Anomalous Creation of Branes

Abstract

In certain circumstances when two branes pass through each other a third brane is produced stretching between them. We explain this phenomenon by the use of chains of dualities and the inflow of charge that is required for the absence of chiral gauge anomalies when pairs of D-branes intersect.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: (a) Two five-branes intersecting in a single compact direction. Turning on an electric field along the circle induces an electric current due to the flow of open strings joining the branes. (b) After T-duality this describes two D4-branes that have a relative velocity along the circle and an open string is created each time the branes pass through each other.
• Figure 2: Two sets of D4-branes, arising by T-duality from intersecting D7-branes, produce a number of strings equal to the total number of intersection points as they move past each other. The horizontal line is the stationary brane, whereas the vertical lines represent either (a) $k$ zero-size instantons, or (b) $k$ segments of the $m$ (continuous) spiralling and moving branes, discussed in the text.