Supersymmetric E_{8(+8)} / SO(16) Sigma-Model Coupled to N=1 Supergravity in Three-Dimensions

Abstract

A three-dimensional simple N=1 supergravity theory with a supersymmetric sigma-model on the coset E_{8(+8)} / SO(16) is constructed. Both bosons and fermions in the matter multiplets are in the spinorial 128-representation of SO(16) with the same chirality. Due to their common chirality, this model can not be obtained from the maximal N=16 supergravity. By introducing an independent vector multiplet, we can also gauge an arbitrary subgroup of SO(16) together with a Chern-Simons term. Similar N=1 supersymmetric sigma-models coupled to supergravity are also constructed for the cosets F_{4(-20)} / SO(9) and SO(8,n) / SO(8) X SO(n).