Brane Baldness vs. Superselection Sectors

TL;DR

This paper explores the phenomenon where localized intersecting brane solutions in supergravity necessarily delocalize as separation is removed, linking it to black hole no-hair theorems and field theory superselection sectors.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of brane delocalization phenomena, connecting supergravity solutions with intersection field theory and superselection sector concepts.

Findings

Localized branes delocalize when separation is removed

Agreement between supergravity and field theory predictions

Delocalization linked to quantum phase mixing and absence of superselection sectors

Abstract

The search for intersecting brane solutions in supergravity is a large and profitable industry. Recently, attention has focused on finding localized forms of known `delocalized' solutions. However, in some cases, a localized version of the delocalized solution simply does not exist. Instead, localized separated branes necessarily delocalize as the separation is removed. This phenomenon is related to black hole no-hair theorems, i.e. `baldness.' We continue the discussion of this effect and describe how it can be understood, in the case of Dirichlet branes, in terms of the corresponding intersection field theory. When it occurs, it is associated with the quantum mixing of phases and lack of superselection sectors in low dimensional field theories. We find surprisingly wide agreement between the field theory and supergravity both with respect to which examples delocalize and with respect to the rate at which this occurs.