Three-forms in supergravity and flux compactifications

Abstract

We present a duality procedure that relates conventional four-dimensional matter-coupled N = 1 supergravities to dual formulations in which auxiliary fields are replaced by field strengths of gauge three-forms. The duality promotes specific coupling constants appearing in the superpotential to vacuum expectation values of the field strengths. We then apply this general duality to type IIA string compactifications on Calabi-Yau orientifolds with RR fluxes. This gives a new supersymmetric formulation of the corresponding effective four-dimensional theories which includes gauge three-forms.

The Swampland: Introduction and Review

“…In particular, the relation between axion potentials and three‐forms as been developed in [] and utilised in the context of inflation in []. This relation has been extensively studied in string theory in a recent program of work [].…”

Nilpotent $$ \mathcal{N}=1 $$ tensor multiplet

“…Complex three-form supergravity [48,52,55] is obtained by choosing the prepotential P in (5.1) to have the form P = Γ +Γ , (5.5)…”

Higher Forms and Membranes in 4D Supergravities

“…These theories provide an effective supergravity description of type II string compactifications on Calabi–Yau manifolds with Ramond‐Ramond fluxes. In particular, in [] it has been shown that the scalar potential obtained from compactifications of Type IIA string theory is retrieved from and that the tension of the membrane is equal to that of membranes obtained from wrapping higher dimensional branes over special Lagrangian cycles in the Calabi–Yau.…”

“…In what follows, we will briefly review the results of [] on the description of these effective theories within a generic 4D supergravity containing multiple three‐form gauge fields coupled to membranes.…”

“…Such domain walls significantly enlarge the class of solutions previously described within standard matter‐coupled supergravity and in the three‐form supergravity . Finally, the general models constructed in [] may serve as a ground for the realization of the Brown–Teitelboim and the Bousso–Polchinski mechanisms for the dynamical neutralization of the cosmological constant within 4D supergravity theories.…”