Twisted N=2 supergravity as topological gravity in four-dimensions

Sep 8, 1992
18 pages
Published in:
  • Nucl.Phys.B 392 (1993) 401-427
e-Print:
Report number:
  • PRINT-92-0363 (SISSA,TRIESTE),
  • SISSA-125-92-EP

Citations per year

1993200020072014202102468101214
Abstract: (Elsevier)
We show that the BRST quantum version of pure D = 4 N = 2 supergravity can be topologically twisted, to yield a formulation of topological gravity in four dimensions. The topological BRST complex is just a re-arrangement of the old BRST complex, that partly modifies the role of physical and ghost fields: indeed, the new ghost number turns out to be the sum of the old ghost number plus the internal U(1) charge. Furthermore, the action of N = 2 supergravity is retrieved from topological gravity by choosing a gauge fixing that reduces the space of physical states to the space of gravitational instanton configurations, namely to self-dual spin connections. The descent equations relating the topological observables are explicitly exhibited and discussed. Ours is a first step in a programme that aims at finding the topological sector of matter coupled N = 2 supergravity, viewed as the effective lagrangian of type II superstrings and, as such, already related two-dimensional topological field theories. As it stands the theory we discuss may prove useful in describing gravitational instanton moduli-spaces.
Note:
  • 38 pages
  • supergravity
  • field theory: topological
  • algebra: Becchi-Rouet-Stora
  • differential forms
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