Automatic Enhancement in 6D Supergravity and F-theory Models

Abstract

We observe that in many F-theory models, tuning a specific gauge group $G$ and matter content $M$ under certain circumstances leads to an automatic enhancement to a larger gauge group $G^{\prime }\supset G$ and matter content $M^{\prime }\supset M$. We propose that this is true for any theory $G,M$ whenever there exists a containing theory $G^{\prime },M^{\prime }$ that cannot be Higgsed down to $G,M$. We give a number of examples including non-Higgsable gauge factors, nonabelian gauge factors, abelian gauge factors, and exotic matter. In each of these cases, tuning an F-theory model with the desired features produces either an enhancement or an inconsistency, often when the associated anomaly coefficient becomes too large. This principle applies to a variety of models in the apparent 6D supergravity swampland, including some of the simplest cases with U(1) and SU(N) gauge groups and generic matter, as well as infinite families of U(1) models with higher charges presented in the prior literature, potentially ruling out all these apparent swampland theories.

arXiv comment56 pages, LaTeX

References in corpus (60)

• Evidence for F-Theory
• Compactifications of F-Theory on Calabi--Yau Threefolds -- II
• Symmetries and Strings in Field Theory and Gravity
• The Swampland: Introduction and Review
• Compactifications of F-Theory on Calabi--Yau Threefolds -- I
• Geometric Singularities and Enhanced Gauge Symmetries
• Comments on String Dynamics in Six Dimensions
• A Note on the Green - Schwarz Mechanism in Open - String Theories
• On the Classification of 6D SCFTs and Generalized ADE Orbifolds
• 6d Conformal Matter
• Non-trivial Fixed Points of The Renormalization Group in Six Dimensions
• Matter From Geometry
• $\pi \pi$ Scattering in Three Flavour ChPT
• T-Branes and Monodromy
• F-Theory and the Mordell-Weil Group of Elliptically-Fibered Calabi-Yau Threefolds
• F-Theory on all Toric Hypersurface Fibrations and its Higgs Branches
• Classifying bases for 6D F-theory models
• Global aspects of the space of 6D N = 1 supergravities
• Matter and singularities
• Tate's algorithm and F-theory
• F-Theory Compactifications with Multiple U(1)-Factors: Constructing Elliptic Fibrations with Rational Sections
• Charge Lattices and Consistency of 6D Supergravity
• Strings of Minimal 6d SCFTs
• Anomaly-Free Supersymmetric Models in Six Dimensions
• String universality in ten dimensions
• Cobordism Conjecture, Anomalies, and the String Lamppost Principle
• T-Branes and Geometry
• Branes and the Swampland
• F-theory on Genus-One Fibrations
• Zero and One-dimensional Probes with N=8 Supersymmetry
• Constraints on 6D Supergravity Theories with Abelian Gauge Symmetry
• On the Hodge structure of elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds
• 6D supergravity without tensor multiplets
• TASI Lectures on Supergravity and String Vacua in Various Dimensions
• The Global Gauge Group Structure of F-theory Compactification with U(1)s
• String Universality and Non-Simply-Connected Gauge Groups in 8d
• A bound on 6D N=1 supergravities
• Swampland Bounds on the Abelian Gauge Sector
• Anomaly of strings of 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ theories
• Quantization of anomaly coefficients in 6D $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ supergravity
• General U(1)xU(1) F-theory Compactifications and Beyond: Geometry of unHiggsings and novel Matter Structure
• The frozen phase of F-theory
• Remarks on the Green-Schwarz terms of six-dimensional supergravity theories
• TASI Lectures on F-theory
• Enhanced gauge symmetry in 6D F-theory models and tuned elliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds
• 6d strings from new chiral gauge theories
• Generic matter representations in 6D supergravity theories
• Towards Exotic Matter and Discrete Non-Abelian Symmetries in F-theory
• Exotic matter on singular divisors in F-theory
• Large U(1) charges in F-theory
• Three-Index Symmetric Matter Representations of SU(2) in F-Theory from Non-Tate Form Weierstrass Models
• Abelian F-theory Models with Charge-3 and Charge-4 Matter
• Tuned and Non-Higgsable U(1)s in F-theory
• Comparing elliptic and toric hypersurface Calabi-Yau threefolds at large Hodge numbers
• F-Theory on Quotients of Elliptic Calabi-Yau Threefolds
• High electric charges in M-theory from quiver varieties
• General F-theory models with tuned $(\mathrm{SU}(3)\times \mathrm{SU}(2)\times U(1))/{\mathbb{Z}}_6$ symmetry
• When Rational Sections Become Cyclic: Gauge Enhancement in F-theory via Mordell--Weil Torsion
• Notes on Equivalences and Higgs Branches in N=2 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory
• Orders of Vanishing and U(1) Charges in F-theory

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Generalized Symmetries in F-theory and the Topology of Elliptic Fibrations
• Charge completeness and the massless charge lattice in F-theory models of supergravity
• Flavor Symmetries and Automatic Enhancement in the 6d Supergravity Swampland
• Large U(1) charges from flux breaking in 4D F-theory models
• Orders of Vanishing and U(1) Charges in F-theory