Introduction
Summary
Publications
Lectures
StonyBrook | KUL | Bonn | QMW | Edinburgh

The Scottish years

  1. BMS-like algebras: canonical realisation and BRST quantisation
    [with Carles Batlle, Joaquim Gomis and Girish Vishwa]
    arXiv:2411.14866 [hep-th]
  2. The BRST quantisation of chiral BMS-like field theories
    [with Girish Vishwa]
    JMP 66 (2025)  034303 (24 pages)
    arXiv:2407.12778 [hep-th]
  3. Galilei particles revisited
    [with Simon Pekar, Alfredo Pérez and Stefan Prohazka]
    SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 93 (2025) (42 pages)
    arXiv:2401.03241 [hep-th]
  4. p-brane Galilean and Carrollian Geometries and Gravities
    [with Eric Bergshoeff, Kevin van Helden, Jan Rosseel, Iisakki Rotko and Tonnis ter Veldhuis]
    JPA 57 (2024)  245205 (73 pages)
    arXiv:2308.12852 [hep-th]
  5. Quantum Carroll/fracton particles
    [with Alfredo Pérez and Stefan Prohazka]
    JHEP 10 (2023)  041 (62 pages)
    arXiv:2307.05674 [hep-th]
  6. Carroll/fracton particles and their correspondence
    [with Alfredo Pérez and Stefan Prohazka]
    JHEP 06 (2023)  207 (51 pages)
    arXiv:2305.06730 [hep-th]
  7. Lie algebraic Carroll/Galilei duality
    JMP 64 (2023)  013503 (15 pages)
    arXiv:2210.13924 [math.DG]
  8. From pp-waves to galilean spacetimes
    [with Ross Grassie and Stefan Prohazka]
    SIGMA 19 (2023)  035 (16 pages)
    arXiv:2208.07627 [hep-th]
  9. Particle dynamics on torsional galilean spacetimes
    [with Can Görmez and Dieter Van den Bleeken]
    SciPost Phys. 14 (2023)  059 (32 pages)
    arXiv:2208.07611 [hep-th]
  10. Kaluza–Klein reductions of maximally supersymmetric five-dimensional lorentzian spacetimes
    [with Guido Franchetti]
    CQG 39 (2022)  215009 (40 pages)
    arXiv:2207.07430 [hep-th]
  11. The gauging procedure and carrollian gravity
    [with Emil Have, Stefan Prohazka and Jakob Salzer]
    JHEP 09 (2022)  243 (47 pages)
    arXiv:2206.14178 [hep-th]
  12. A non-lorentzian primer
    [with Eric Bergshoeff and Joaquim Gomis]
    SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 69 (2023) (83 pages)
    arXiv:2206.12177 [hep-th]
  13. Lifshitz symmetry: Lie algebras, spacetimes and particles
    [with Ross Grassie and Stefan Prohazka]
    SciPost Phys. 14 (2023)  035 (42 pages)
    arXiv:2206.11806 [hep-th]
  14. Non-lorentzian spacetimes
    Differ. Geom. Appl. 82 (2022)  101894 (24 pages)
    arXiv:2204.13609 [math.DG]
  15. Symplectic actions and central extensions
    [with Andrew Beckett]
    arXiv:2203.07405 [math.SG]
  16. Carrollian and celestial spaces at infinity
    [with Emil Have, Spefan Prohazka and Jakob Salzer]
    JHEP 09 (2022)  007 (54 pages)
    arXiv:2112.03319 [hep-th]
  17. Killing superalgebras for lorentzian five-manifolds
    [with Andrew Beckett]
    JHEP 07 (2021)  209 (42 pages)
    arXiv:2105.05775 [hep-th]
  18. On the intrinsic torsion of spacetime structures
    arXiv:2009.01948 [hep-th]
  19. Kinematical superspaces
    [with Ross Grassie]
    JHEP 11 (2019)  008 (76 pages)
    arXiv:1908.11278 [hep-th]
  20. Geometry and BMS Lie algebras of spatially isotropic homogeneous spacetimes
    [with Ross Grassie and Stefan Prohazka]
    JHEP 08 (2019)  119 (95 pages)
    arXiv:1905.00034 [hep-th]
  21. Conformal Lie algebras via deformation theory
    J. Math. Phys. 60 (2019)  021702 (35 pages)
    arXiv:1809.03603 [hep-th]
  22. Spatially isotropic homogeneous spacetimes
    [with Stefan Prohazka]
    JHEP 01 (2019)  229 (80 pages)
    arXiv:1809.01224 [hep-th]
  23. Killing superalgebras for lorentzian six-manifolds
    [with Paul de Medeiros and Andrea Santi]
    J. Geom. Phys 132 (2018)  13-44 (32 pages)
    arXiv:1804.00319 [hep-th]
  24. Kinematical Lie algebras in 2+1 dimensions
    [with Tomasz Andrzejewski]
    J. Math. Phys. 59 (2018)  061703 (21 pages)
    arXiv:1802.04048 [hep-th]
  25. Higher-dimensional kinematical Lie algebras via deformation theory
    J. Math. Phys. 59 (2018)  061702 (21 pages)
    arXiv:1711.07363 [hep-th]
  26. Kinematical Lie algebras via deformation theory
    J. Math. Phys. 59 (2018)  061701 (29 pages)
    arXiv:1711.06111 [hep-th]
  27. Classification of kinematical Lie algebras
    arXiv:1711.05676 [hep-th]
  28. On the algebraic structure of Killing superalgebras
    [with Andrea Santi]
    ATMP 21 (2017)  1115-1160 (46 pages)
    arXiv:1608.05915 [hep-th]
  29. Killing superalgebras for lorentzian four-manifolds
    [with Paul de Medeiros and Andrea Santi]
    JHEP 06 (2016)  106 (50 pages)
    arXiv:1605.00881 [hep-th]
  30. Supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on conformal supergravity backgrounds in ten dimensions
    [with Paul de Medeiros]
    JHEP 03 (2016)  087 (36 pages)
    arXiv:1512.08342 [hep-th]
  31. Eleven-dimensional supergravity from filtered subdeformations of the Poincaré superalgebra
    [with Andrea Santi]
    J. Phys. A 49 (2016)  295204 (7 pages)
    arXiv:1511.09264 [hep-th]
  32. Spencer cohomology and eleven-dimensional supergravity
    [with Andrea Santi]
    Comm. Math. Phys. 349 (2017)  627-660 (34 pages)
    arXiv:1511.08737 [hep-th]
  33. Homogeneous M2 duals
    [with Mara Ungureanu]
    JHEP 01 (2016) 150 (54 pages)
    arXiv:1511.03637 [hep-th]
  34. Sasakian manifolds and M-theory
    [with Andrea Santi]
    Class. Quantum Grav. 33 (2016)  095004 (18 pages)
    arXiv:1511.03460 [math.DG]
  35. The homogeneity theorem for supergravity backgrounds II: the six-dimensional theories
    [with Noel Hustler]
    JHEP 04 (2014)  131 (19 pages)
    arXiv:1312.7509 [hep-th]
  36. Supersymmetry of hyperbolic monopoles
    [with Moustafa Gharamti]
    JHEP 04 (2014)  074 (27 pages)
    arXiv:1311.3588 [hep-th]
  37. Symmetric backgrounds of type IIB supergravity
    [with Noel Hustler]
    Class. Quantum Grav. 30 (2013)  045008 (36 pages)
    arXiv:1209.4884 [hep-th]
  38. The homogeneity theorem for supergravity backgrounds
    [with Noel Hustler]
    JHEP 10 (2012)  014 (9 pages)
    arXiv:1208.0553 [hep-th]
  39. Symmetric M-theory backgrounds
    Cent. Eur. J. Phys. 11 (2013)  1-36 (36 pages)
    arXiv:1112.4967 [hep-th]
  40. Half-BPS M2-brane orbifolds
    [with Paul de Medeiros]
    ATMP 16 (2012)  1349–1409
    arXiv:1007.4761 [hep-th]
  41. Half-BPS quotients in M-theory: ADE with a twist
    [with Paul de Medeiros, Sunil Gadhia and Elena Méndez-Escobar]
    JHEP 10 (2009)  038 (19 pages)
    arXiv:0909.0163 [hep-th]
  42. M2-branes, Einstein manifolds and triple systems
    AIP Conf. Proc. 1196 (2009)  90–103
    arXiv:0908.2860 [hep-th]
  43. Superpotentials for superconformal Chern-Simons theories from representation theory
    [with Paul de Medeiros and Elena Méndez-Escobar]
    J Phys A: Math. Theor. 42 (2009)  485204 (56 pages)
    arXiv:0908.2125 [hep-th]
  44. Simplicity in the Faulkner construction
    J Phys A: Math. Theor. 42 (2009)  445206 (13 pages)
    arXiv:0905.4900 [hep-th]
  45. Deformations of 3-algebras
    J. Math. Phys. 50 (2009)  113514 (27 pages)
    arXiv:0903.4871 [hep-th]
  46. Metric 3-Lie algebras for unitary Bagger-Lambert theories
    [with Paul de Medeiros, Elena Méndez-Escobar and Patricia Ritter]
    JHEP 04 (2009)  037 (38 pages)
    arXiv:0902.4674 [hep-th]
  47. Three lectures on 3-algebras
    arXiv:0812.2865 [hep-th]
  48. The homogeneity conjecture for supergravity backgrounds
    J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 175 (2009)  012002 (15 pages)
    arXiv:0812.1258 [hep-th]
  49. On the maximal superalgebras of supersymmetric backgrounds
    [with Emily Hackett-Jones, George Moutsopoulos and Joan Simón]
    CQG 26 (2009)  035016 (17 pages)
    arXiv:0809.5034 [hep-th]
    Nominated by the Editors of CQG among the Highlights of 2008 and 2009
  50. On the Lie-algebraic origins of metric 3-algebras
    [with Paul de Medeiros, Elena Méndez-Escobar and Patricia Ritter]
    CMP 290 (2009)  871-902
    arXiv:0809.1086 [hep-th]
  51. Metric Lie n-algebras and double extensions
    arXiv:0806.3534 [math.RT]
  52. Metric Lie 3-algebras in Bagger-Lambert theory
    [with Paul de Medeiros and Elena Méndez-Escobar]
    JHEP 08 (2008)  045 (38 pages)
    arXiv:0806.3242 [hep-th]
  53. Lorentzian Lie n-algebras
    J. Math. Phys. 49 (2008)  113509 (8 pages)
    arXiv:0805.4760 [math.RT]
  54. Lorentzian Lie 3-algebras and their Bagger-Lambert moduli space
    [with Paul de Medeiros and Elena Méndez-Escobar]
    JHEP 07 (2008)  111 (27 pages)
    arXiv:0805.4363 [hep-th]
  55. Killing superalgebra deformations of ten-dimensional supergravity backgrounds
    [with Bert Vercnocke]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 24 (2007) 6041-6070
    arXiv:0708.3738 [hep-th]
  56. A geometric construction of the exceptional Lie algebras F4 and E8
    Comm. Math. Phys. 283 (2008) 663-674
    arXiv:0706.2829 [math.DG]
  57. Deformations of M-theory Killing superalgebras
    Class. Quant. Grav. 24 (2007) 5257-5276
    arXiv:0706.2600 [hep-th]
  58. The return of the four- and five-dimensional preons
    [with Jan Gutowski and Wafic Sabra]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 24 (2007) 4429-4438
    arXiv:0705.2778 [hep-th]
  59. The Killing superalgebra of ten-dimensional supergravity backgrounds
    [with Emily Hackett-Jones and George Moutsopoulos]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 24 (2007) 3291-3308
    hep-th/0703192
  60. Lorentzian symmetric spaces in supergravity
    Recent developments in pseudo-riemannian geometry
    Proceedings of the programme Geometry of pseudo-riemannian manifolds with application to physics, Erwin Schrödinger Institute, Vienna, September-December 2005.
    math.DG/0702205
  61. M-theory preons cannot arise by quotients
    [with Sunil Gadhia]
    JHEP 06 (2007)  043 (22 pages)
    hep-th/0702055
  62. Supersymmetry and spin structures
    [with Sunil Gadhia]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 22 (2005) L121-L126
    hep-th/0506229 | MR 2173739
  63. Gauging the Wess-Zumino term of a sigma model with boundary
    [with Noureddine Mohammedi]
    JHEP 08 (2005)  086 (22 pages)
    hep-th/0506049 | MR 2166110
  64. Homogeneity and plane-wave limits
    [with Patrick Meessen and Simon Philip]
    JHEP 05 (2005)  050 (42 pages)
    hep-th/0504069 | MR 2155055
  65. Supersymmetry and homogeneity in M-theory backgrounds
    [with Patrick Meessen and Simon Philip]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 22 (2005) 207-226
    hep-th/0409170 | MR 2123542
    Mathematica Notebook
  66. Quotients of AdSp+1 x Sq: causally well-behaved spaces and black holes
    [with Owen Madden, Simon Ross and Joan Simón]
    Phys. Rev. D 69 (2004) 124026 (29 pages)
    hep-th/0402094 | MR 2096178
  67. Supersymmetric Kaluza-Klein reductions of AdS backgrounds
    [with Joan Simón]
    ATMP 8 (2004)  217-317
    hep-th/0401206 | MR 2086923
  68. Parallelisable heterotic backgrounds
    [with Teruhiko Kawano and Satoshi Yamaguchi]
    JHEP 10 (2003)  012 (22 pages)
    hep-th/0308141 | MR 2030774
  69. Supergravity vacua and lorentzian Lie groups
    [with Ali Chamseddine and Wafic Sabra]
    hep-th/0306278
  70. On parallelisable NS-NS backgrounds
    Class. Quant. Grav. 20 (2003) 3327-3340
    hep-th/0305079 | MR 2004c:83144
  71. Penrose limits of Lie branes and a Nappi-Witten braneworld
    [with Sonia Stanciu]
    JHEP 06 (2003) 025 (21 pages)
    hep-th/0303212 | MR 1996689
  72. Plücker-type relations for orthogonal planes
    [with George Papadopoulos]
    J. Geom. Phys. 49 (2004) 294-331
    math.AG/0211170 | MR 2076747
  73. Maximally supersymmetric solutions to ten- and eleven-dimensional supergravities
    [with George Papadopoulos]
    JHEP 03 (2003) 048 (25 pages)
    hep-th/0211089 | MR 2004a:83081
  74. Supersymmetric Kaluza-Klein reductions of M-waves and MKK-monopoles
    [with Joan Simón]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 19 (2002) 6147-6174
    Corrigendum: ibid. 21 (2004) 337
    hep-th/0208108 | MR 2003j:83113
  75. Supersymmetric Kaluza-Klein reductions of M2- and M5-branes
    [with Joan Simón]
    ATMP 6 (2003)  703-793
    hep-th/0208107 | MR 1969656
  76. Penrose limits, supergravity and brane dynamics
    [with Matthias Blau and George Papadopoulos]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 19 (2002) 4753-4805
    hep-th/0202111 | MR 2003m:83140
  77. Penrose limits and maximal supersymmetry
    [with Matthias Blau, Chris Hull and George Papadopoulos]
    Class. Quant. Grav. 19 (2002) L87-L95
    hep-th/0201081 | MR 2003d:83106
    Nominated by the Editors of CQG among the Highlights of 2001 and 2002
  78. Appendix in An illustrated guide to D-branes in SU3
    [with Sonia Stanciu]
    hep-th/0111221
  79. Conformal topological Yang-Mills theory and de Sitter holography
    [with Paul de Medeiros, Chris Hull and Bill Spence]
    JHEP 08 (2002) 055 (31 pages)
    hep-th/0111190 | MR 2004h:81222
  80. A new maximally supersymmetric background of IIB superstring theory
    [with Matthias Blau, Chris Hull and George Papadopoulos]
    JHEP 01 (2002) 047 (16 pages)
    hep-th/0110242 | MR 2003m:81168
  81. Generalised supersymmetric fluxbranes
    [with Joan Simón]
    JHEP 12 (2001) 011 (26 pages)
    hep-th/0110170 | MR 2003e:81150
  82. Maximal supersymmetry in ten and eleven dimensions
    Proceedings of the workshop Special geometric structures in string theory, Bonn, September 2001.
    math.DG/0109162
  83. Homogeneous fluxes, branes and a maximally supersymmetric solution of M-theory
    [with George Papadopoulos]
    JHEP 06 (2001) 036 (26 pages)
    hep-th/0105308 | MR 2002h:81246
  84. D-brane charge, flux quantisation and relative (co)homology
    [with Sonia Stanciu]
    JHEP 01 (2001) 006 (16 pages)
    hep-th/0008038 | MR 2002e:81171
  85. D-Branes in AdS3 x S3 x S3 x S1
    [with Sonia Stanciu]
    JHEP 04 (2000) 005 (19 pages)
    hep-th/0001199 | MR 2001k:81220
  86. More Ricci-flat branes
    Phys. Lett. B471 (2000) 128-132
    hep-th/9910086 | MR 2001g:83115
  87. More D-branes in the Nappi-Witten background
    [with Sonia Stanciu]
    JHEP 01 (2000) 024 (16 pages)
    hep-th/9909164 | MR 2001g:81200
StonyBrook | KUL | Bonn | QMW | Edinburgh

Numbers [71] and higher were written while a lecturer, a reader and then a professor at the School of Mathematics of the University of Edinburgh.

The effect of the onset of full-time teaching, without the concomitant improvement in time-management skills, can be clearly felt in the relatively few papers I wrote during the three academic years 1998-2001. I then went on a much needed sabbatical!

Paper [82] was featured in March 2004 as an ESI hot new paper; although by that time it had cooled down considerably.

Papers [77], [83-4] and [91], and to a certain extent [92], form part of a research programme that Joan Simón and I started in 2001. That collaboration has spanned what has been a very difficult time for me personally, and if we have achieved what we set out to do, it is due in no small part to Joan's patience at a time of his professional life when, as a postdoc, production was paramount.
(Moltes gràcies, Joan!)

Thanks indeed to all my collaborators, to some of whom I'm linked by bonds of friendship which have outlasted our common scientific interests:

  1. Takashi Kimura
  2. Alvaro Díaz
  3. Stany Schrans
  4. Kris Thielemans
  5. Eduardo Ramos
  6. Javier Mas
  7. Sonia Stanciu
  8. Chris Hull
  9. Leonardo Palacios
  10. Arkady Vaintrob
  11. Chris Koehl
  12. Bill Spence
  13. Bobby Acharya
  14. Martin O'Loughlin
  15. Ali Imaanpur
  16. Jim McCarthy
  17. George Papadopoulos
  18. Joan Simón
  19. Matthias Blau
  20. Paul de Medeiros
  21. Ali Chamseddine
  22. Wafic Sabra
  23. Kawano Teruhiko
  24. Yamaguchi Satoshi
  25. Owen Madden
  26. Simon Ross
  27. Patrick Meessen
  28. Simon Philip
  29. Noureddine Mohammedi
  30. Sunil Gadhia
  31. Emily Hackett-Jones
  32. George Moutsopoulos
  33. Jan Gutowski
  34. Bert Vercnocke
  35. Elena Méndez-Escobar
  36. Patricia Ritter
  37. Noel Hustler
  38. Moustafa Gharamti
  39. Andrea Santi
  40. Mara Ungureanu
  41. Tomasz Andrzejewski
  42. Stefan Prohazka
  43. Ross Grassie
  44. Andrew Beckett
  45. Emil Have
  46. Jakob Salzer
  47. Eric Bergshoeff
  48. Joaquim Gomis
  49. Guido Franchetti
  50. Can Görmez
  51. Dieter Van den Bleeken
  52. Alfredo Pérez
  53. Kevin van Helden
  54. Jan Rosseel
  55. Iisakki Rotko
  56. Toonis ter Veldhuis
  57. Simon Pekar
  58. Girish Vishwa
  59. Carles Batlle
© José Figueroa-O'Farrill