Quantum phase transition in a Dp-Dq system

Using the top-down approach, we study intersecting Dp-Dq brane configuration in string theory and find examples, where there can be a quantum phase transition at zero temperature induced by the violation of the Breitenlohner-Freedman (BF) bound at IR, which is done essentially by a combination of charge density and magnetic fields. In particular, there exists a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) type of transition for D3-D5 and D5-D5 systems. The study of the BKT type of transition is initiated by Jensen et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 105}, 041601 (2010) ] for a D3-D5 system with nonzero charge density and a magnetic field. Here, we show that one can have the BKT transition for a D3-D5 system even in the absence of charge density but requires multiple magnetic fields. In this case the field theory lives in 2+1 dimensions, whereas for the D5-D5 type, the transition requires the presence of both the charge density and magnetic fields and the dual field theory lives on a 3+1 dimensional spacetime. We also study the D3-D7 system but it does not show the BKT type of transition.Comment: 1+37 pages; v2 Chern-Simon term for D3-D5 case presented, typos fixed and a reference added; v3 Minor corrections, Chern-Simon term for D2-D4, D4-D6, and D5-D7 added, also an appendix and few references added; v4 Journal versio

Supersymmetric Giant Graviton Solutions in AdS_3

We parameterize all classical probe brane configurations that preserve 4 supersymmetries in (a) the extremal D1-D5 geometry, (b) the extremal D1-D5-P geometry, (c) the smooth D1-D5 solutions proposed by Lunin and Mathur and (d) global $AdS_3 \times S_3 \times T^4/K3$. These configurations consist of D1 branes, D5 branes and bound states of D5 and D1 branes with the property that a particular Killing vector is tangent to the brane worldvolume at each point. We show that the supersymmetric sector of the D5 brane worldvolume theory may be analyzed in an effective 1+1 dimensional framework that places it on the same footing as D1 branes. In global AdS and the corresponding Lunin-Mathur solution, the solutions we describe are `bound' to the center of AdS for generic parameters and cannot escape to infinity. We show that these probes only exist on the submanifold of moduli space where the background $B_{NS}$ field and theta angle vanish. We quantize these probes in the near horizon region of the extremal D1-D5 geometry and obtain the theory of long strings discussed by Seiberg and Witten.Comment: 63 page

D5D5-brane type I superstring background fields in terms of type IIB ones by canonical method and T-duality approach

We consider type IIB superstring theory with embedded $D5$-brane and choose boundary conditions which preserve half of the initial supersymmetry. In the canonical approach that we use, boundary conditions are treated as canonical constraints. The effective theory, obtained from the initial one on the solution of boundary conditions, has the form of the type I superstring theory with embedded $D5$-brane. We obtain the expressions for $D5$-brane background fields of type I theory in terms of the $D5$-brane background fields of type IIB theory. We show that beside known $\Omega$ even fields, they contain squares of $\Omega$ odd ones, where $\Omega$ is world-sheet parity transformation, $\Omega:\sigma\to -\sigma$. We relate result of this paper and the results of [1] using T-dualities along four directions orthogonal to $D5$-brane

Mesons and Higgs branch in defect theories

We consider the defect theory obtained by intersecting D3- and D5-branes along two common spatial directions. We work in the approximation in which the D5-brane is a probe in the AdS_5xS^5 background. By adding worldvolume flux to the D5-brane and choosing an appropriate embedding of the probe in AdS_5xS^5, one gets a supersymmetric configuration in which some of the D3-branes recombine with the D5-brane. We check this fact by showing that the D5-brane can be regarded as a system of polarized D3-branes. On the field theory side this corresponds to the Higgs branch of the defect theory, where some of the fundamental hypermultiplet fields living on the intersection acquire a vacuum expectation value. We study the spectrum of mesonic bound states of the defect theory in this Higgs branch and show that it is continuous and gapless.Comment: 15 pages, LaTe

D1 and D5-Brane Actions in AdS_m x S^n

The kappa-invariant and supersymmetric actions of D1 and D5-branes in AdS_3 x S^3 are investigated, as well as the action of a D5-brane in an AdS_5 x S^5 background. The action of a D5-brane lying totally in an AdS_3 x S^3 background is found. Some progress was made towards finding the action for the D5-brane free to move in the whole AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4 space, however the supersymmetric action found here is not kappa-invariant and the reasons the method used did not find a kappa-invariant solution are discussed.Comment: 17pp, Latex, improved explanations, a definition adde

The `s-rule' exclusion principle and vacuum interpolation in worldvolume dynamics

We show how the worldvolume realization of the Hanany-Witten effect for a supersymmetric D5-brane in a D3 background also provides a classical realization of the `s-rule' exclusion principle. Despite the supersymmetry, the force on the D5-brane vanishes only in the D5 `ground state', which is shown to interpolate between 6-dimensional Minkowski space and an $OSp(4^*|4)$-invariant $adS_2\times S^4$ geometry. The M-theory analogue of these results is briefly discussed.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, LaTeX JHEP styl

Supersymmetric probes on the conifold

We study the supersymmetric embeddings of different D-brane probes in the AdS_5 x T^{1,1} geometry. The main tool employed is kappa symmetry and the cases studied include D3-, D5- and D7-branes. We find a family of three-cycles of the T^{1,1} space over which a D3-brane can be wrapped supersymmetrically and we determine the field content of the corresponding gauge theory duals. Supersymmetric configurations of D5-branes wrapping a two-cycle and of spacetime filling D7-branes are also found. The configurations in which the entire T^{1,1} space is wrapped by a D5-brane (baryon vertex) and a D7-brane are also studied. Some other embeddings which break supersymmetry but are nevertheless stable are also determined.Comment: 44 pages, LaTeX; v2: typos corrected, references added, discussion of D5-brane embeddings improve

Superstring Theory on pp Waves with ADE Geometries

We study the BMN correspondence between certain Penrose limits of type IIB superstrings on pp-wave orbifolds with $ADE$ geometries, and the set of four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories constructed as quiver gauge models classified by finite $ADE$ Lie algebras and affine $\hat{ADE}$ Kac-Moody algebras. These models have 16 preserved supercharges and are based on systems of D3-branes and wrapped D5- and D7-branes. We derive explicitly the metrics of these pp-wave orbifolds and show that the BMN extension requires, in addition to D5-D5 open strings in bi-fundamental representations, D5-D7 open strings involving orientifolds with $Sp(N)$ gauge symmetry. We also give the correspondence rule between leading string states and gauge-invariant operators in the $\mathcal{N}=2$ quiver gauge models.Comment: 62 page