(m,n)-String-Like Dp-Brane Bound States

An (m, n)-string bound state (with m, n relatively prime integers) in type IIB string theory can be interpreted from the D-string worldsheet point of view as n D-strings carrying m units of quantized electric flux or quantized electric field. We argue, from the D-brane worldvolume point of view, that similar Dp-brane bound states should also exist for $2 \le p \le 8$ in both type IIA (when $p$ is even) and type IIB (when $p$ is odd) string theories. As in $p = 1$ case, these bound states can each be interpreted as $n$ Dp-branes carrying m units of quantized constant electric field. In particular, they all preserve one half of the spacetime supersymmetries.Comment: 16 pages, Revtex, typos corrected and references adde

((F, D1), D3) Bound State and Its T-dual Daughters

In the previous paper [hep-th/9904129], we constructed a general explicit BPS solution for (F, D3) non-threshold bound state. By using the SL(2,Z) symmetry of type IIB string theory, we here construct from (F, D3) a more general BPS configuration for a D3 brane with certain units of quantized 5-form flux and an infinite number of parallel (F, D1)-strings. We study its decoupling limit and find that given Maldacena's $AdS_5/CFT_4$ correspondence with respect to simple D3 branes and with the usual string coupling, we should have a similar correspondence with respect to this bound state but now with an effective string coupling. We discuss possible descendants of this bound state by T-dualities along its longitudinal or transverse directions. In particular, we present explicit configurations for ((F, Dp), D(p + 2)) bound states for $2 \le p \le 5$. All these configurations preserve one half of the spacetime supersymmetries.Comment: 27 pages; Improved discussion on AdS/CFT correspondence, discussion on extra bound states added, and more references adde

4-string Junction and Its Network

We study a BPS configuration in which four strings (of different type) meet at a point in $N = 2, D = 8$ supergravity, i.e., the low energy effective theory of $T^2$-compactified type II string theory. We demonstrate that the charge conservation of the four strings implies the vanishing of the net force (due to the tensions of various strings) at the junction and vice versa, using the tension formula for $SL(3, Z)$ strings obtained recently by the present authors. We then show that a general 4-string junction preserves 1/8 of the spacetime supersymmetries. Using 4-string junctions as building blocks, we construct a string network which also preserves 1/8 of the spacetime supersymmetries.Comment: 15 pages, Late

Supergravity approach to tachyon condensation on the brane-antibrane system

We study the tachyon condensation on the D-brane--antiD-brane system from the supergravity point of view. The non-supersymmetric supergravity solutions with symmetry ISO($p,1$) $\times$ SO($9-p$) are known to be characterized by three parameters. By interpreting this solution as coincident $N$ D$p$-branes and ${\bar N}$ ${\bar {\rm D}}p$-branes we give, for the first time, an explicit representation of the three parameters of supergravity solutions in terms of $N, \bar N$ and the tachyon vev. We demonstrate that the solution and the corresponding ADM mass capture all the required properties and give a correct description of the tachyon condensation advocated by Sen on the D-brane--antiD-brane system.Comment: 9 page

On 1/4 BPS ((F, D1), (NS5, D5)) bound states of type IIB string theory

We construct two new SL(2,Z) invariant vacua of type IIB string theory which are bound states of $(p,q)$ strings with $(m,n)$ 5-branes, written as ((F, D1), (NS5, D5)) and preserve 1/4 of the full space-time supersymmetries. For the first case, the strings live inside the 5-brane world-volume and in the second case the strings are perpendicular to the 5-brane world-volume. In the first case, naively one would expect an attractive interaction between the strings and the 5-branes due to attractive force between F and D5 and also between D1 and NS5. We find that 1/4 BPS bound state exists only when the vacuum moduli satisfy certain condition which is found to be consistent with the no-force condition between the branes. No such complication arises for the second case. The tension formulae and the various other descendant states which can be obtained by the application of T-duality for both these bound states are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 1 table, minor changes and one reference added, the version to appear in JHE

Optical analogue of spontaneous symmetry breaking induced by tachyon condensation in amplifying plasmonic arrays

We study analytically and numerically an optical analogue of tachyon condensation in amplifying plasmonic arrays. Optical propagation is modeled through coupled-mode equations, which in the continuous limit can be converted into a nonlinear one-dimensional Dirac-like equation for fermionic particles with imaginary mass, i.e. fermionic tachyons. We demonstrate that the vacuum state is unstable and acquires an expectation value with broken chiral symmetry, corresponding to the homogeneous nonlinear stationary solution of the system. The quantum field theory analogue of this process is the condensation of unstable fermionic tachyons into massive particles. This paves the way for using amplifying plasmonic arrays as a classical laboratory for spontaneous symmetry breaking effects in quantum field theory.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure