Superpotentials and membrane instantons
Jul, 199942 pages
e-Print:
- hep-th/9907026 [hep-th]
Report number:
- EFI-99-22A,
- YCTP-P15-99,
- IASSNS-99-57,
- EFI-99-22
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Abstract:
We investigate nonperturbative effects in M-theory compactifications arising from wrapped membranes. In particular, we show that in d=4, \CN=1 compactifications along manifolds of holonomy, membranes wrapped on rigid supersymmetric 3-cycles induce nonzero corrections to the superpotential. Thus, membrane instantons destabilize many M-theory compactifications. Our computation shows that the low energy description of membrane physics is usefully described in terms of three-dimensional topological field theories, and the superpotential is expressed in terms of topological invariants of the 3-cycle. We discuss briefly some applications of these results. For example, using mirror symmetry we derive a counting formula for supersymmetric three-cycles in certain Calabi-Yau manifolds.Note:
- harvmac, no figs, 24 pp (l mode)
- M-theory
- compactification
- effect: nonperturbative
- membrane model
- supersymmetry: potential
- instanton
- field theory: topological
- symmetry: mirror
- Kaluza-Klein model
- supergravity
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