Membranes with a boundary

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. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.