# 1 Introduction

## 1 Introduction

$`D`$-branes play a significant role in supersymmetric string and field theories. Two of the most outstanding developments in this direction have been achieved:   
1. The generalized AdS/CFT duality , which relates the superconformal field theory on $`Dp`$-branes placed at the orbifold singularity and the Type IIB string theory compactified on $`AdS_{p+2}\times H^{8p}`$ ;   
2. The K-theory approach to $`D`$-brane charges , which identifies $`D`$-brane charges with elements of Grothendieck K-groups  of horizon manifolds $`H^{8p}`$ .

In the present paper we use K-theory to compute the spectrum of $`D`$-brane charges in the Type IIB string theory compactified on $`AdS_{p+2}\times S^{8p}`$. The result differs from the corresponding result presented in .

## 2 $`D`$-brane charges

Let us equip the horizon $`S^{8p}`$ with the gauge bundle

| $`U`$ | $``$ | $`E`$ |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  |  | $``$ |
|  |  | $`S^{8p}`$ |

The Steenrod classification theorem  asserts that this bundle is characterized by the homotopy group $`\pi _{7p}\left(U\right)`$. Using the standard definition of the K-group , we obtain

$$\stackrel{~}{K}\left(S^{8p}\right)=\pi _{7p}\left(U\right).$$
(1)   
The exact homotopy sequence 

$$\mathrm{}\pi _n\left(U\left(2N\right)/U\left(N\right)\right)\pi _n\left(U\left(2N\right)/U\left(N\right)\times U\left(N\right)\right)$$

$$\pi _{n1}\left(U\left(N\right)\right)\pi _{n1}\left(U\left(2N\right)/U\left(N\right)\right)\mathrm{}$$

for the universal bundle

| $`U\left(N\right)`$ | $``$ | $`U\left(2N\right)/U\left(N\right)`$ |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  |  | $``$ |
|  |  | $`U\left(2N\right)/U\left(N\right)\times U\left(N\right)`$ |

yields

$$\stackrel{~}{K}\left(S^{8p}\right)=\pi _{7p}\left(U\right)=\pi _{8p}\left(B_U\right),$$

where $`B_U`$ is the inductive limit of the manifold

$$U\left(2N\right)/U\left(N\right)\times U\left(N\right).$$
(2)   
The manifold (2) has the following interpretation in terms of $`D`$-branes . When $`2N`$ coinciding branes are separated to form two parallel stacks of $`N`$ coinciding branes, their gauge symmetry $`U\left(2N\right)`$ is spontaneously broken to $`U\left(N\right)\times U\left(N\right)`$. This situation generically allows for the existence of gauge solitons.

$`D`$-brane charges take values in the K-groups (1). To compute K-groups (1), we use the Bott periodicity theorem . The spectrum of $`D`$-brane charges is recorded in Table 1.

Table 1

| $`Dp`$ | $`D8`$ | $`D7`$ | $`D6`$ | $`D5`$ | $`D4`$ | $`D3`$ | $`D2`$ | $`D1`$ | $`D0`$ | $`D(1)`$ | $`D(2)`$ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $`S^n`$ | $`S^0`$ | $`S^1`$ | $`S^2`$ | $`S^3`$ | $`S^4`$ | $`S^5`$ | $`S^6`$ | $`S^7`$ | $`S^8`$ | $`S^9`$ | $`S^{10}`$ |
| $`\stackrel{~}{K}(S^n)`$ |  | 0 |  | 0 |  | 0 |  | 0 |  | 0 |  |

## 3 Remark

The result recorded in Table 1 differs from the corresponding result obtained in :

| $`Dp`$ | $`D9`$ | $`D8`$ | $`D7`$ | $`D6`$ | $`D5`$ | $`D4`$ | $`D3`$ | $`D2`$ | $`D1`$ | $`D0`$ | $`D(1)`$ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $`S^n`$ | $`S^0`$ | $`S^1`$ | $`S^2`$ | $`S^3`$ | $`S^4`$ | $`S^5`$ | $`S^6`$ | $`S^7`$ | $`S^8`$ | $`S^9`$ | $`S^{10}`$ |
| $`\stackrel{~}{K}(S^n)`$ |  | 0 |  | 0 |  | 0 |  | 0 |  | 0 |  |