Duality rotations in supersymmetric nonlinear electrodynamics revisited

TL;DR

This paper develops new formulations for U(1) duality-invariant nonlinear supersymmetric electrodynamics using auxiliary superfields, simplifying the demonstration of duality invariance in N=1 and N=2 vector multiplet theories.

Contribution

It introduces auxiliary chiral superfield formulations that make U(1) duality invariance manifest, inspired by non-supersymmetric approaches and twisted self-duality.

Findings

New formulations for N=1 and N=2 supersymmetric models

U(1) duality invariance equivalent to manifest invariance in these models

Connection to non-supersymmetric twisted self-duality approach

Abstract

We revisit the U(1) duality-invariant nonlinear models for N=1 and N=2 vector multiplets coupled to off-shell supergravities. For such theories we develop new formulations which make use of auxiliary chiral superfields (spinor in the N=1 case and scalar for N=2) and are characterized by the remarkable property that U(1) duality invariance is equivalent to the manifest U(1) invariance of the self-interaction. Our construction is inspired by the non-supersymmetric approach that was proposed by Ivanov and Zupnik a decade ago and recently re-discovered in the form of twisted self-duality.