String and M-theory Deformations of Manifolds with Special Holonomy

Abstract

The R^4-type corrections to ten and eleven dimensional supergravity required by string and M-theory imply corrections to supersymmetric supergravity compactifications on manifolds of special holonomy, which deform the metric away from the original holonomy. Nevertheless, in many such cases, including Calabi-Yau compactifications of string theory and G_2-compactifications of M-theory, it has been shown that the deformation preserves supersymmetry because of associated corrections to the supersymmetry transformation rules, Here, we consider Spin(7) compactifications in string theory and M-theory, and a class of non-compact SU(5) backgrounds in M-theory. Supersymmetry survives in all these cases too, despite the fact that the original special holonomy is perturbed into general holonomy in each case.

Improved discussion of SU(5) holonomy backgrounds. Other minor typos corrected. Latex with JHEP3.cls, 42 pages