The Gelfand map and symmetric products

If A is an algebra of functions on X, there are many cases when X can be regarded as included in Hom(A,C) as the set of ring homomorphisms. In this paper the corresponding results for the symmetric products of X are introduced. It is shown that the symmetric product Sym^n(X) is included in Hom(A,C) as the set of those functions that satisfy equations generalising f(xy)=f(x)f(y). These equations are related to formulae introduced by Frobenius and, for the relevant A, they characterise linear maps on A that are the sum of ring homomorphisms. The main theorem is proved using an identity satisfied by partitions of finite sets.Comment: 14 pages, Late

Bi-branes: Target Space Geometry for World Sheet topological Defects

We establish that the relevant geometric data for the target space description of world sheet topological defects are submanifolds - which we call bi-branes - in the product M1 x M2 of the two target spaces involved. Very much like branes, they are equipped with a vector bundle, which in backgrounds with non-trivial B-field is actually a twisted vector bundle. We explain how to define Wess-Zumino terms in the presence of bi-branes and discuss the fusion of bi-branes. In the case of WZW theories, symmetry preserving bi-branes are shown to be biconjugacy classes. The algebra of functions on a biconjugacy class is shown to be related, in the limit of large level, to the partition function for defect fields. We finally indicate how the Verlinde algebra arises in the fusion of WZW bi-branes.Comment: 29 page