Related papers: dS Spaces and Brane Worlds in Exotic String Theori…
A class of solutions to Supergravity in 10 or 11 dimensions is presented which extends the non-standard or semi-local intersections of Dp-branes to the case of non-extremal p-branes. The type of non-extremal solutions involved in the…
We review how to describe the stable non-BPS D-branes of type II string theory from a classical perspective, and discuss the properties of the space-time geometry associated to these configurations. This is relevant in order to see whether…
We analyze global anomalies for elementary Type II strings in the presence of D-branes. Global anomaly cancellation gives a restriction on the D-brane topology. This restriction makes possible the interpretation of D-brane charge as an…
We consider configurations of six-branes, five-branes and eight-branes in various superstring backgrounds. These configurations give rise to $(0,1)$ supersymmetric theories in six dimensions. The condition for RR charge conservation of a…
The quantum corrections to the counting of statistical entropy for the 5+1-dimensional extremal black string in type-IIB supergravity with two observers are studied using anomalous Wess-Zumino actions for the corresponding intersecting…
In these lectures I discuss the possibility that superstrings of cosmic length might exist and be observable. I first review the original idea of cosmic strings arising as gauge theory solitons, and discuss in particular their network…
We consider field theories with sixteen supersymmetries, which includes U(N) Yang-Mills theories in various dimensions, and argue that their large N limit is related to certain supergravity solutions. We study this by considering a system…
We study non-perturbative effects in supersymmetric U(N) gauge theories in eight dimensions realized by means of D(-1)/D7-brane systems with non-trivial world-volume fluxes turned on. Using an explicit string construction in terms of vertex…
This paper corroborates a statement that perturbative string theory does not admit a solution whose spacetime metric is de Sitter times a closed manifold, to all orders in the $\alpha'$ and $g_s$ expansions, under the assumption that the…
We argue for the existence of bounds on the tensions of $p$-branes in de Sitter space in terms of the Hubble rate and the strength of a class of Chern-Simons-like couplings. The world-volume couplings involve Abelian 1-form gauge fields in…
We consider string theory in maximally supersymmetric type IIB plane wave background with constant five form Ramond-Ramond flux (RR plane wave). It is argued that there exists a universal sector of string configurations independent of the…
This report presents some studies of the gauge/string theory correspondence, a deep relation that is possible to establish between quantum field theories with local gauge symmetry and superstring theories including gravity. In its original…
Are duality transformations symmetries of string theory? For AdS space-time the answer is no for generic asymptotic values of the moduli, since the duality symmetry is broken explicitly in the dual conformal field theory. In contrast, in…
We review various aspects of classical solutions in string theories. Emphasis is placed on their supersymmetry properties, their special roles in string dualities and microscopic interpretations. Topics include black hole solutions in…
In open string field theory the kinetic operator mixes matter and ghost sectors, and thus the ghost structure of classical solutions is not universal. Nevertheless, we have found from numerical analysis that certain ratios of expectation…
Four-dimensional string theories predict in general the existence of light exotic particles with fractional electric charges. Such particles could escape present observations if they are confined by a gauge group of the "hidden" sector into…
The properties of brane-antibrane systems and systems of unstable D-branes in Type II superstring theory are investigated using the formalism of superconnections. The low-energy open string dynamics is shown to be probed by generalized…
Recent work on solutions to the Born-Infeld theory used to describe D-branes suggests that fundamental strings can be viewed, in a certain limit, as D-branes whose worldvolumes have collapsed to string-like configurations. Here we address…
Cosmic strings are predicted by many field-theory models, and may have been formed at a symmetry-breaking transition early in the history of the universe, such as that associated with grand unification. They could have important…
Unstable D-branes are central objects in string theory, and exist also in time-dependent backgrounds. In this paper we take first steps to studying brane decay in spacetime orbifolds. As a concrete model we focus on the R^{1,d}/Z_2…