E 8 in N=8 $$ \mathcal{N}=8 $$ supergravity in four dimensions

Abstract We argue that N=8 $$ \mathcal{N}=8 $$ supergravity in four dimensions exhibits an exceptional E 8(8) symmetry, enhanced from the known E 7(7) invariance. Our procedure to demonstrate this involves dimensional reduction of the N=8 $$ \mathcal{N}=8 $$ theory to d = 3, a field redefinition to render the E 8(8) invariance manifest, followed by dimensional oxidation back to d = 4