Surface operators in superspace

Abstract

We generalize the geometrical formulation of Wilson loops recently introduced in [1] to the description of Wilson Surfaces. For N = (2, 0) theory in six dimensions, we provide an explicit derivation of BPS Wilson Surfaces with non-trivial coupling to scalars, together with their manifestly supersymmetric version. We derive explicit conditions which allow to classify these operators in terms of the number of preserved supercharges. We also discuss kappa-symmetry and prove that BPS conditions in six dimensions arise from kappa-symmetry invariance in eleven dimensions. Finally, we discuss super-Wilson Surfaces — and higher dimensional operators — as objects charged under global p-form (super)symmetries generated by tensorial supercurrents. To this end, the construction of conserved supercurrents in supermanifolds and of the corresponding conserved charges is developed in details.