Revisiting eight-manifold flux compactifications of M-theory using geometric algebra techniques

Abstract

Motivated by open problems in F-theory, we reconsider warped compactifications of M theory on 8-manifolds to AdS3 spaces in the presence of a non-trivial field strength of the M-theory 3-form, studying the most general conditions under which such backgrounds preserve N=2 supersymmetry in three dimensions. In contrast with previous studies, we allow for the most general pair of Majorana generalized Killing pinors on the internal 8-manifold, without imposing any chirality conditions on those pinors. We also show how such pinors can be lifted to the 9-dimensional metric cone over the compactification 8-manifold. We describe the translation of the generalized Killing pinor equations for such backgrounds to a system of differential and algebraic constraints on certain form-valued pinor bilinears and develop techniques through which such equations can be analyzed efficiently.