Kaluza-Klein Spectrometry from Exceptional Field Theory

Abstract: Exceptional field theories yield duality-covariant formulations of higher-dimensional supergravity. They have proven to be an efficient tool for the construction of consistent truncations around various background geometries. In this paper, we demonstrate how the formalism can moreover be turned into a powerful tool for computing the Kaluza-Klein mass spectra around these backgrounds. Most of these geometries have little to no remaining symmetries and their spectra are accessible to standard methods only in selected subsectors. The present formalism not only grants access to the full Kaluza-Klein spectra but also provides the scheme to identify the resulting mass eigenstates in higher dimensions. As a first illustration, we rederive in compact form the mass spectrum of IIB supergravity on $S^5$. We further discuss the application of our formalism to determine the mass spectra of higher Kaluza-Klein multiplets around the warped geometries corresponding to some prominent ${\cal N}=2$ and ${\cal N}=0$ AdS vacua in maximal supergravity.