Non-BPS States in Heterotic - Type IIA Duality

TL;DR

This paper explores the duality between heterotic and type IIA string theories by analyzing non-BPS states, including non-BPS D-strings and D-molecules, and compares their stability across both frameworks.

Contribution

It explicitly demonstrates the correspondence of non-BPS states and their stability domains in heterotic and type IIA theories, advancing understanding of non-BPS dualities.

Findings

Identification of heterotic non-BPS states with type IIA non-BPS states

Comparison of stability domains in dual theories

Explicit mapping of non-BPS D-strings and D-molecules

Abstract

The relation between some perturbative non-BPS states of the heterotic theory on T^4 and non-perturbative non-BPS states of the orbifold limit of type IIA on K3 is exhibited. The relevant states include a non-BPS D-string, and a non-BPS bound state of BPS D-particles (`D-molecule'). The domains of stability of these states in the two theories are determined and compared.