A worldline theory for supergravity

Abstract

The N = 4 supersymmetric spinning particle admits several consistent quantizations, related to the gauging of different subgroups of the SO(4) R-symmetry on the worldline. We construct the background independent BRST quantization for all of these choices which are shown to reproduce either the massless NS-NS spectrum of the string, or Einstein theory with or without the antisymmetric tensor field and/or dilaton corresponding to different restrictions. Quantum consistency of the worldline implies equations of motion for the background which, in addition to the admissible string backgrounds, admit Einstein manifolds with or whithout a cosmological constant. The vertex operators for the Kalb-Ramond, graviton and dilaton fields are obtained from the linear variations of the BRST charge. They produce the physical states by action on the diffeomorphism ghost states.