Global Worldsheet Anomalies from M-Theory

Abstract

We present an M-theory proof of the anomaly of Freed and Witten which in general shifts the quantisation law for the U(1) gauge field on a D6-brane. The derivation requires an understanding of how fields on the D6-brane lift to M-theory, together with a localisation formula which we prove using a U(1)-index theorem. We also show how the anomaly is related to the K-theory classification of Ramond-Ramond fields. In addition we discuss the M-theory origin of the D6-brane effective action, and illustrate the general arguments with a concrete example.

25 pages; v2: minor alterations, references added; v3: various arguments clarified, mathematical background added. Published version

References in corpus (4)

• More Supersymmetric Standard-like Models from Intersecting D6-branes on Type IIA Orientifolds
• Conifold Transitions and Five-Brane Condensation in M-Theory on Spin(7) Manifolds
• A note on the dyonic D6-brane
• Anomalous Couplings in M-Theory and String Theory

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