Related papers: Brane Probes, Toric Geometry, and Closed String Ta…
This review is devoted to strings and branes. Firstly, perturbative string theory is introduced. The appearance of various types of branes is discussed. These include orbifold fixed planes, D-branes and orientifold planes. The connection to…
We systematically study supersymmetric embeddings of D-brane probes of different dimensionality in the AdS_5xY^{p,q} background of type IIB string theory. The main technique employed is the kappa symmetry of the probe's worldvolume theory.…
We study D-branes on three-dimensional orbifold backgrounds that admit topologically distinct resolutions differing by flop transitions. We show that these distinct phases are part of the vacuum moduli space of the super Yang-Mills gauge…
We consider the interpretation in classical geometry of conformal field theories constructed from orbifolds with discrete torsion. In examples we can analyze, these spacetimes contain ``stringy regions'' that from a classical point of view…
We study the spectrum of stable BPS and non-BPS D-branes in Z_2 x Z_2 orientifolds for all choices of discrete torsion between the orbifold and orientifold generators. We compute the torsion K-theory charges in these D=4, N=1 orientifold…
We study local mirror symmetry on non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds (conifold type of singularities) in the presence of D3 brane probes. Using an intermediate brane setup of NS 5-branes `probed' by D4 resp. D5 branes, we can explicitly…
If the vacuum manifold of a field theory has the appropriate topological structure, the theory admits topological structures analogous to the D-branes of string theory, in which defects of one dimension terminate on other defects of higher…
Supersymmetric zero-brane and one-brane probes in the squashed $AdS_2\times S^3$ near-horizon geometry of the BMPV black hole are studied. Supersymmetric zero-brane probes stabilized by orbital angular momentum on the $S^3$ are found and…
Unstable, non-BPS D-branes in weakly coupled ten dimensional string theory have many mysterious properties. Among other things, it is not clear what sets their tension, what is their relation to the better understood BPS D-branes, and why…
D3 branes in the vicinity of an E6, E7, or E8 stack of 7-branes in flat space are known to host at low energy a famous class of strongly-coupled N = 2 superconformal field theories featuring exceptional global symmetry. What if, instead,…
We study large N dualities for a class of ${\cal N} = 1$ theories realized on type IIB D5 branes wrapping 2-cycles of local Calabi-Yau threefolds which is obtained from resolving orbifolded conifolds or as effective field theories on D4…
We study open and unoriented strings in a Topological Membrane (TM) theory through orbifolds of the bulk 3D space. This is achieved by gauging discrete symmetries of the theory. Open and unoriented strings can be obtained from all possible…
We investigate D-branes on a noncompact singular Calabi-Yau manifold by using the boundary CFT description, and calculate the open string Witten indices between the boundary states. The B-type D-branes turn out to be characterized by the…
We consider probe p-branes and Dp-branes dynamics in D-dimensional string theory backgrounds of general type. Unified description for the tensile and tensionless branes is used. We obtain exact solutions of their equations of motion and…
We determine generalized symmetries for 4D theories engineered via type II strings on non-supersymmetric orbifold backgrounds $\mathbb{R}^{3,1} \times \mathbb{R}^6 / \Gamma$. Probe branes detect generalized symmetries via the adjacency…
In this paper we consider a somewhat unconventional approach for deriving worldvolume theories for D3 branes probing Calabi-Yau singularities. The strategy consists of extrapolating the calculation of F-terms to the large volume limit. This…
The study of brane-antibrane configurations in string theory leads to the understanding of supersymmetric D$p$-branes as the bound states of higher dimensional branes. Configurations of pairs brane-antibrane do admit in a natural way their…
In this paper we find examples of moduli stabilization and runaway behavior which can be treated exactly. This is shown for supersymmetric field theories which can be realized on the world volume of D-branes. From a geometric point of view,…
The behaviour of supersymmetric D-branes under deformations of the closed string background is studied using world-sheet methods. We explain how lines of marginal stability and obstructions arise from this point of view. We also show why…
In these lectures we start with a pedagogical introduction of the properties of open and closed superstrings and then, using the open/closed string duality, we construct the boundary state that provides the description of the maximally…