Conformal Non-Geometric Gravity in Six Dimensions and M-Theory above the Planck Energy

Abstract

The proposal that a strong coupling limit of the five-dimensional type II string theory (M-theory compactified on a 6-torus) in which the Planck length becomes infinite could give a six-dimensional superconformal phase of M-theory is reviewed. This limit exists for the free theory, giving a 6-dimensional theory with (4,0) supersymmetry compactified on a circle whose radius gives the 5-dimensional Planck length. The free 6-dimensional theory has a fourth rank tensor gauge field with the symmetries of the Riemann tensor instead of a symmetric tensor gauge field, but its dimensional reduction gives conventional linearised gravity in five dimensions. The possibility of an interacting form of this theory existing and the consequences it would have for the geometric picture of gravity are discussed.

Minor corrections. Talk given at the Second Gursey Memorial Conference, Istanbul

References in corpus (2)

• Strongly Coupled Gravity and Duality
• Deformations of Chiral Two-Forms in Six Dimensions

Cited by in corpus (12)

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• Gravity as the square of Yang-Mills?
• Massless spin-two field S-duality
• Open String/Open D-Brane Dualities: Old and New
• Fermionic Higher-form Symmetries
• A note on the double dual graviton
• One loop partition function of six dimensional conformal gravity using heat kernel on AdS
• Duality Anomalies in Linearized Gravity