Aspects of Dirichlet S-branes [rapid communication]
Abstract
In this Letter, we discuss some features of the Dirichlet S-brane, defined as a Dirichlet boundary condition on a time-like embedding coordinate of open strings. We analyze the Euclidean theory on the S-brane world-volume, and trace its instability to the infinite fine-tuning of the initial conditions required to produce an infinitely extended space-like defect. Using their equivalence under T-duality with D-branes with supercritical electric field, we argue that under generic perturbation, S-branes turn into D-brane/anti-D-branes. We extract the imaginary part of the cylinder amplitude, and interpret its inverse as a "decay length", beyond which a pair of S-branes annihilates. Finally, we reconsider the boundary state of the Dirichlet S-brane and find that it is either a solution of type II string theory with imaginary R-R fields, or a solution of type II∗ with real fields. This leaves the non-BPS S-branes as potentially physical solutions of type II string theory.
- Publication:
-
Physics Letters B
- Pub Date:
- October 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.physletb.2005.08.028
- arXiv:
- arXiv:hep-th/0507059
- Bibcode:
- 2005PhLB..625..291D
- Keywords:
-
- High Energy Physics - Theory
- E-Print:
- 12 pages, 5 figures, uses JHEP3.cls