Evolution of D-branes Under Closed String Tachyon Condensation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how stable D-branes in certain string backgrounds evolve during closed string tachyon condensation, revealing various decay and transformation pathways of these branes and associated cycles.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of D-brane evolution and RG flows in twisted circle and C/Z_n backgrounds during tachyon condensation, highlighting new decay and transformation mechanisms.

Findings

Fractional branes can disappear or transform into other fractional branes.

Bulk branes may vanish or become stable branes.

RG flows reveal diverse decay and evolution pathways.

Abstract

We study the evolution of stable D-branes of C/Z_n and twisted circle theories in the process of closed string tachyon condensation. We interpret the fractional branes in these backgrounds as type II branes wrapping (`blown up') cycles, and trace the evolution of the corresponding cycles under tachyon condensation. We also study RG flows of the corresponding N=2 boundary conformal field theories. We find flows along which fractional D-branes either disappear or evolve into other fractional D-branes, and other flows along which bulk branes either disappear or evolve into stable branes.