Yangian Symmetry in Five Dimensions

Abstract: Quantum gravity in AdS$_7 \times$S$^4$ is dual to a 6d superconformal field theory, known as the 6d $(2,0)$ theory, which is very challenging to describe because it lacks a conventional Lagrangian description. On the other hand, certain null reductions of the 6d $(2,0)$ theory give rise to 5d Lagrangian theories with $SU(1,3)$ spacetime symmetry, $SO(5)$ R-symmetry, and 24 supercharges. This appears to be closely related to the superconformal group of a 3d superconformal Chern-Simons theory known as the ABJM theory, which is believed to be integrable in the planar limit, if one exchanges the role of conformal and R-symmetry. In this note, we construct a representation of the 5d superconformal group using 6d supertwistors and show that it admits an infinite dimensional extension known as Yangian symmetry, which opens up the possiblity that these 5d theories are exactly solvable in the planar limit.