Orbifolds of M-theory
Abstract
We study Z2-orbifolds of 11-dimensional M-theory on tori of various dimensions. The most interesting model (besides the known S1/Z2 case) corresponds to T5/Z2, for which we argue that the resulting six-dimensional theory is equivalent to the type IIB string compactified on K3. Gravitational anomaly cancellation plays a crucial role in determining what states appear in the twisted sector. Most of the other models appear to break spacetime supersymmetry. We observe that M-theory tends to produce chiral compactifications on orbifolds, and that our results may provide an insight into the mechanism by which twisted-sector states arise in this hypothetical theory.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.hep-th/9512196,
title = {Orbifolds of M-theory},
author = {Keshav Dasgupta and Sunil Mukhi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/9512196},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Uses harvmac, 16 pages (b) or 20 pages (l). Minor changes, final version to appear in NPB