory admits a black string, whose near horizon limit is AdS3 × S3, which is supported by a self-dual 3-form flux and a meron on the S3. In the limit of the zero 3-form flux we obtain the Yang–Mills analogue of the Salam–Sezgin solution of the U(1) theory, namely R1,2 × S3. Finally we obtain the additional constraints implied by enhanced supersymmetry, and discuss Penrose limits in the theories.

Quantum Mechanics of Yano tensors: Dirac equation in curved spacetime

In spacetimes admitting Yano tensors the classical theory of the spinning particle possesses enhanced worldline supersymmetry. Quantum mechanically generators of extra supersymmetries correspond to operators that in the classical limit commute with the Dirac operator and generate conserved quantities. We show that the result is preserved in the full quantum theory, that is, Yano symmetries are not anomalous. This was known for Yano tensors of rank two, but our main result is to show that it extends to Yano tensors of arbitrary rank. We also describe the conformal Yano equation and show that is invariant under Hodge duality. There is a natural relationship between Yano tensors and supergravity theories. As the simplest possible example, we show that when the spacetime admits a Killing spinor then this generates Yano and conformal Yano tensors. As an application, we construct Yano tensors on maximally symmetric spaces: they are spanned by tensor products of Killing vectors.

Timelike killing spinors in seven dimensions

We employ the G-structure formalism to study supersymmetric solutions of minimal and SU(2) gauged supergravities in seven dimensions admitting Killing spinors with an associated timelike Killing vector. The most general such Killing spinor defines a SU(3) structure. We deduce necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a timelike Killing spinor on the bosonic fields of the theories, and find that such configurations generically preserve one out of 16 supersymmetries. Using our general supersymmetric ansatz we obtain numerous new solutions, including squashed or deformed anti-de Sitter solutions of the gauged theory, and a large class of Goedel-like solutions with closed timelike curves.

Null structure groups in eleven dimensions

We classify all the structure groups which arise as subgroups of the isotropy group (Spin(7)xR{sup 8})xR, of a single null Killing spinor in 11 dimensions. We construct the spaces of spinors fixed by these groups. We determine the conditions under which structure subgroups of the maximal null structure group (Spin(7)xR{sup 8})xR may also be embedded in SU(5), and hence the conditions under which a supersymmetric spacetime admits only null, or both timelike and null, Killing spinors. We discuss how this purely algebraic material will facilitate the direct analysis of the Killing spinor equation of 11 dimensional supergravity, and the classification of supersymmetric spacetimes therein.

Hidden Symmetries of Dynamics in Classical and Quantum Physics

This article reviews the role of hidden symmetries of dynamics in the study of physical systems, from the basic concepts of symmetries in phase space to the forefront of current research. Such symmetries emerge naturally in the description of physical systems as varied as nonrelativistic, relativistic, with or without gravity, classical or quantum, and are related to the existence of conserved quantities of the dynamics and integrability. In recent years their study has grown intensively, due to the discovery of nontrivial examples that apply to different types of theories and different numbers of dimensions. Applications encompass the study of integrable systems such as spinning tops, the Calogero model, systems described by the Lax equation, the physics of higher-dimensional black holes, the Dirac equation, and supergravity with and without fluxes, providing a tool to probe the dynamics of nonlinear systems.

Commuting symmetry operators of the Dirac equation, Killing-Yano and Schouten-Nijenhuis brackets

In this paper we derive the most general first-order symmetry operator commuting with the Dirac operator in all dimensions and signatures. Such an operator splits into Clifford even and Clifford odd parts which are given in terms of odd Killing-Yano and even closed conformal Killing-Yano inhomogeneous forms, respectively. We study commutators of these symmetry operators and give necessary and sufficient conditions under which they remain of the first-order. In this specific setting we can introduce a KillingYano bracket, a bilinear operation acting on odd Killing-Yano and even closed conformal Killing-Yano forms, and demonstrate that it is closely related to the Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket. An important nontrivial example of vanishing Killing-Yano brackets is given by Dirac symmetry operators generated from the principal conformal Killing-Yano tensor [hep-th/0612029]. We show that among these operators one can find a complete subset of mutually commuting operators. These operators underlie separability of the Dirac equation in Kerr-NUT-(A)dS spacetimes in all dimensions [arXiv:0711.0078].

Dirac equation in Kerr-NUT-(A)dS spacetimes: Intrinsic characterization of separability in all dimensions

DAMTP, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK(Dated: April 19, 2011)We intrinsically characterize separability of the Dirac equation in Kerr-NUT-(A)dS spacetimes inall dimensions. Namely, we explicitly demonstrate that in such spacetimes there exists a completeset of first-order mutually commuting operators, one of which is the Dirac operator, that allowsfor common eigenfunctions which can be found in a separated form and correspond precisely tothe general solution of the Dirac equation found by Oota and Yasui [arXiv:0711.0078]. Since allthe operators in the set can be generated from the principal conformal Killing–Yano tensor, thisestablishes the (up to now) missing link among the existence of hidden symmetry, presence of acomplete set of commuting operators, and separability of the Dirac equation in these spacetimes.

Classification of supersymmetric spacetimes in eleven dimensions

We derive, for spacetimes admitting a Spin(7) structure, the general local bosonic solution of the Killing spinor equation of 11-dimensional supergravity. The metric, four-form, and Killing spinors are determined explicitly, up to an arbitrary eight-manifold of Spin(7) holonomy. It is sufficient to impose the Bianchi identity and one particular component of the four-form field equation to ensure that the solution of the Killing spinor equation also satisfies all the field equations, and we give these conditions explicitly.

Conformal Killing Tensors and covariant Hamiltonian Dynamics

A covariant algorithm for deriving the conserved quantities for natural Hamiltonian systems is combined with the non-relativistic framework of Eisenhart, and of Duval, in which the classical trajectories arise as geodesics in a higher dimensional space-time, realized by Brinkmann manifolds. Conserved quantities which are polynomial in the momenta can be built using time-dependent conformal Killing tensors with flux. The latter are associated with terms proportional to the Hamiltonian in the lower dimensional theory and with spectrum generating algebras for higher dimensional quantities of order 1 and 2 in the momenta. Illustrations of the general theory include the Runge-Lenz vector for planetary motion with a time-dependent gravitational constant G(t), motion in a time-dependent electromagnetic field of a certain form, quantum dots, the Henon-Heiles and Holt systems, respectively, providing us with Killing tensors of rank that ranges from one to six.A covariant algorithm for deriving the conserved quantities for natural Hamiltonian systems is combined with the non-relativistic framework of Eisenhart, and of Duval, in which the classical trajectories arise as geodesics in a higher dimensional space-time, realized by Brinkmann manifolds. Conserved quantities which are polynomial in the momenta can be built using time-dependent conformal Killing tensors with flux. The latter are associated with terms proportional to the Hamiltonian in the lower dimensional theory and with spectrum generating algebras for higher dimensional quantities of order 1 and 2 in the momenta. Illustrations of the general theory include the Runge-Lenz vector for planetary motion with a time-dependent gravitational constant G(t), motion in a time-dependent electromagnetic field of a certain form, quantum dots, the Henon-Heiles and Holt systems, respectively, providing us with Killing tensors of rank that ranges from one to six.

Generalised Eisenhart lift of the Toda chain

The Toda chain of nearest neighbour interacting particles on a line can be described both in terms of geodesic motion on a manifold with one extra dimension, the Eisenhart lift, or in terms of geodesic motion in a symmetric space with several extra dimensions. We examine the relationship between these two realisations and discover that the symmetric space is a generalised, multi-particle Eisenhart lift of the original problem that reduces to the standard Eisenhart lift. Such generalised Eisenhart lift acts as an inverse Kaluza-Klein reduction, promoting coupling constants to momenta in higher dimension. In particular, isometries of the generalised lift metric correspond to energy preserving transformations that mix coordinates and coupling constants. A by-product of the analysis is that the lift of the Toda Lax pair can be used to construct higher rank Killing tensors for both the standard and generalised lift metrics.