Supersymmetric Mechanics Vol 2

This is the first volume in a series of books on the general theme of Supersymmetric Mechanics; the series is based on lectures and discussions held in 2005 and 2006 at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati. This volume supplies a pedagogical introduction, at the non-expert level, to the attractor mechanism in space-time singularities. After a qualitative overview, explicit examples realizing the attractor mechanism are treated at length.

This is the third volume in a series of books on general topics in supersymmetric mechanics. This collection presents material from the well established international and annual INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati Winter School on the Attractor Mechanism.

This is the first volume in a series of books on the general theme of Supersymmetric Mechanics; the series is based on lectures and discussions held in 2005 and 2006 at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati. The selected topics include supersymmetry and supergravity, the attractor mechanism, black holes, fluxes, noncommutative mechanics, super-Hamiltonian formalism and matrix models. Incorporates in extensive write-ups the results of animated discussion sessions which followed the individual lectures.

This is the third volume in a series of books on general topics in supersymmetric mechanics. This collection presents material from the well established international and annual INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati Winter School on the Attractor Mechanism.

Understanding the dynamics of gauge theories is crucial, given the fact that all known interactions are based on the principle of local gauge symmetry. Beyond the perturbative regime, however, this is a notoriously difficult problem. Requiring invariance under supersymmetry turns out to be a suitable tool for analyzing supersymmetric gauge theories over a larger region of the space of parameters. Supersymmetric quantum field theories in four dimensions with extended N=2 supersymmetry are further constrained and have therefore been a fertile field of research in theoretical physics for quite some time. Moreover, there are far-reaching mathematical ramifications that have led to a successful dialogue with differential and algebraic geometry. These lecture notes aim to introduce students of modern theoretical physics to the fascinating developments in the understanding of N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories in a coherent fashion. Starting with a gentle introduction to electric-magnetic duality, the author guides readers through the key milestones in the field, which include the work of Seiberg and Witten, Nekrasov, Gaiotto and many others. As an advanced graduate level text, it assumes that readers have a working knowledge of supersymmetry including the formalism of superfields, as well as of quantum field theory techniques such as regularization, renormalization and anomalies. After his graduation from the University of Tokyo, Yuji Tachikawa worked at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton and the Kavli Institute for Physics and Mathematics of the Universe. Presently at the Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Tachikawa is the author of several important papers in supersymmetric quantum field theories and string theory.

We read in order to know we are not alone, I once heard, and perhaps it could also be suggested that we write in order not to be alone, to endorse, to promote continuity. The idea for this book took about 10 years to materialize, and it is the author’s hope that its content will constitute the beginning of further explorations beyond current horizons. More speci cally, this book appeals to the reader to engage upon and persevere with a journey, moving through the less well explored territories in the evolution of the very early universe, and pushing towards new landscapes. P- haps, during or after consulting this book, this attitude and this willingness will be embraced by someone, somewhere, and this person will go on to enrich our quantum cosmological description of the early universe, by means of a clearer supersymm- ric perspective. It is to these creative and inquisitive ‘young minds’ that the book is addressed. The reader will not therefore nd in this book all the answers to all the problems regarding a supersymmetric and quantum description of the early universe, and this remark is substantiated in the book by a list of unresolved and challenging problems, itself incomplete.

This is the seventh volume in a series on the general topics of supersymmetry, supergravity, black objects (including black holes) and the attractor mechanism. The present volume is based on lectures held in March 2013 at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati during the Breaking of supersymmetry and Ultraviolet Divergences in extended Supergravity Workshop (BUDS 2013), organized by Stefano Bellucci, with the participation of prestigious speakers including P. Aschieri, E. Bergshoeff, M. Cederwall, T. Dennen, P. Di Vecchia, S. Ferrara, R. Kallosh, A. Karlsson, M. Koehn, B. Ovrut, A. Van Proeyen, G. Ruppeiner. Special attention is devoted to discussing topics related to the cancellation of ultraviolet divergences in extended supergravity and Born-Infeld-like actions. All talks were followed by extensive discussions and subsequent reworking of the various contributions a feature which is reflected in the unique "flavor" of this volume.