Ghost D-branes
Abstract
We define a ghost D-brane in superstring theories as an object that cancels the effects of an ordinary D-brane. The supergroups U(N|M) and OSp(N|M) arise as gauge symmetries in the supersymmetric world-volume theory of D-branes and ghost D-branes. A system with a pair of D-brane and ghost D-brane located at the same location is physically equivalent to the closed string vacuum. When they are separated, the system becomes a new brane configuration. We generalize the type I/heterotic duality by including n ghost D9-branes on the type I side and by considering the heterotic string whose gauge group is OSp(32+2n|2n). Motivated by the type IIB S-duality applied to D9- and ghost D9-branes, we also find type II-like closed superstrings with U(n|n) gauge symmetry.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.hep-th/0601024,
title = {Ghost D-branes},
author = {Takuya Okuda and Tadashi Takayanagi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/0601024},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
49 pages, 6 figures, harvmac. v2: references and acknowledgements added