Symmetry breaking by instantons in supergravity

Abstract

The non-zero modes of different spin operators on the background of a self-dual gravitational instanton are all related by global supersymmetry transformations and completely cancel in the one-loop term, which is determined entirely by the zero modes. We derive the number of zero modes of each spin. In an asymptotically locally Euclidean self-dual instanton there are 2τ spin- 3 2 zero modes and 3τ spin-2 zero modes, where τ is the Hirzebruch signature. Up to 3 of the spin-2 zero modes (depending on boundary conditions) may correspond to global rotations. The spin- 3 2 zero modes break the U(1) chiral symmetry and give rise to helicity-changing amplitudes. Together with the spin-2 zero modes they determine the trace anomaly or scaling behaviour. We can compare our results with the perturbation theory predictions for the axial vector current and trace anomalies in K3, the unique compact self-dual gravitational instanton, because in this case there are no boundary terms. We obtain agreement.