SUPERCONFORMAL SIGMA-MODELS IN HIGHER THAN 2 DIMENSIONS

Rigidly superconformal sigma models in higher than two dimensions are constructed. These models rely on the existence of conformal Killing s pinors on the (p + 1)-dimensional worldvolume (p less than or equal to 5), and homothetic conformal Killing vectors in the d-dimensional tar get space. In the bosonic case, substituting into the action a particu lar form of the target space metric admitting such Killing vectors, we obtain an action with manifest worldvolume conformal symmetry, which describes the coupling of d - 1 scalars to a conformally flat metric o n the worldvolume. We also construct gauged sigma models with worldvol ume conformal supersymmetry. The models considered here are generaliza tions of the singleton actions on S-p X S-1, constructed some time ago by Nicolai and these authors.