Constructing D-Branes from K-Theory
Abstract
A detailed review of recent developments in the topological classification of D-branes in superstring theory is presented. Beginning with a thorough, self-contained introduction to the techniques and applications of topological K-theory, the relationships between the classic constructions of K-theory and the recent realizations of D-branes as tachyonic solitons, coming from bound states of higher dimensional systems of unstable branes, are described. It is shown how the K-theory formalism naturally reproduces the known spectra of BPS and non-BPS D-branes, and how it can be systematically used to predict the existence of new states. The emphasis is placed on the new interpretations of D-branes as conventional topological solitons in other brane worldvolumes, how the mathematical formalism can be used to deduce the gauge field content on both supersymmetric and non-BPS branes, and also how K-theory predicts new relationships between the various superstring theories and their D-brane spectra. The implementations of duality symmetries as natural isomorphisms of K-groups are discussed. The relationship with the standard cohomological classification is presented and used to derive an explicit formula for D-brane charges. Some string theoretical constructions of the K-theory predictions are also briefly described.
- Publication:
-
arXiv e-prints
- Pub Date:
- July 1999
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.hep-th/9907140
- arXiv:
- arXiv:hep-th/9907140
- Bibcode:
- 1999hep.th....7140O
- Keywords:
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- High Energy Physics - Theory;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- Mathematical Physics;
- Mathematics - K-Theory and Homology;
- Mathematics - Mathematical Physics
- E-Print:
- 112 pages LaTeX, 1 .eps file, uses epsf.tex