English

Fractional M2-branes

High Energy Physics - Theory 2009-09-29 v3

Abstract

We consider two generalizations of the N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theories with gauge group U(N)xU(N). The first generalization is to N=6 superconformal U(M)xU(N) theories, and the second to N=5 superconformal O(2M)xUSp(2N) and O(2M+1)xUSp(2N) theories. These theories are conjectured to describe M2-branes probing C^4/Z_k in the unitary case, and C^4/\hat{D}_k in the orthogonal/symplectic case, together with a discrete flux, which can be interpreted as |M-N| fractional M2-branes localized at the orbifold singularity. The classical theories with these gauge groups have been constructed before; in this paper we focus on some quantum aspects of these theories, and on a detailed description of their M theory and type IIA string theory duals.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0807.4924,
  title  = {Fractional M2-branes},
  author = {Ofer Aharony and Oren Bergman and Daniel Louis Jafferis},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0807.4924},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

30 pages, 5 figures. v2: added references. v3: clarified claims about SUSY breaking in YM-CS theories

R2 v1 2026-06-21T11:06:03.799Z