Superstrings and D-branes in A Plane Wave

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the supersymmetry algebra of strings and D-branes in a type IIB plane wave background, providing detailed derivations and classifications of supersymmetric configurations.

Contribution

It offers a detailed worldsheet derivation of conserved supercurrents and the supersymmetry algebra for all half BPS D-branes in the plane wave background, highlighting the algebra's role in distinguishing directions.

Findings

Supersymmetry algebra classifies D-branes preserving 16 supersymmetries.

The algebra distinguishes two SO(4) directions via a relative sign.

Conserved supercurrents are derived for all half BPS D-branes.

Abstract

We carefully analyze the supersymmetry algebra of closed strings and open strings in a type IIB plane wave background. We use eight component chiral spinors, SO(8) Majorana-Weyl spinors, in light-cone gauge to provide a useful basis of string field theory calculation in the plane wave. We consider the two classes of D-branes, $D_\pm$-branes, and give a worldsheet derivation of conserved supercurrents for all half BPS D-branes preserving 16 supersymmetries in the type IIB plane wave background. We exhaustively provide the supersymmetry algebra of the half BPS branes as well. We also point out that the supersymmetry algebra distinguishes the two SO(4) directions with relative sign which is consistent with the Z_2 symmetry of the string action.