A classification of D-branes in Type IIB Op^- orientifolds and orbifolds in terms of Real and equivariant KK-groups is given. We classify D-branes intersecting orientifold planes from which are recovered some special limits as the spectrum for D-branes on top of Type I Op^- orientifold and the bivariant classification of Type I D-branes. The gauge group and transformation properties of the low energy effective field theory living in the corresponding unstable D-brane system are computed by extensive use of Clifford algebras. Some speculations about the existence of oth
We discuss the resolution of toroidal orbifolds. For the resulting smooth Calabi-Yau manifolds, we calculate the intersection ring and determine the divisor topologies. In a next step, the orientifold quotients are constructed.
In this highly speculative note we conjecture that it may be possible to understand features of coincident D-branes, such as the appearance of enhanced non-abelian gauge symmetry, in a purely geometric fashion, using a form of geometry known as scheme theory. We give a very brief introduction to some relevant ideas from scheme theory, and point out how these ideas work in special cases.
A recently constructed limit of K3 has a long neck consisting of segments, each of which is a nilfold fibred over a line, that are joined together with Kaluza-Klein monopoles. The neck is capped at either end by a Tian-Yau space, which is non-compact, hyperkahler and asymptotic to a nilfold fibred over a line. We show that the type IIA string on this degeneration of K3 is dual to the type I$$ string, with the Kaluza-Klein monopoles dual to the D8-branes and the Tian-Yau spaces providing a geometric dual to the O8 orientifold planes. At strong coupling, each O8-plane can emit a D8-brane to give an O8$^*$ plane, so that there can be up to 18 D8-branes in the type I$$ string. In the IIA dual, this phenomenon occurs at weak coupling and there can be up to 18 Kaluza-Klein monopoles in the dual geometry. We consider further duals in which the Kaluza-Klein monopoles are dualised to NS5-branes or exotic branes. A 3-torus with $H$-flux can be realised in string theory as an NS5-brane wrapped on $T^3$, with the 3-torus fibred over a line. T-dualising gives a 4-dimensional hyperkahler manifold which is a nilfold fibred over a line, which can be viewed as a Kaluza-Klein monopole wrapped on $T^2$. Further T-dualities then give non-geometric spaces fibred over a line and can be regarded as wrapped exotic branes. These are all domain wall configurations, dual to the D8-brane. Type I$$ string theory is the natural home for D8-branes, and we dualise this to find string theory homes for each of these branes. The Kaluza-Klein monopoles arise in the IIA string on the degenerate K3. T-duals of this give exotic branes on non-geometric spaces.
We use F-theory to derive a general expression for the flux potential of type II compactifications with D7/D3 branes, including open string moduli and 2-form fluxes on the branes. Our main example is F-theory on K3 $times$ K3 and its orientifold limit T^2/Z_2 x K3. The full scalar potential cannot be derived from the bulk superpotential W=int Omega wedge G_3 and generically destabilizes the orientifold. Generically all open and closed string moduli are fixed, except for a volume factor. An alternative formulation of the problem in terms of the effective supergravity is given and we construct an explicit map between the F-theory fluxes and gaugings. We use the superpotential to compute the effective action for flux compactifications on orbifolds, including the mu-term and soft-breaking terms on the D7-brane world-volume.
We apply the methods of homology and K-theory for branes wrapping spaces stratified fibered over hyperbolic orbifolds. In addition, we discuss the algebraic K-theory of any discrete co-compact Lie group in terms of appropriate homology and Atiyah-Hirzebruch type spectral sequence with its non-trivial lift to K-homology. We emphasize the fact that the physical D-branes properties are completely transparent within the mathematical framework of K-theory. We derive criteria for D-brane stability in the case of strongly virtually negatively curved groups. We show that branes wrapping spaces stratified fibered over hyperbolic orbifolds carry charge structure and change the additive structural properties in K-homology.