From Branes to Branes

TL;DR

This paper models the emergence of lower-dimensional stable and unstable branes in type II string theory from brane-antibrane pairs using a gauge theory framework, aligning with Sen's tachyon condensation results.

Contribution

It introduces a gauge theory approach to describe brane descent relations and the formation of lower-dimensional branes without tachyon modes, extending previous string theory models.

Findings

Stable and unstable branes are represented by gauge theory solitons.

Brane collision processes produce lower-dimensional branes.

Results agree with Sen's tachyon condensation framework.

Abstract

We use the `branes within branes' approach to study the appearance of stable $ (p-2)-branes and unstable (p-1)-branes in type II string theory from p-brane--p-antibrane pairs.Our goal is to describe the emergence of these lower dimensional branes from brane-antibrane pairs in string theory using a tractable gauge theory language. This is achieved by suspending the original p-brane--p-antibrane pair between two (p+2)-branes, and describing its dynamics in terms of the worldvolume gauge theory on the spectator (p+2)-branes. Instantons, monopoles, sphalerons and their higher-dimensional generalizations in this worldvolume gauge theory correspond to stable (BPS) and unstable (non-BPS) branes in string theory. Collisions of stable branes with corresponding antibranes and production of lower-dimensional branes in string theory are described in a straightforward way in gauge theory. Tachyonic modes on the p-brane--p-antibrane worldvolume do not appear in our analysis since we work on the worldvolume of the spectator (p+2)-branes. Our results on brane descent relations are in agreement with Sen's tachyon condensation approach.