Reductions of Exceptional Field Theories

TL;DR

This paper introduces a general framework to relate different Exceptional Field Theories (ExFTs) using a generalized Kaluza-Klein ansatz, clarifying their interconnections and extending mechanisms between specific EFTs.

Contribution

It proposes a unified approach to connect various ExFTs, including a generalization of the Mukhi-Papageorgakis mechanism for $E_{8(8)}$ and $E_{7(7)}$ EFTs.

Findings

Established a generalized Kaluza-Klein ansatz for ExFTs

Analyzed relationships between coordinates, section condition, and Lagrangians

Extended the Mukhi-Papageorgakis mechanism to relate topological and Yang-Mills terms

Abstract

Double Field Theory (DFT) and Exceptional Field Theory (EFT), collectively called ExFTs, have proven to be a remarkably powerful new framework for string and M-theory. Exceptional field theories were constructed on a case by case basis as often each EFT has its own idiosyncrasies. Intuitively though, an $E_{n-1(n-1)}$ EFT must be contained in an $E_{n(n)}$ ExFT. In this paper we propose a generalised Kaluza-Klein ansatz to relate different ExFTs. We then discuss in more detail the different aspects of the relationship between various ExFTs including the coordinates, section condition and (pseudo)-Lagrangian densities. For the $E_{8(8)}$ EFT we describe a generalisation of the Mukhi-Papageorgakis mechanism to relate the d = 3 topological term in the $E_{8(8)}$ EFT to a Yang-Mills action in the $E_{7(7)}$ EFT.