M-theory description of 1/4 BPS states in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory
arXiv:hep-th/9811087 · doi:10.1143/PTP.101.749
Abstract
We discuss BPS states preserving 1/4 supersymmetries of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory as M2-branes holomorphically embedded and ending on M5-branes. We use techniques in electrodynamics to find the M2-brane configurations, and give some explicit examples. In case the M2-brane worldsheet has handles, the worldsheet moduli of the M2-brane is constrained in a discrete manner. Several aspects of multi-pronged strings in type IIB string theory are beautifully reproduced in the M-theory description. We also discuss the relation between the above construction and the D2-brane dynamics in type IIA string theory.
16 pages, 4 Postscript figures, LaTeX