# Contents

## 1 Decomposition of 10 Dimensions

Some physics models have 10 dimensions that are usually decomposed into:

4 spacetime dimensions with local Lorentz $`Spin(1,3)`$ symmetry

plus

a 6-dimensional compact space related to internal symmetries.   

A possibly useful alternative decomposition is into:

6 spacetime dimensions with local $`C(1,3)=Spin(2,4)=SU(2,2)`$ Conformal symmetry.

plus

a 4-dimensional compact Internal Symmetry Space.

### 1.1 6-Dimensional Conformal spacetime

Conformal symmetries and some of their physical applications are described in the book of Barut and Raczka .

The Conformal group $`C(1,3)`$ of Minkowski spacetime is the group $`SU(2,2)=Spin(2,4)`$. As $`Spin(2,4)`$, the Conformal group acts on a 6-dimensional (2,4)-space that is related to the 6-dimensional $`𝐂P^3`$ space of Penrose twistors .

It is reasonable to consider the 6-dimensional Conformal space as the spacetime in the dimensional decomposition of 10-dimensional models because Conformal symmetry is consistent with such physics structures as:   

Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism;   

the quantum theoretical hydrogen atom;   

the canonical Dirac Lagrangian for massive fermions, as shown by Liu, Ma, and Hou ;   

gravity derived from the Conformal group using the MacDowell-Mansouri mechanism, as described by Mohapatra ;   

the Lie Sphere geometry of spacetime correlations; and   

the Conformal physics model of I. E. Segal .   

### 1.2 4-Dimensional Internal Symmetry Space

An example of a possibly useful 4-dimensional compact Internal Symmetry Space is complex projective 2-space $`𝐂P^2`$.

Since $`𝐂P^2=SU(3)/U(2)`$, it is a natural representation space for $`SU(3)`$.

Further, $`U(2)=SU(2)\times U(1)`$ can be represented naturally on $`𝐂P^2=SU(3)/U(2)`$ as a local action.

Therefore, all three of the gauge groups of the Standard Model $`SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)`$ can be represented on the 4-dimensional compact Internal Symmetry Space $`𝐂P^2=SU(3)/U(2)`$.

The following section lists some examples of physics models that have such 10-dimensional spaces: Superstring theory; the Division Algebra model of Geoffrey Dixon; and the $`D_4D_5E_6E_7`$ physics model.

## 2 Superstrings, Dixon, and D4-D5-E6-E7

### 2.1 Superstrings

The 10-dimensional space of Superstring theory is well known, and described in many references, so I will not try to summarize it here. One particularly current and thorough reference is the 2-volume work of Polchinski .

### 2.2 Geoffrey Dixon’s Division Algebra model

Geoffrey Dixon, in his publications and website , considers the real division algebras:   
the real numbers $`𝐑`$;   
the complex numbers $`𝐂`$;   
the quaternions $`𝐐`$; and   
the octonions $`𝐎`$.   

Dixon then forms the tensor product $`𝐓=𝐑𝐂𝐐𝐎`$ and considers the 64-real-dimensional space $`𝐓`$.

Then Dixon takes the left-adjoint actions $`𝐓_𝐋=𝐂_𝐋𝐐_𝐋𝐎_𝐋`$, and notes that $`𝐓_𝐋`$ is isomorphic to $`𝐂(16)=Cl(0,9)=𝐂Cl(0,8)`$.

Then Dixon considers the algebra $`𝐓`$ to be the spinor space of $`𝐓_𝐋`$.

Then Dixon forms a matrix algebra $`𝐓_L(2)`$ as the $`2\times 2`$ matrices whose elements are in the left-action adjoint matrix algebra $`𝐓_𝐋`$ and notes that $`𝐓_𝐋(\mathrm{𝟐})`$ is isomorphic to $`𝐂(32)=𝐂Cl(1,9)`$.

Dixon describes the matrices $`𝐓_𝐋(\mathrm{𝟐})`$ as having spinor space $`𝐓𝐓`$ and $`𝐂Cl(1,9)`$ as the Dirac algebra of 10-dimensional (1,9)-space.

Dixon then describes leptons and quarks in terms of reduction of the Dirac spinors of the 10-dimensional (1,9)-space to the Dirac spinors of a 4-dimensional (1,3)-spacetime.

The right-action adjoint matrix algebra $`𝐓_𝐑`$ is not the same as the left-action adjoint $`𝐓_𝐋`$, because, although $`𝐂_𝐑=𝐂_𝐋`$ and $`𝐎_𝐑=𝐎_𝐋`$, it is a fact that $`𝐐_𝐑𝐐_𝐋`$ (they are isomorphic but not identical).

Since $`𝐐_𝐑=𝐐`$, the part of the matrix algebra $`𝐓_𝐑`$ that differs from $`𝐓_𝐋`$ is just $`𝐐`$, and the different part of the $`2\times 2`$ matrix algebra $`𝐓_R(2)`$ is just the $`2\times 2`$ matrix algebra with quaternion entries $`𝐐(2)`$.

In section 6.7 of his book , Dixon shows that commutator closure of the set of traceless $`2\times 2`$ matrices over the quaternions $`𝐐`$, which he denotes by $`sl(2,𝐐)`$, is the Lie algebra of $`Spin(1,5)`$.

Since the Lie algebra $`Spin(1,5)`$ is just the Lie algebra of the Conformal group $`C(1,3)=Spin(2,4)=SU(2,2)`$ with a different signature,

I conjecture that it might be useful to consider the spacetime part of Dixon’s 10-dimensional (1,9)-space to be the 6-dimensional (1,5)-spacetime of $`Spin(1,5)`$.

That would leave a 4-dimensional (0,4)-space to be used as an Internal Symmetry Space.

### 2.3 the D4-D5-E6-E7 model

The $`D_5`$ Lie algebra of the $`D_4D_5E_6E_7`$ physics model corresponds (with Conformal signature) to the Lie algebra $`Spin(2,8)`$ of the Clifford algebra $`Cl(2,8)`$ whose vector space is 10-dimensional.   

As the $`D_4D_5E_6E_7`$ physics model is described on the web , I will not try to summarize it here.

## 3 Acknowledgements

The idea of 6-dimenisonal spacetime with Conformal symmetry was motivated by the works of I. E. Segal  and by e-mail conversations with Robert Neil Boyd.

The idea of 4-dimensional Internal Symmetry Space was motivated by Cayley calibrations of octonions  and by e-mail conversations with Matti Pitkanen.