Quantcast
  • Register
PhysicsOverflow is a next-generation academic platform for physicists and astronomers, including a community peer review system and a postgraduate-level discussion forum analogous to MathOverflow.

Welcome to PhysicsOverflow! PhysicsOverflow is an open platform for community peer review and graduate-level Physics discussion.

Please help promote PhysicsOverflow ads elsewhere if you like it.

News

PO is now at the Physics Department of Bielefeld University!

New printer friendly PO pages!

Migration to Bielefeld University was successful!

Please vote for this year's PhysicsOverflow ads!

Please do help out in categorising submissions. Submit a paper to PhysicsOverflow!

... see more

Tools for paper authors

Submit paper
Claim Paper Authorship

Tools for SE users

Search User
Reclaim SE Account
Request Account Merger
Nativise imported posts
Claim post (deleted users)
Import SE post

Users whose questions have been imported from Physics Stack Exchange, Theoretical Physics Stack Exchange, or any other Stack Exchange site are kindly requested to reclaim their account and not to register as a new user.

Public \(\beta\) tools

Report a bug with a feature
Request a new functionality
404 page design
Send feedback

Attributions

(propose a free ad)

Site Statistics

205 submissions , 163 unreviewed
5,082 questions , 2,232 unanswered
5,353 answers , 22,789 comments
1,470 users with positive rep
820 active unimported users
More ...

  Why does $N=2$ supersymmetry require a Kähler manifold?

+ 4 like - 0 dislike
543 views

I have not been able to find a satisfactory explanation for why integrability of an almost complex structure on the target space of a sigma model is a requirement for $N=2$ supersymmetry. That is, why is an almost complex target space equipped with a symplectic form not good enough? Topologically the model works just as well considering psuedoholomorphic curves, but then how would superfields be interpreted in the "physical" model?

asked Mar 31, 2015 in Theoretical Physics by Alex [ revision history ]
edited Mar 31, 2015 by Arnold Neumaier

1 Answer

+ 4 like - 0 dislike

One condition equivalent to integrability of the almost complex structure is $\partial^2 = \bar\partial^2 = 0$. If we're just talking about quantum mechanics with a Kähler target, then the Hilbert space is the space of complex-valued differential forms on the target with integration against the symplectic volume form giving the Hilbert space pairing. Then some combination of the supercharges act as $\partial$ and some as $\bar\partial$. The $N=2$ algebra relations imply the integrability condition above.

I think that for a symplectic target, while it is possible to define the A-model, it is not a topological twist of a well-defined $N=2$ sigma model.

answered Mar 31, 2015 by Ryan Thorngren (1,925 points) [ revision history ]
edited Mar 31, 2015 by Arnold Neumaier

Your answer

Please use answers only to (at least partly) answer questions. To comment, discuss, or ask for clarification, leave a comment instead.
To mask links under text, please type your text, highlight it, and click the "link" button. You can then enter your link URL.
Please consult the FAQ for as to how to format your post.
This is the answer box; if you want to write a comment instead, please use the 'add comment' button.
Live preview (may slow down editor)   Preview
Your name to display (optional):
Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications.
Anti-spam verification:
If you are a human please identify the position of the character covered by the symbol $\varnothing$ in the following word:
p$\hbar$ysics$\varnothing$verflow
Then drag the red bullet below over the corresponding character of our banner. When you drop it there, the bullet changes to green (on slow internet connections after a few seconds).
Please complete the anti-spam verification




user contributions licensed under cc by-sa 3.0 with attribution required

Your rights
...