Constructing D-branes from K theory
Jul, 1999111 pages
Published in:
- Adv.Theor.Math.Phys. 3 (1999) 889-1025
e-Print:
- hep-th/9907140 [hep-th]
Report number:
- NBI-HE-99-17
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Abstract:
A detailed review of recent developments in the topological classification of D-branes in superstring theory is presented. Beginning with a thorough, self-contained introduction to the techniques and applications of topological K-theory, the relationships between the classic constructions of K-theory and the recent realizations of D-branes as tachyonic solitons, coming from bound states of higher dimensional systems of unstable branes, are described. It is shown how the K-theory formalism naturally reproduces the known spectra of BPS and non-BPS D-branes, and how it can be systematically used to predict the existence of new states. The emphasis is placed on the new interpretations of D-branes as conventional topological solitons in other brane worldvolumes, how the mathematical formalism can be used to deduce the gauge field content on both supersymmetric and non-BPS branes, and also how K-theory predicts new relationships between the various superstring theories and their D-brane spectra. The implementations of duality symmetries as natural isomorphisms of K-groups are discussed. The relationship with the standard cohomological classification is presented and used to derive an explicit formula for D-brane charges. Some string theoretical constructions of the K-theory predictions are also briefly described.- review
- membrane model: D-brane
- string model
- supersymmetry
- topology
- geometry
- cohomology
- orbifold
- duality: transformation
- compactification
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