Orientifold Points in M Theory

TL;DR

This paper explores the lift of orientifold points in M theory, revealing their connection to chiral fermions and computing ground states in related supersymmetric quantum mechanics, aligning with previous mass deformation results.

Contribution

It identifies the M theory lift of orientifold points involving chiral fermions and computes ground states, providing a new perspective and confirming previous findings.

Findings

Ground states match known results from mass deformation methods.

Mass of orientifold corresponds to Casimir energy.

Lift involves chiral fermions on orbifold fixed circles.

Abstract

We identify the lift to M theory of the four types of orientifold points, and show that they involve a chiral fermion on an orbifold fixed circle. From this lift, we compute the number of normalizable ground states for the SO(N) and $Sp(N)$ supersymmetric quantum mechanics with sixteen supercharges. The results agree with known results obtained by the mass deformation method. The mass of the orientifold is identified with the Casimir energy.