ar X iv : h ep - t h / 03 05 11 2 v 2 2 7 M ay 2 00 3 On the dual equivalence of the self - dual and topologically massive p - form models

We study the duality symmetry in p-form models containing a generalized Bq ∧ Fp+1 term in spacetime manifolds of arbitrary dimensions. The equivalence between the Bq ∧Fp+1 self-dual (SDB∧F ) and the Bq ∧Fp+1 topologically massive (TMB∧F ) models is established using a gauge embedding procedure, including the minimal coupling to conserved charged matter current. The minimal coupling adopted for both tensor fields in the self-dual representation is transformed into a non minimal magnetic like coupling in the topologically massive representation but with the currents swapped. It is known that to establish this equivalence a current-current interaction term is needed to render the matter sector unchanged. We show that both terms arise naturally from the embedding adopted. Comparison with Higgs/Julia-Toulouse duality is established.