(0, 4) Projective superspaces. Part I. Interacting linear sigma models

We describe the projective superspace approach to supersymmetric models with off-shell (0, 4) supersymmetry in two dimensions. In addition to the usual superspace coordinates, projective superspace has extra bosonic variables — one doublet for each SU(2) in the R-symmetry SU(2) × SU(2) which are interpreted as homogeneous coordinates on CP ¹ × CP ¹. The superfields are analytic in the CP ¹ coordinates and this analyticity plays an important role in our description. For instance, it leads to stringent constraints on the interactions one can write down for a given superfield content of the model. As an example, we describe in projective superspace Witten’s ADHM sigma model — a linear sigma model with non-derivative interactions whose target is R ⁴ with a Yang-Mills instanton solution. The hyperkähler nature of target space and the twistor description of instantons by Ward, and Atiyah, Hitchin, Drinfeld and Manin are natural outputs of our construction.