Membranes with a boundary Original Research Article

We investigate the recently developed theory of multiple membranes. In particular, we consider open membranes, i.e. the theory defined on a membrane world volume with a boundary. We first restrict our attention to the gauge sector of the theory. We obtain a boundary action from the Chern–Simons terms. Secondly, we consider the addition of certain boundary terms to various Chern–Simons theories coupled to matter. These terms ensure the full bulk plus boundary action has the correct amount of supersymmetry. For the ABJM model, this construction motivates the inclusion of a boundary quartic scalar potential. The boundary dynamics obtained from our modified theory produce Basu–Harvey type equations describing membranes ending on a five-brane. The ultimate goal of this work is to throw light on the theory of five-branes using the theory of open membranes.