On the Effective N=1 Supergravity of M-Theory

TL;DR

This paper develops a formulation of N=1 supergravity derived from M-theory compactified on Calabi-Yau spaces, explicitly connecting four-dimensional fields with fundamental M-theory features, facilitating the inclusion of non-perturbative effects.

Contribution

It provides a new explicit formulation of effective supergravity from M-theory, linking four-dimensional multiplets with M-theory sources and anomaly cancellations, and enabling non-perturbative contributions inclusion.

Findings

Explicit relation between 4D supergravity and M-theory sources

Framework for incorporating non-perturbative M-theory effects

Applicable to universal sector of N=1 compactifications

Abstract

In the low-energy limit, M-theory compactified on S1/Z2 is formulated in terms of Bianchi identities with sources localized at orbifold singularities and anomaly-cancelling counterterms to the Wilson effective Lagrangian. Compactifying to four dimensions on a Calabi-Yau space leads to N=1 local supersymmetry. We derive a formulation of the effective supergravity which explicitly relates four-dimensional supergravity multiplets and field equations with these fundamental M-theory aspects. This formulation proves convenient for the introduction in the effective supergravity of non-perturbative M-theory contributions. It also applies to the universal sector of generic compactifications with N=1 supersymmetry.