22.02.2017 (Wednesday)

Polygon Seminar: E Theory

Triangular Seminar Peter West (King's College London)

at:
15:00 IC
room Huxley 140
abstract:

I review the theory of non-linear realisations and Kac-Moody algebras, I explain how to construct the non-linear 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 spacetime 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 spacetime, lead to precisely the equations of motion of eleven 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 non-linear realisation is 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.