Related papers: The Shapes of Dirichlet Defects
We discuss some general properties of "defect branes", i.e. branes of co-dimension two, in (toroidally compactified) IIA/IIB string theory. In particular, we give a full classification of the supersymmetric defect branes in dimensions 2 < D…
The global symmetries of a $D$-dimensional QFT can, in many cases, be captured in terms of a $(D+1)$-dimensional symmetry topological field theory (SymTFT). In this work we construct a $(D+1)$-dimensional theory which governs the symmetries…
We motivate a relation between dark energy and the scale of new physics in weakly coupled string theory. This mixing between infrared and ultraviolet physics leads to a unique corner for real-world phenomenology: barring fine-tunings, we…
Deformations of topological open string theories are described, with an emphasis on their algebraic structure. They are encoded in the mixed bulk-boundary correlators. They constitute the Hochschild complex of the open string algebra -- the…
We embed the large N Chern-Simons/topological string duality in ordinary superstrings. This corresponds to a large $N$ duality between generalized gauge systems with N=1 supersymmetry in 4 dimensions and superstrings propagating on…
We show that string theory on a compact negatively curved manifold, preserving a U(1)^{b_1} winding symmetry, grows at least b_1 new effective dimensions as the space shrinks. The winding currents yield a "D-dual" description of a Riemann…
The 't Hooft expansion of SU(N) Chern-Simons theory on $S^3$ is proposed to be exactly dual to the topological closed string theory on the $S^2$ blow up of the conifold geometry. The $B$-field on the $S^2$ has magnitude $Ng_s=\lambda$, the…
We propose correspondences between 4d quantum field theories with N=2,1,0 (super)conformal invariance and Type IIB string theory on various orbifolds. We argue using the spacetime string theory, and check using the beta functions (exactly…
D-branes on orbifolds with and without discrete torsion are analysed in a unified way using the boundary state formalism. For the example of the Z2 x Z2 orbifold it is found that both the theory with and without discrete torsion possess…
The data of a "2D field theory with a closed string compactification" is an equivariant chain level action of a cell decomposition of the union of all moduli spaces of punctured Riemann surfaces with each component compactified as a…
We discuss general supersymmetric brane configurations in flux backgrounds of string and M-theory and derive a necessary condition for the worldvolume theory to be supersymmetric on a given curved manifold. This condition resembles very…
Codimension-two objects on a system of brane-antibrane are studied in the context of Born-Infeld type effective field theory with a complex tachyon and U(1)$\times$U(1) gauge fields. When the radial electric field is turned on in D2${\bar…
We determine the consistent D-brane configurations in type II nonsupersymmetric Melvin Background. The D-branes are analysed from three complementary points of view: the effective Born-Infeld action, the open string partition function and…
We show that the topological string partition function with D-branes on a compact Calabi-Yau manifold has new anomalies that spoil the recursive structure of the holomorphic anomaly equation and introduce dependence on wrong moduli (such as…
We study the vacuum moduli spaces of 3d N=2 supersymmetric quantum field theories by applying the formalism developed in our previous paper arXiv:1404.5527. The 3d theories can be realized by branes in type IIB string theory, which in a…
In this note we propose that D-brane charges, in the presence of a topologically non-trivial B-field, are classified by the K-theory of an infinite dimensional C^*-algebra. In the case of B-fields whose curvature is pure torsion our…
D-brane backgrounds are specified in closed string theories by holes with appropriate mixed Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions on the string worldsheet. As presently stated, the prescription defining D-brane backgrounds is such that…
We study D1-branes on the fourfold $\C^4/(\Z_2\times\Z_2\times\Z_2)$, in the presence of discrete torsion. Discrete torsion is incorporated in the gauge theory of the D1-branes by considering a projective representation of the finite group…
We discuss the geometry of the Ramond-Ramond fields of low degree via the language of abelian p-gerbes, working in type II superstring theory with vanishing H-flux. A Dp-brane is a source for the Ramond-Ramond field strength G_(p+2), which…
We study pairs of planar D-branes intersecting on null hypersurfaces, and other related configurations. These are supersymmetric and have finite energy density. They provide open-string analogues of the parabolic orbifold and null-fluxbrane…