Continuous Gauge and Supersymmetry Breaking for Open Strings on D-branes

TL;DR

This paper explores how certain string theory models with D-branes can smoothly transition between supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric gauge theories through orbifold compactifications, revealing new dualities and phases.

Contribution

It demonstrates a method to interpolate between supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric gauge theories using orbifold compactifications with D-branes, and proposes duality relations in M-theory.

Findings

Smooth interpolation between N=4 supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric gauge theories.

Identification of a new supersymmetric branch in non-supersymmetric models.

Proposal of duality relations in M-theory for these models.

Abstract

We consider freely acting orbifold compactifications, which interpolate in two possible decompactification limits between the supersymmetric type II string and the non-supersymmetric type 0 string. In particular we discuss how D-branes are incorporated into these orbifold models. Investigating the open string spectrum on D3-branes, we will show that one can interpolate in this way between N=4 supersymmetric U(N) respectively U(2N) Yang-Mills theories and non-supersymmetric U(N)*U(N) gauge theories with adjoint massless scalar fields plus bifundamental massless fermions in a smooth way. Finally, by lifting the orbifold construction to M-theory, we conjecture some duality relations and show that in particular a new supersymmetric branch of gauge like theories emanate for the non-supersymmetric model.