2003/09/10 by Arjan Keurentjes
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Homotopy and Cohomology in Algebraic Topology #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0264-9381/21/6/025
published as Class.Quant.Grav. 21 (2004) 1695-1708 · 18 pages, LaTeX, 1 figure, 2 tables
arxiv created 2003/09/10 · openalex publication_date 2004/03/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
We discuss the topology of the symmetry groups appearing in compactified (super)gravity, and discuss two applications. First, we demonstrate that for three-dimensional sigma models on a symmetric space G / H with G non-compact and H the maximal compact subgroup of G , the possibility of oxidation to a higher dimensional theory can immediately be deduced from the topology of H . Second, by comparing the actual symmetry groups appearing in maximal supergravities with the subgroups of and Spin(32), we argue that these groups cannot serve as a local symmetry group for M-theory in a formulation of de Wit–Nicolai type.