Type IIA Orientifold Limit of M-Theory on Compact Joyce 8-Manifold of Spin(7)-Holonomy

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a duality between M-theory on a Joyce 8-manifold with Spin(7) holonomy and type IIA string theory on a Joyce 7-manifold with G2 holonomy, supported by spectrum calculations.

Contribution

It provides evidence for a specific duality between M-theory and type IIA string theory on Joyce manifolds, including spectrum matching at special moduli space points.

Findings

Spectrum matching supports the duality

Orbifold limit analysis confirms the spectrum calculations

Duality holds at special points in moduli space

Abstract

We show that M-theory compactified on a compact Joyce 8-manifold of $Spin(7)$-holonomy, which yields an effective theory in $D = 3$ with $\N$ = 1 supersymmetry, admits at some special points in it moduli space a description in terms of type IIA theory on an orientifold of compact Joyce 7-manifold of $G_2$-holonomy. We find the evidence in favour of this duality by computing the massless spectra on both M-thory side and type IIA side. For the latter, we compute the massless spectra by going to the orbifold limit of the Joyce 7-manifold.