The heterotic string is a soliton

It is shown that the Type IIA superstring compactified on K3 has a smooth string soliton with the same zero mode structure as the heterotic string compactified on a four-torus, thus providing new evidence for a conjectured exact duality between the two six-dimensional string theories. The chiral worldsheet bosons arise as zero modes of Ramond-Ramond fields of the IIA string theory and live on a signature (20,4) even, self-dual lattice. Stable, finite loops of soliton string provide the charged Ramond-Ramond states necessary for enhanced gauge symmetries at degeneration points of the K3 surface. It is also shown that Type IIB strings toroidally compactified to six dimensions have a multiplet of string solutions with Type II worldsheets.     

Dyonic membranes

We present dyonic multi-membrane solutions of the N = 2 D = 8 supergravity theory that serves as the effective field theory of the T²-compactified type II superstring theory. The ‘electric’ charge is fractional for generic asymptotic values of an axion field, as for D = 4 dyons. These membrane solutions are supersymmetric, saturate a Bogomolnyi bound, fill out orbits of an subgroup of the type II D = 8 T-duality group, and are non-singular when considered as solutions of T³-compactified D = 11 supergravity. On K₃ compactification to D = 4, the conjectured type II/heterotic equivalence allows the group to be reinterpreted as the S-duality group of the toroidally compactified heterotic string and the dyonic membranes wrapped around homology two-cycles of K₃ as S-duals of perturbative heterotic string states.     

Space-time supersymmetry in covariant superstring field theory

It is shown that the existence of a transition operator, which interchanges the BRS charges of the Neveu-Schwarz and the Ramond sectors, implies space-time supersymmetry in the covariant free open superstring field theory proposed previously by the present authors.     

Wess–Zumino actions and Dirichlet boundary conditions for super p-branes with exotic fractions of supersymmetry

The general solutions in the models of closed and open superstring and super p-branes with exotic fractions of the N=1 supersymmetry are considered and the spontaneously broken character of the OSp(1,2M) symmetry of the models is established. It is shown that extending these models by Wess–Zumino terms generates the Dirichlet boundary conditions for superstring and super p-branes. Using the generalized Wess–Zumino terms new OSp(1,2M)-invariant super p-brane and Dp-brane-like actions preserving (M−1)/M fraction of supersymmetry are proposed. For M=32 these models suggest new superbrane vacua of M-theory preserving 31 from 32 global supersymmetries.     

One loop partition functions in a compactified open bosonic string theory

We calculate the one loop partition functions of a toroidally compactified open bosonic string (fromD=26 toD=10) in the path integral formalism. By a certain combination of the compactified sectors it is shown that the partition functions of a compactified open bosonic string vanish in both annulus and Möbius strip topologies as in the open superstring case. We also discuss the consistency requirement for the equivalence between the compactified open bosonic string and the open superstring with the gauge groups (SO(8192) andSO(32), respectively.     

D-brane solutions in a light-like linear dilaton background

The light-like linear dilaton background presents a simple time dependent solution of type II supergravity equations of motion that preserves 1/2 supersymmetry in ten dimensions. We construct supergravity D-brane solutions in a linear dilaton background starting from the known intersecting brane solutions in string theory. By applying a Penrose limit on the intersecting (NS1–NS5–NS5′)-brane solution, we find out a D5-brane in a linear dilaton background. We solve the Killing spinor equations for the brane solutions explicitly, and show that they preserve 1/4 supersymmetry. We also find a M5-brane solution in eleven-dimensional supergravity.     

Exact monodromy group of N = 2 heterotic superstring

We describe an N = 2 heterotic superstring model of rank 3 which is dual to the type II string compactified on a Calabi-Yau manifold with Betti numbers b_1,1 = 2 and b_1,2 = 86. We show that the exact duality symmetry found from the type II realization contains the perturbative duality group of the heterotic model, as well as the exact quantum monodromies of the rigid SU(2) super-Yang-Mills theory. Moreover, it contains a non-perturbative monodromy which is stringy in origin and corresponds roughly to an exchange of the string coupling with the compactification radius.     

Defect branes

We discuss some general properties of “defect branes”, i.e. branes of co-dimension two, in (toroidally compactified) IIA/IIB string theory. In particular, we give a full classification of the supersymmetric defect branes in dimensions 3?D?10 as well as their higher-dimensional string and M-theory origin as branes and a set of “generalized” Kaluza-Klein monopoles. We point out a relation between the generalized Kaluza-Klein monopole solutions and a particular type of mixed-symmetry tensors. These mixed-symmetry tensors can be defined at the linearized level as duals of the supergravity potentials that describe propagating degrees of freedom. It is noted that the number of supersymmetric defect branes is always twice the number of corresponding central charges in the supersymmetry algebra.     

Brane orbits

We complete the classification of half-supersymmetric branes in toroidally compactified IIA/IIB string theory in terms of representations of the T-duality group. As a by-product we derive a last wrapping rule for the space-filling branes. We find examples of T-duality representations of branes in lower dimensions, suggested by supergravity, of which none of the component branes follow from the reduction of any brane in ten-dimensional IIA/IIB string theory. We discuss the constraints on the charges of half-supersymmetric branes, determining the corresponding T-duality and U-duality orbits.     

Magnetic black holes with string-loop corrections

String-loop corrections to magnetic black holes are studied. 4D effective action is obtained by compactification of the heterotic string theory on the manifold K3×T² or on a suitable orbifold yielding N=1 supersymmetry in 6D. In the resulting 4D theory with N=2 local supersymmetry, the prepotential receives only one-string-loop perturbative correction. The loop-corrected black hole is obtained in two approaches: (i) by solving the system of the Einstein-Maxwell equations of motion derived from the loop-corrected effective action and (ii) by solving the system of spinor Killing equations (conditions for the supersymmetry variations of the fermions to vanish) and Maxwell equations. We consider a particular tree-level solution with the magnetic charges adjusted so that the moduli connected with the metric of the internal two-torus are constant. In this case, the loop correction to the prepotential is independent of coordinates, and it is possible to solve the system of the Einstein-Maxwell and spinor Killing equations in the first order in string coupling analytically. The set of supersymmetric solutions of the loop-corrected spinor Killing equations is contained in a larger set of solutions of the equations of motion derived from the string-loop-corrected effective action. Loop corrections to the metric and dilaton are large at small distances from the center of the black hole.     

N-Superstring vertex and the vertex operator for the emission of the superstring

The BRST invariant, supersymmetric N-string vertex which applies to both, the Neveu-Schwarz and Ramond sector of the superstring is formulated using the vertex operator for the emission of a superstring. It is shown that the N-superstring vertex thus obtained is cyclic symmetric when GSO projected on-shell states and operators for the external strings are applied. The constraint equations of this vertex and their singularity structure are examined and we show that this vertex also has the required property of a transition operator. We also give a proof of its BRST invariance and supersymmetry.     

Matrix string theory

Via compactification on a circle, the matrix mode] of M-theory proposed by Banks et a]. suggests a concrete identification between the large N limit of two-dimensional N = 8 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory and type IIA string theory. In this paper we collect evidence that supports this identification. We explicitly identify the perturbative string states and their interactions, and describe the appearance of D-particle and D-membrane states.     

SUSY breaking by nonperturbative dynamics in a matrix model for 2D type IIA superstrings

We explicitly compute nonperturbative effects in a supersymmetric double-well matrix model corresponding to two-dimensional type IIA superstring theory on a nontrivial Ramond–Ramond background. We analytically determine the full one-instanton contribution to the free energy and one-point function, including all perturbative fluctuations around the one-instanton background. The leading order two-instanton contribution is determined as well. We see that supersymmetry is spontaneously broken by instantons, and that the breaking persists after taking a double scaling limit which realizes the type IIA theory from the matrix model. The result implies that spontaneous supersymmetry breaking occurs by nonperturbative dynamics in the target space of the IIA theory. Furthermore, we numerically determine the full nonperturbative effects by recursive evaluation of orthogonal polynomials. The free energy of the matrix model appears well-defined and finite even in the strongly coupled limit of the corresponding type IIA theory. The result might suggest a weakly coupled theory appearing as an S-dual to the two-dimensional type IIA superstring theory.     

On the string interpretation of M(atrix) theory

It has been proposed recently that, in the framework of M(atrix) theory, = 8 supersymmetric U(N) Yang-Mills theory in 1 + 1 dimensions gives rise to type IIA long string configurations. We point out that the quantum moduli space of SYM_{1 + 1} gives rise to two quantum numbers, which fit very well into the M(atrix) theory. The two quantum numbers become familiar if one switches to a IIB picture, where they represent configurations of D-strings and fundamental strings. We argue that, due to the SL(2,Z) symmetry, of the IIB theory, such quantum numbers must represent configurations that are present also in the IIA framework.     

Anti-de Sitter BPS black holes in N=2 gauged supergravity

Electrically charged solutions breaking half of the supersymmetry in Anti-de Sitter four dimensional N=2 supergravity coupled to vector supermultiplets are constructed. These static black holes live in an asymptotic AdS₄ space time. The Killing spinor, i.e., the spinor for supersymmetry variation is explicitly constructed for these solutions.     

6D microstate geometries from 10D structures

We use the formalism of Generalised Geometry to characterise in general the supersymmetric backgrounds in type II supergravity that have a null Killing vector. We then specify this analysis to configurations that preserve the same supersymmetries as the D1–D5–P system compactified on a four-manifold. We give a set of equations on the forms defining the supergravity background that are equivalent to the supersymmetry constraints and the equations of motion. This study is motivated by the search of new microstate geometries for the D1–D5–P black hole. As an example, we rewrite the linearised three-charge solution of arXiv:hep-th/0311092 in our formalism and show how to extend it to a non-linear, regular and asymptotically flat configuration.     

Self-dual supergravity from N = 2 strings

A new heterotic N = 2 string with manifest target space supersymmetry is constructed by combining a conventional N = 2 string in the right-moving sector and a Green-Schwarz-Berkovits type string in the left-moving sector. The corresponding sigma mode] is then obtained by turning on background fields for the massless excitations. We compute the beta functions and we partially check the OPE's of the superconformal algebra perturbatively in t', all in superspace. The resulting field equations describe N = 1 self-dual supergravity.     

Supersymmetry in boundary integrable models

Quantum integrable models that possess N = 2 supersymmetry are investigated on the half-space. Conformal perturbation theory is used to identify some N = 2 supersymmetric boundary integrable models, and the effective boundary Landau-Ginzburg formulations are constructed. It is found that N = 2 supersymmetry largely determines the boundary action in terms of the bulk, and in particular, the boundary bosonic potential is |W|², where W is the bulk superpotential. Supersymmetry is also investigated using the affine quantum group symmetry of exact scattering matrices, and the affine quantum group symmetry of boundary reflection matrices is analyzed both for supersymmetric and more general models. Some N = 2 supersymmetry preserving boundary reflection matrices are given, and their connection with the boundary Landau-Ginzburg actions is discussed.     

Classification of supersymmetric spacetimes in eleven dimensions

We derive, for spacetimes admitting a Spin(7) structure, the general local bosonic solution of the Killing spinor equation of 11-dimensional supergravity. The metric, four-form, and Killing spinors are determined explicitly, up to an arbitrary eight-manifold of Spin(7) holonomy. It is sufficient to impose the Bianchi identity and one particular component of the four-form field equation to ensure that the solution of the Killing spinor equation also satisfies all the field equations, and we give these conditions explicitly.     

Supersymmetric Killing Structures

In this text we combine the notions of supergeometry and supersymmetry. We construct a special class of supermanifolds whose reduced manifolds are (pseudo-) Riemannian manifolds. These supermanifolds allow us to treat vector fields on the one hand and spinor fields on the other hand as equivalent geometric objects. This is the starting point of our definition of supersymmetric Killing structures. The latter combines subspaces of vector fields and spinor fields, provided they fulfill certain field equations. This naturally leads to a superalgebra which extends the supersymmetry algebra to the case of non-flat reduced space. We examine in detail the additional terms which enter into this structure and we give a lot of examples.