English

M-theory in the Omega-background and 5-dimensional non-commutative gauge theory

High Energy Physics - Theory 2016-10-14 v1

Abstract

The Ω\Omega-background is defined for supergravity, and a very general class of such backgrounds is constructed for 11-dimensional supergravity. 11-dimensional supergravity in a certain Ω\Omega-background is shown to be equivalent to a 5-dimensional non-commutative gauge theory of Chern-Simons type. M2 and M5 branes are expressed as 1 and 2-dimensional extended objects in the 5-dimensional gauge theory. This 5-dimensional gauge theory is shown to admit a consistent quantization with two coupling constants, despite being formally non-renormalizable. A check of a twisted version of AdS/CFT is performed relating this 5-dimensional non-commutative gauge theory to the theory on N M5 branes, wrapping an Ak1A_{k-1} singularity and placed in an Ω\Omega-background. The operators on the M5 branes, in the Ω\Omega-background, are described by a certain chiral algebra which in the large N limit becomes a Wk+W_{k+\infty} algebra. This chiral algebra is recovered from the 5-dimensional gauge theory. This argument also provides a holographic explanation of the result of Maulik-Okounkov and Schiffmann-Vasserot that the Wk+W_{k+\infty} algebra acts on the equivariant cohomology of the moduli of instantons on an Ak1A_{k-1} singularity.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1610.04144,
  title  = {M-theory in the Omega-background and 5-dimensional non-commutative gauge theory},
  author = {Kevin Costello},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1610.04144},
  year   = {2016}
}