Fundamental Extended Objects for Chern-Simons Supergravity

We propose a class of models in which extended objects are introduced inChern-Simons supergravity in such a way that those objects appear on the samefooting as the target space. This is motivated by the idea that branes arealready first quantized object, so that it is desirable to have a formalismthat treats branes and their target space in a similar fashion. Accordingly,our models describe interacting branes, as gauge systems for supergroups. Wealso consider the case in which those objects have boundaries, and discusspossible links to superstring theory and/or M-theory, by studying the fermionickappa-symmetry of the action