Born-Infeld Strings Tunneling to D-branes

TL;DR

This paper explores how Born-Infeld strings can tunnel into extended D-brane configurations, such as spheroidal or toroidal D2-branes, using semiclassical methods in the presence of background RR fields.

Contribution

It demonstrates the tunneling process of Born-Infeld strings into D-branes under specific background fields, extending the understanding of string-brane transitions.

Findings

Strings can nucleate D2-brane bulges in RR backgrounds.

Wrapped strings can tunnel into toroidal D2-branes.

The process is applicable to other D$p$-branes.

Abstract

Recent work on solutions to the Born-Infeld theory used to describe D-branes suggests that fundamental strings can be viewed, in a certain limit, as D-branes whose worldvolumes have collapsed to string-like configurations. Here we address the possibility of undoing this collapse, by inducing the string to tunnel to an extended brane configuration. Using semiclassical methods we argue that, by putting one of these Born-Infeld strings in the background of a uniform 4-form RR field strength, the string can nucleate a spheroidal bulge of D2-brane, or, if the string is wrapped around a small enough circle, it can tunnel to a toroidal D2-brane. This process can also be interpreted in terms of the M2-brane. We also address the extension to other D$p$-branes, and discuss the range of validity of the approximations involved.