D-brane Solitons in Supersymmetric Sigma-Models

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new 1/4 supersymmetric soliton solution in supersymmetric sigma models, representing a string ending on a wall, with realizations in D-brane and M-theory contexts.

Contribution

It presents a novel 1/4 supersymmetric kink-lump solution and its effective BIon realization, extending understanding of sigma-model solitons and their M-theory interpretations.

Findings

Discovery of a new 1/4 supersymmetric kink-lump solution.

Realization of the solution as a BIon in super D-brane theory.

Connection to calibrated M5-branes in M-theory.

Abstract

Massive D=4 N=2 supersymmetric sigma models typically admit domain wall (Q-kink) solutions and string (Q-lump) solutions, both preserving 1/2 supersymmetry. We exhibit a new static 1/4 supersymmetric `kink-lump' solution in which a string ends on a wall, and show that it has an effective realization as a BIon of the D=4 super DBI-action. It is also shown to have a time-dependent Q-kink-lump generalization which reduces to the Q-lump in a limit corresponding to infinite BI magnetic field. All these 1/4 supersymmetric sigma-model solitons are shown to be realized in M-theory as calibrated, or `Q-calibrated', M5-branes in an M-monopole background.