A brief review of E theory

作者：West Peter^*

来源：International Journal of Modern Physics A, 2016, 31(26): 1630043.

DOI：10.1142/S0217751X1630043X

• Supergravity
• Kac-Moody algebras
• strings
• branes
• duality symmetries

I begin with some memories of Abdus Salam who was my PhD supervisor. After reviewing the theory of nonlinear realisations and Kac-Moody algebras, I explain how to construct the nonlinear realisation based on the Kac-Moody algebra E-11 and its vector representation. I explain how this field theory leads to dynamical equations which contain an infinite number of fields defined on a space-time with an infinite number of coordinates. I then show that these unique dynamical equations, when truncated to low level fields and the usual coordinates of space-time, lead to precisely the equations of motion of 11-dimensional supergravity theory. By taking different group decompositions of E-11 we find all the maximal supergravity theories, including the gauged maximal supergravities, and as a result the nonlinear realisation should be thought of as a unified theory that is the low energy effective action for type II strings and branes. These results essentially confirm the E-11 conjecture given many years ago.

• 出版日期2016-9-20