title: BPS states in M theory and twistorial constituents.
abstract: We provide a complete algebraic description of Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) states in M theory in terms of primary constituents that we call BPS preons. We argue that any BPS state preserving k of the 32 supersymmetries is a composite of (32-k) BPS preons. In particular, the BPS states corresponding to the basic M2 and M5 branes are composed of 16 BPS preons. By extending the M algebra to a generalized D = 11 conformal superalgebra osp(1/64) we relate the BPS preons with its fundamental representation, the D = 11 supertwistors.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física Teórica and IFIC, 46100-Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. bandos@ific.uv.es
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bandos
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Azcárraga
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Izquierdo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lukierski