Putting string/string duality to the test

Abstract

After simultaneous compactification of spacetime and worldvolume on $K3$, the $D=10$ heterotic fivebrane with gauge group $SO(32)$ behaves like a $D=6$ heterotic string with gauge group $SO(28)\times SU(2)$, but with Kac--Moody levels different from those of the fundamental string. Thus the string/fivebrane duality conjecture in $D=10$ gets replaced by a string/string duality conjecture in $D=6$. Since $D=6$ strings are better understood than $D=10$ fivebranes, this provides a more reliable laboratory in which to test the conjecture. According to string/string duality, the Green--Schwarz factorization of the $D=6$ spacetime anomaly polynomial $I_8$ into $X_4{\tilde{X}}_4$ means that just as $X_4$ is the $\sigma$-model anomaly polynomial of the fundamental string worldsheet so ${\tilde{X}}_4$ should be the corresponding polynomial of the dual string worldsheet. To test this idea we perform a classical dual string calculation of ${\tilde{X}}_4$ and find agreement with the quantum fundamental string result. This also provides an {\it a posteriori} justification for assumptions made in a previous paper on string/fivebrane duality. Finally we speculate on the relevance of string/string duality to the vacuum degeneracy problem.

Replaced by version to appear in Nucl. Phys. B

References in corpus (11)

• Vacuum interpolation in supergravity via super p-branes
• Duality Symmetries of 4D Heterotic Strings
• Black and super p-branes in diverse dimensions
• Macroscopic superstrings as interpolating solitons
• Four-Dimensional String/String Duality
• Anomaly Inflow for Gauge Defects
• New Black Hole, String and Membrane Solutions of the Four-Dimensional Heterotic String
• Axionic Defect Anomalies and their Cancellation
• Dilaton, moduli and string/five-brane duality as seen from four dimensions
• Higher-Dimensional Loop Algebras, Non-Abelian Extensions and p-Branes
• Five-Brane Effective Field Theory on Calabi-Yau Threefolds

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• Black Holes and Solitons in String Theory
• K3 Orientifolds
• Perturbative and Non-Perturbative Partial Supersymmetry Breaking; N=4 -> N=2 -> N=1
• Strong/Weak Coupling Duality from the Dual String
• Low-Energy Analysis of $M$ and $F$ Theories on Calabi-Yau Threefolds
• N=2 Heterotic Superstring and its Dual Theory in Five Dimensions
• M-Theory on a Calabi-Yau Manifold
• Supersymmetry and Dual String Solitons
• Heterotic phase transitions and singularities of the gauge dyonic string
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• Multiple Realisations of N=1 Vacua in Six Dimensions
• Heterotic/Heterotic Duality in D=6,4
• Non-perturbative monodromies in N=2 heterotic string vacua
• Dipole Moments of Black Holes and String States
• Loop-corrected Entropy of Near-extremal Dilatonic $p$-branes
• U-duality multiplets and non-perturbative superstring states
• 3D gauged supergravity from SU(2) reduction of $N=1$ 6D supergravity
• D=6, N=1 String Vacua and Duality
• BPS States in Superstrings with Spontaneously Broken SUSY
• Worldvolume and target space anomalies in the D=10 super--fivebrane sigma--model
• Discrete anomalies in supergravity and consistency of string backgrounds
• Consistency between 11D and U-duality
• Anatomy of a Duality
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• Hidden Finite Symmetries in String Theory and Duality of Dualities
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