Isometries of N=1 4D supergravity

Abstract

Continuous symmetries of spacetime such as spatial homogeneity and isotropy are rigorously defined using the concept of isometries and Killing vectors. In supergravity, the metric, or rather the tetrad, is not a standalone entity, but is part of a multiplet containing also the Rarita-Schwinger spinor-vector. Thus, we pursue a generalization of the Killing equations that is in harmony with the tenets of supergravity. Using a superfield approach, we derive one such generalization of the Killing equations encompassing the whole supergravity multiplet. A relaxation of the spinor-vector equations is required to allow for a non-vanishing isotropic Rarita-Schwinger field.