Montonen-Olive duality of gauged supergravity?

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the vanishing beta-function in gauged supergravity with N>4 is due to a Montonen-Olive type electric/magnetic duality, suggesting a deep symmetry underlying the theory.

Contribution

It introduces the conjecture that the beta-function's vanishing results from a Montonen-Olive duality in gauged supergravity, linking duality to renormalization properties.

Findings

Beta-function vanishes for N>4 gauged supergravity.

Conjecture of a Montonen-Olive duality explaining this vanishing.

Potential implications for understanding dualities in supergravity theories.

Abstract

The vanishing of the SO(N) beta-function of gauged N>4 supergravity has long seemed like an answer looking for a question. Here we conjecture that it is a consequence of a Montonon-Olive style electric/magnetic duality.