# 1 Introduction

## 1 Introduction

$`D`$-branes play a significant role in superstrings and superconformal field theories. Two of the most outstanding developments in this direction have been achieved:   
1. The generalized AdS/CFT correspondence , 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.

In the present paper we use K-theory to compute the $`D`$-brane spectra in the Type IIB string theory compactified on $`AdS_{p+2}\times S^{8p}`$.

## 2 $`D`$-brane spectra

Let us consider the fibre bundle

| $`S^{8p}`$ | $``$ | $`B^{9p}`$ |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  |  | $``$ |
|  |  | $`B^{9p}/S^{8p}`$ |

The K-groups characterizing this bundle are related by the exact hexagon 

|  |  | $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(B^{9p}/S^{8p}\right)`$ | $``$ | $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(B^{9p}\right)`$ |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $`\stackrel{\delta }{}`$ |  |  |  |  |  | $``$ |
| $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(SS^{8p}\right)`$ |  |  |  |  |  | $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(S^{8p}\right)`$ |
| $``$ |  |  |  |  |  | $`\stackrel{\delta }{}`$ |
|  |  | $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(SB^{9p}\right)`$ | $``$ | $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(S\left(B^{9p}/S^{8p}\right)\right)`$ |  |  |

where $`\delta `$ is the coboundary homomorphism. This hexagon is the counterpart of the generalized AdS/CFT correspondence (cf. ).

Since

$$\stackrel{~}{K}\left(B^{9p}\right)=\stackrel{~}{K}\left(SB^{9p}\right)=0,$$

the hexagon splits into the exact sequences

$$0\stackrel{~}{K}\left(SS^{8p}\right)\stackrel{\delta }{}\stackrel{~}{K}\left(B^{9p}/S^{8p}\right)0$$
(1)   
$$0\stackrel{~}{K}\left(S^{8p}\right)\stackrel{\delta }{}\stackrel{~}{K}\left(S\left(B^{9p}/S^{8p}\right)\right)0$$
(2)   
The sequences (1) and (2) are related by T-duality.

The group $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(SS^{8p}\right)`$ from (1) reproduces the $`D`$-brane spectrum

Table 1

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

which coincides with the known result in Type IIB theory .

The group $`\stackrel{~}{K}\left(S^{8p}\right)`$ from (2) reproduces the $`D`$-brane spectrum

Table 2

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

which signals the existence of the mirror-symmetry-analogue for branes, analogous to that rised in the context of derived categories .

## 3 Vacuum manifold

Using standard definitions , we obtain

$$\stackrel{~}{K}\left(SS^{8p}\right)=\pi _{9p}\left(BU\right),$$

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

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

$$U\left(2N\right)/U\left(N\right)\times U\left(N\right)$$
(3)   
The vacuum manifold (3) 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 topological solitons.

## 4 Acknowledgements

I would like to thank S. Gukov for stimulating discussions. It is a pleasure to thank E. Witten for his attention to this work.