M-Theory and Two-Dimensional Effective Dynamics

We calculate from M-theory the two-dimensional low energy effective dynamics of various brane configurations. In the first part we study configurations that have a dual description in type IIA string theory as two-dimensional (4,0) Yang-Mills theories with gauge group SU(N_1)xSU(N_2) and chiral fermions in the bi-fundamental representation. In the second part we derive related equations of motion which describe the low energy internal dynamics of a supersymmetric black hole in four-dimensional N=1 supergravity, obtained as an M-fivebrane wrapped on a complex four-cycle.