On non-supersymmetric heterotic branes

TL;DR

This paper provides a detailed construction and analysis of non-supersymmetric heterotic branes, exploring their charges, stability, worldsheet descriptions, and mathematical connections, advancing understanding of non-supersymmetric string theory objects.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive and explicit construction of various non-supersymmetric heterotic branes, including their properties and mathematical relations, expanding the landscape of string theory solutions.

Findings

Branes carry specific topological charges.

Branes exhibit topological and dynamical stability.

Near-horizon regions are described by exact worldsheet models.

Abstract

A uniform construction of non-supersymmetric 0-, 4-, 6- and 7-branes in heterotic string theory was announced and outlined in our letter \cite{Kaidi:2023tqo}. In this full paper, we provide details on their properties. Among other things, we discuss the charges carried by the branes, their topological and dynamical stability, the exact worldsheet descriptions of their near-horizon regions, and the relationship of the branes to the mathematical notion of topological modular forms.