On Extended Supersymmetry of 4d Galileons and 3-Brane Effective Actions

Abstract

We use on-shell amplitude methods to systematically analyze the possibility of extended supersymmetry for 4d Galileon models, expanding on previous $\mathcal{N}=1$ results. Assuming spins $\le 1$, we prove that there exists no $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric extension of any 4d Galileons. Thus the Galileons cannot be part of the effective action of a single flat maximally supersymmetric D3-brane, and that explains why such terms do not appear in the $\alpha'$-expansion of the abelian open superstring amplitude. For $\mathcal{N}=2$ Galileons, we show that the complex scalar $Z = \phi + i \chi$ of the vector supermultiplet cannot have $\phi$ and $\chi$ both enjoy enhanced shift symmetry; instead, $\chi$ can at best be an $R$-axion with constant shift symmetry. Using the soft bootstrap, we demonstrate that the quartic DBI-Galileon is incompatible with $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetry. A similar analysis performed at 7-point shows that a 2-parameter family of $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric quintic Galileons coupled with DBI passes the soft bootstrap. Finally, we show how supersymmetric coup\-lings between Galileons and gravitons arise in generalizations of our constructions, and we conclude with a discussion of Galileons and DBI-Galileons in the context of UV-completability vs.~the Swampland.