Nothing for Branes

TL;DR

This paper investigates D-brane behavior during closed string tachyon condensation, revealing that most branes grow in mass exponentially, but some remain unaffected, shedding light on the dynamics of space disappearance.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how D-branes evolve in 'nothing states' caused by tachyon condensation, highlighting the existence of unaffected branes.

Findings

Most branes' mass grows exponentially during condensation.

Some branes' boundary states remain unchanged.

Evidence of branes existing in the 'nothing' background.

Abstract

Recent work on closed string tachyon condensation suggests the existence of a `nothing state' where closed strings and space itself vanish. We consider the evolution of D-branes in such backgrounds, focusing on the early stages of the condensation process. We find evidence that the branes exist in the region; although, generically their apparent mass grows exponentially with time. However, there exist specific branes whose boundary states are unaltered by the tachyon.