BPS Quantization of the Five-Brane

TL;DR

This paper provides a unified framework for BPS states in M-theory on T^5 using five-brane quantization, revealing U-duality as T-duality and connecting to heterotic string theory via dualities.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to describe BPS states through five-brane quantization, unifying various states and elucidating duality symmetries in M-theory.

Findings

Mass spectrum and degeneracies computed

U-duality identified as T-duality

Duality with heterotic string theory established

Abstract

We give a unified description of all BPS states of M-theory compactified on $T^5$ in terms of the five-brane. We compute the mass spectrum and degeneracies and find that the $SO(5,5,Z)$ U-duality symmetry naturally arises as a T-duality by assuming that the world-volume theory of the five-brane itself is described by a string theory. We also consider the compactification on $S^1/Z_2 \times T^4$, and give a new explanation for its correspondence with heterotic string theory by exhibiting its dual equivalence to M-theory on $K3\times S^1$.