On Orientifolds of WZW Models and their Relation to Geometry

TL;DR

This paper explores the relationship between conformal field theory and geometric analysis of D-branes in orientifolds of WZW models, focusing on group involutions and fixed points, especially in SU(2) cases.

Contribution

It establishes a connection between CFT-based and geometric approaches to orientifolds, associating crosscap states with group involutions and analyzing symmetry-preserving branes.

Findings

Linked crosscap states to group involutions and fixed points.

Analyzed D-branes in orientifolds, focusing on special D0-branes.

Determined orientifold fixed points via graviton scattering.

Abstract

We investigate D-branes in orientifolds of WZW models. A connection between the conformal field theory approach to orientifolds and the target space motivated analysis is established. In particular, we associate previously constructed crosscap states to involutions of the group manifold and their fixed point sets. Whereas our analysis of D-branes in orientifolds of general WZW models is restricted to special D0-branes, we investigate all symmetry preserving branes of SU(2)-orientifolds in detail. For that case, the location of the orientifold fixed point set is independently determined by scattering localized graviton wave packets.