Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Branes, weights and central charges

  • Published:
Journal of High Energy Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We study the properties of half-supersymmetric branes in string theory with 32 supercharges from a purely group-theoretical point of view using the U-duality symmetry of maximal supergravity and the R-symmetry of the corresponding supersymmetry algebra. In particular, we show that half-supersymmetric branes are always associated to the longest weights of the U-duality representation of the potentials coupling to them. We compare the features of branes with three or more transverse directions (that we call “standard” branes) to those with two or less transverse directions (that we denominate “non-standard” branes). We show why the BPS condition of the non-standard branes is in general degenerate and for each case we calculate this degeneracy. We furthermore show how the orbits of multi-charge configurations of non-standard branes can be calculated and give the U-duality invariants describing these orbits. We show that different orbits of non-standard branes can have the same BPS condition.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. E. Bergshoeff, E. Sezgin and P. Townsend, Supermembranes and eleven-dimensional supergravity, Phys. Lett. B 189 (1987) 75 [INSPIRE].

    MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. J. Polchinski, Dirichlet branes and Ramond-Ramond charges, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75 (1995) 4724 [hep-th/9510017] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. A. Strominger and C. Vafa, Microscopic origin of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, Phys. Lett. B 379 (1996) 99 [hep-th/9601029] [INSPIRE].

    MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. J.M. Maldacena, The large-N limit of superconformal field theories and supergravity, Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 2 (1998) 231 [Int. J. Theor. Phys. 38 (1999) 1113] [hep-th/9711200] [INSPIRE].

  5. L. Randall and R. Sundrum, A large mass hierarchy from a small extra dimension, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 (1999) 3370 [hep-ph/9905221] [INSPIRE].

  6. L. Randall and R. Sundrum, An alternative to compactification, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 (1999) 4690 [hep-th/9906064] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. J. de Azcarraga, J.P. Gauntlett, J. Izquierdo and P. Townsend, Topological extensions of the supersymmetry algebra for extended objects, Phys. Rev. Lett. 63 (1989) 2443 [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. B.R. Greene, A.D. Shapere, C. Vafa and S.-T. Yau, Stringy cosmic strings and noncompact Calabi-Yau manifolds, Nucl. Phys. B 337 (1990) 1 [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. G.W. Gibbons, M.B. Green and M.J. Perry, Instantons and seven-branes in type IIB superstring theory, Phys. Lett. B 370 (1996) 37 [hep-th/9511080] [INSPIRE].

    MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. C. Vafa, Evidence for F-theory, Nucl. Phys. B 469 (1996) 403 [hep-th/9602022] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. E.A. Bergshoeff, T. Ort´ın and F. Riccioni, Defect branes, Nucl. Phys. B 856 (2012) 210 [arXiv:1109.4484] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. E.A. Bergshoeff and F. Riccioni, D-brane Wess-Zumino terms and U-duality, JHEP 11 (2010) 139 [arXiv:1009.4657] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. E.A. Bergshoeff, M. de Roo, S.F. Kerstan and F. Riccioni, IIB supergravity revisited, JHEP 08 (2005) 098 [hep-th/0506013] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. E.A. Bergshoeff, M. de Roo, S.F. Kerstan, T. Ortín and F. Riccioni, IIA ten-forms and the gauge algebras of maximal supergravity theories, JHEP 07 (2006) 018 [hep-th/0602280] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. E. Bergshoeff, J. Hartong, P. Howe, T. Ort´ın and F. Riccioni, IIA/IIB supergravity and ten-forms, JHEP 05 (2010) 061 [arXiv:1004.1348] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. F. Riccioni and P.C. West, The E 11 origin of all maximal supergravities, JHEP 07 (2007) 063 [arXiv:0705.0752] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. E.A. Bergshoeff, I. De Baetselier and T.A. Nutma, E 11 and the embedding tensor, JHEP 09 (2007) 047 [arXiv:0705.1304] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. P.C. West, E 11 and M-theory, Class. Quant. Grav. 18 (2001) 4443 [hep-th/0104081] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. B. de Wit, H. Nicolai and H. Samtleben, Gauged supergravities, tensor hierarchies and M-theory, JHEP 02 (2008) 044 [arXiv:0801.1294] [INSPIRE].

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. E.A. Bergshoeff and F. Riccioni, The D-brane U-scan, arXiv:1109.1725 [INSPIRE].

  21. E.A. Bergshoeff, A. Marrani and F. Riccioni, Brane orbits, Nucl. Phys. B 861 (2012) 104 [arXiv:1201.5819] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. A. Kleinschmidt, Counting supersymmetric branes, JHEP 10 (2011) 144 [arXiv:1109.2025] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. E.A. Bergshoeff, A. Kleinschmidt and F. Riccioni, Supersymmetric domain walls, Phys. Rev. D 86 (2012) 085043 [arXiv:1206.5697] [INSPIRE].

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. E.A. Bergshoeff and F. Riccioni, Heterotic wrapping rules, JHEP 01 (2013) 005 [arXiv:1210.1422] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. H. Lü, C. Pope and K. Stelle, Multiplet structures of BPS solitons, Class. Quant. Grav. 15 (1998) 537 [hep-th/9708109] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. S. Ferrara and J.M. Maldacena, Branes, central charges and U duality invariant BPS conditions, Class. Quant. Grav. 15 (1998) 749 [hep-th/9706097] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  27. R.N. Cahn, Semisimple Lie algebras and their representations, Frontiers in Physics volume 59, Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park U.S.A. (1984).

  28. E.A. Bergshoeff, M. de Roo, S.F. Kerstan, T. Ortín and F. Riccioni, SL(2, \( \mathbb{R} \))-invariant IIB brane actions, JHEP 02 (2007) 007 [hep-th/0611036] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. S. Ferrara and M. Günaydin, Orbits of exceptional groups, duality and BPS states in string theory, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 13 (1998) 2075 [hep-th/9708025] [INSPIRE].

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. G. Bossard and H. Nicolai, Multi-black holes from nilpotent Lie algebra orbits, Gen. Rel. Grav. 42 (2010) 509 [arXiv:0906.1987] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  31. L. Borsten et al., Observations on integral and continuous U-duality orbits in N = 8 supergravity, Class. Quant. Grav. 27 (2010) 185003 [arXiv:1002.4223] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. F. Riccioni, A. Van Proeyen and P.C. West, Real forms of very extended Kac-Moody algebras and theories with eight supersymmetries, JHEP 05 (2008) 079 [arXiv:0801.2763] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. P.C. West, E 11 origin of brane charges and U-duality multiplets, JHEP 08 (2004) 052 [hep-th/0406150] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. P.C. West, The IIA, IIB and eleven-dimensional theories and their common E 11 origin, Nucl. Phys. B 693 (2004) 76 [hep-th/0402140] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  35. F. Englert and L. Houart, G+++ invariant formulation of gravity and M-theories: Exact intersecting brane solutions, JHEP 05 (2004) 059 [hep-th/0405082] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  36. P.P. Cook, Bound states of string theory and beyond, JHEP 03 (2012) 028 [arXiv:1109.6595] [INSPIRE].

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  37. J. de Boer and M. Shigemori, Exotic branes in string theory, arXiv:1209.6056 [INSPIRE].

  38. E.A. Bergshoeff and F. Riccioni, Dual doubled geometry, Phys. Lett. B 702 (2011) 281 [arXiv:1106.0212] [INSPIRE].

    MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  39. E.A. Bergshoeff and F. Riccioni, Branes and wrapping rules, Phys. Lett. B 704 (2011) 367 [arXiv:1108.5067] [INSPIRE].

    MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. C. Hull, A geometry for non-geometric string backgrounds, JHEP 10 (2005) 065 [hep-th/0406102] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  41. C.M. Hull, Doubled geometry and T-Folds, JHEP 07 (2007) 080 [hep-th/0605149] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  42. C. Hull and R. Reid-Edwards, Gauge symmetry, T-duality and doubled geometry, JHEP 08 (2008) 043 [arXiv:0711.4818] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  43. E.A. Bergshoeff and F. Riccioni, String solitons and T-duality, JHEP 05 (2011) 131 [arXiv:1102.0934] [INSPIRE].

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Eric A. Bergshoeff

  2. INFN Sezione di Roma, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy

    Fabio Riccioni & Luca Romano

Authors
  1. Eric A. Bergshoeff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fabio Riccioni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luca Romano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric A. Bergshoeff.

Additional information

ArXiv ePrint: 1303.0221

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bergshoeff, E.A., Riccioni, F. & Romano, L. Branes, weights and central charges. J. High Energ. Phys. 2013, 19 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2013)019

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2013)019

Keywords

Search

Navigation