Quantum Polarization of D4-branes

TL;DR

This paper investigates quantum effects on D4-branes in a D0 supergravity background, revealing that quantum corrections induce D0-brane charge density and multipole moments, which are classically absent but expected to be regulated by string effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates how quantum one-loop effects induce D0-brane charge and multipole moments on D4-branes in a supergravity background, highlighting the role of stringy corrections in regularizing divergences.

Findings

Quantum effects induce D0-brane charge density on D4-branes.

Quantum corrections lead to D0-multipole moments.

Divergences are expected to be cut off by stringy effects.

Abstract

The low energy effective field theory of type II D4-branes coupled to bulk supergravity fields is used to investigate {\it quantum} effects for D4-branes in the D0 supergravity background. Classically, the D4-branes are unaffected by this background. However, quantum (one-loop) effects are argued to lead to an induced density of D0-brane charge; e.g., D0-multipole moments on the D4-brane. The effect is divergent in field theory, but is expected to be cut-off naturally by stringy corrections.