Towards a field theory of F-theory

We make a proposal for a bosonic field theory in twelve dimensions that admits the bosonic sector of eleven-dimensional supergravity as a consistent truncation. It can also be consistently truncated to a ten-dimensional Lagrangian that contains all the BPS p-brane solitons of the type IIB theory. The mechanism allowing the consistent truncation in the latter case is unusual, in that additional fields with an off-diagonal kinetic term are non-vanishing and yet do not contribute to the dynamics of the ten-dimensional theory. They do, however, influence the oxidation of solutions back to twelve dimensions. We present a discussion of the oxidations of all the basic BPS solitons of M-theory and the type IIB string to D = 12. In particular, the NS-NS and R-R strings of type IIB theory arise as the wrappings of membranes in D = 12 around one or other circle of the compactifying 2-torus.