Numerical tools to validate stationary points of SO(8)-gauged N=8 D=4 supergravity

TL;DR

This paper introduces a computational tool for independently validating the locations of stationary points in the scalar potential of SO(8)-gauged N=8 supergravity, addressing verification challenges due to potential complexity and numerous solutions.

Contribution

The paper presents a simple, self-contained computer code enabling independent numerical validation of stationary points in supergravity scalar potentials, enhancing verification methods.

Findings

Provides a computational tool for validation of stationary points.

Facilitates verification beyond traditional truncation methods.

Addresses complexity and abundance of solutions in supergravity analysis.

Abstract

Until recently, the preferred strategy to identify stationary points in the scalar potential of SO(8)-gauged N=8 supergravity in D=4 has been to consider truncations of the potential to sub-manifolds of E_{7(+7)}/SU(8) that are invariant under some postulated residual gauge group G of SO(8). As powerful alternative strategies have been shown to exist that allow one to go far beyond what this method can achieve -- and in particular have produced numerous solutions that break the SO(8) gauge group to no continuous residual symmetry -- independent verification of results becomes a problem due to both the complexity of the scalar potential and the large number of new solutions. This article introduces a conceptually simple self-contained piece of computer code that allows independent numerical validation of claims on the locations of newly discovered stationary points.