# More Ricci-flat branes

## 1. Introduction

Classical solutions to supergravity theories, particularly those which preserve some of the supersymmetry, have played an enormously important role in many of the recent developments in nonperturbative string theory as well as in establishing new correspondences between gravity and gauge theory. Notwithstanding the vigorous effort that has been made in the last several years and the rapid progress in understanding the geometry of these solutions, one is nevertheless left with the feeling that we have merely scratched the surface of what appears to be a very rich moduli space.

Roughly speaking the metric of a typical $`p`$-brane solution is a warped product of two spacetimes: the worldvolume of the brane (traditionally taken to be $`(p+1)`$-dimensional Minkowski spacetime) and the transverse space to the brane. In the elementary brane solutions, the transverse space is taken to be euclidean space; but by now many solutions have been obtained where the transverse geometry is more interesting. Not all of these solutions correspond to localised branes, but many which do can be interpreted as branes localised at conical singularities in manifolds of special holonomy, the reduction of the holonomy being a familiar phenomenon in supersymmetry.

In light of the body of work on $`𝖣`$-branes in curved manifolds (see, e.g.,  and references therein), where brane worldvolumes are generically curved, the restriction to flat brane worldvolumes seems unnatural, and in recent work  Brecher and Perry set out to construct examples of supersymmetric brane solutions where the brane worldvolume is taken to be a curved manifold.

Their analysis shows that for the supergravity equations of motion to be obeyed, the brane worldvolume must be Ricci-flat, whereas supersymmetry dictates that it should in addition admit parallel (i.e., covariantly constant) spinors. Up to dimension three, Ricci-flatness implies flatness, but for $`p`$-branes with $`p3`$, one should be able to write down solutions with a curved brane worldvolume. In  the authors discuss mainly domain walls (i.e., branes whose worldvolumes have codimension $`1`$) and the magnetic fivebrane. Furthermore they use the known classification of *riemannian* holonomy groups to attempt to classify the possible brane worldvolumes.

This analysis contains the tacit assumption that the brane worldvolume $`B`$ of the $`p`$-brane is a *static* spacetime; that is, its metric is of the form:

$$ds^2(B)=dt^2+ds^2(X),$$

where $`X`$ is a $`p`$-dimensional riemannian manifold admitting parallel spinors. Such a metric is automatically Ricci-flat, and the (restricted) holonomy group $`H`$ of $`X`$ is constrained to be one of the groups in Table 1 (see, e.g., ).

The restriction to static spacetimes is however unnecessary from a geometrical point of view, and the point of this note is to exhibit a roughly equally large class of solutions where the brane worldvolume is an indecomposable Ricci-flat lorentzian spacetime admitting parallel spinors. As explained, for example in , a lorentzian manifold admitting parallel spinors need not be Ricci-flat; so it is not enough to restrict the holonomy in order to satisfy the equations of motion. The results described below are a direct corollary of the methods, if not the results, of the paper , to which the reader is referred for details not covered here. For the present purposes we restrict ourselves to partially reproducing in Table 2, one of the tables in that paper, containing a (conjecturally complete) list of (restricted) holonomy groups of indecomposable lorentzian manifolds admitting parallel spinors. For an explanation of how to understand these subgroups in terms of Lorentz transformations, as well as for the notion of indecomposability, we refer the reader to the Appendix and Section 2.3 of , respectively.

This note is organised as follows. In the next two sections we apply the methods of  to two of the examples of branes discussed by Brecher and Perry: the magnetic fivebrane of eleven-dimensional supergravity in Section 2 and the $`𝖣8`$-brane in type IIA supergravity in Section 3, constructing new solutions in each case. Finally in Section 4 we discuss new Ricci-flat $`𝖣3`$-branes.

After this note had been circulated, we became aware of the paper  where branes with curved worldvolumes are also considered.

### Acknowledgements

This note was written while I was participating in the programme *Holonomy groups in differential geomety* at the Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematical Physics. It is a pleasure to thank the organisers, particularly Krzysztof Galicki for the invitation and Dmitri Alekseevsky for the opportunity to speak on this subject, as well as the other participants for providing such a stimulating atmosphere. Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Royal Society and the ESI during this visit.

## 2. More Ricci-flat fivebranes

The metric for the magnetic fivebrane of eleven dimensional supergravity is obtained by warping the flat metric on the minkowskian worldvolume of the fivebrane with the flat metric of the five dimensional transverse Euclidean space. The background describing a number of parallel fivebranes is given by :

$`ds^2`$ $`=H^{\frac{1}{3}}ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^{5,1})+H^{\frac{2}{3}}ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^5)`$ (1)   
$`F`$ $`=\pm 3_5dH,`$   
where $`ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^{5,1})`$ is the metric on the six-dimensional Minkowskian worldvolume $`\mathrm{𝔼}^{5,1}`$ of the branes, $`ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^5)`$ and $`_5`$ are the metric and Hodge operator on the five-dimensional euclidean space $`\mathrm{𝔼}^5`$ transverse to the branes, and $`H`$ is the following harmonic function on $`\mathrm{𝔼}^5`$:

$$H(r)=1+\frac{a^3}{r^3};a^3\pi N\mathrm{}_p^3$$
(2)   
where $`r`$ is the transverse radial coordinate on $`\mathrm{𝔼}^5`$, $`N`$ is an positive integer and $`\mathrm{}_p`$ is the eleven-dimensional Planck constant. We have fixed the constant in $`H(r)`$ so that $`lim_r\mathrm{}H(r)=1`$. This solution then corresponds to $`N`$ coincident fivebranes at $`r=0`$. As is well known, this solution preserves a fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{2}`$ of the supersymmetry.

The analysis of  shows that the above expression remains a supersymmetric solution provided that $`ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^{5,1})`$ is replaced by a Ricci-flat Lorentzian metric admitting parallel spinors. One possibility, discussed in , is to consider a product spacetime $`\mathrm{𝔼}^{1,1}\times K`$, with $`K`$ a hyperkähler four-dimensional manifold. Such a metric is automatically Ricci-flat and since the solution is half-flat, it preserves a fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{4}`$ of the supersymmetry.

Alternatively, one can take an indecomposable Ricci-flat lorentzian metric admitting parallel spinors. From Table 2 one reads off that the (restricted) holonomy of such a metric must be contained in a subgroup $`\mathrm{Sp}(1)\mathrm{}^4\mathrm{Spin}(5,1)`$. In fact, indecomposability means that there are only two possible subgroups $`\mathrm{}^4`$ and $`\mathrm{Sp}(1)\mathrm{}^4`$. As discussed in , the former subgroup preserves a fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{4}`$ of the supersymmetry, whereas the latter preserves a fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{8}`$.

Since for these groups, the holonomy reduction does not guarantee Ricci-flatness, which is necessary to satisfy the equations of motion, we have to make sure that Ricci-flat metrics with this holonomy do indeed exist.

The most general local metric in six dimensions with holonomy $`\mathrm{Sp}(1)\mathrm{}^4`$ has a parallel null vector, and hence it is a gravitational $`pp`$-wave of the type studied by Brinkmann in the 1920s , but one which in addition admits a parallel spinor. In adapted coordinates $`x^+,x^{},x^i`$ with $`i,j=1,\mathrm{},4`$ such that the parallel vector is $`_{}`$, the metric has the following form :

$$ds^2=2dx^+dx^{}+a(dx^+)^2+b_idx^idx^++g_{ij}dx^idx^j,$$

where $`a`$, $`b_i`$ and $`g_{ij}`$ are independent of $`x^{}`$ and $`g_{ij}(x^+,x^i)`$ is a $`x^+`$-dependent family of four-dimensional hyperkähler metrics. It is possible to change coordinates so that the mixed term $`b_idx^idx^+`$ is absent, and we will do this. Moreover we will assume for simplicity of exposition that the $`x^+`$-dependence of $`g_{ij}`$ is via a conformal factor. The metric we will consider will therefore be given by

$$ds^2=2dx^+dx^{}+a(x^+,x^i)(dx^+)^2+e^{2\sigma (x^+)}g_{ij}(x^i)dx^idx^j,$$

with $`g_{ij}`$ now a fixed hyperkähler metric.

The only nonzero component of the Ricci tensor is given by

$$R_{++}=\frac{1}{2}a4\left(\sigma ^{\prime \prime }+(\sigma ^{})^2\right),$$

where the  denotes the derivative with respect to $`x^+`$ and $``$ is the laplacian relative to the metric $`g_{ij}`$. If we let $`a(x^+,x^i)=8\left(\sigma ^{\prime \prime }+(\sigma ^{})^2\right)f(x^i)`$, then the Ricci curvature vanishes provided $`f`$ obeys $`f=1`$. Such an $`f`$ can always be found, at least locally.

As an example, we can consider $`g_{ij}`$ to be flat, and $`f=\frac{1}{8}x^2`$. This gives a new family of $`\nu =\frac{1}{4}`$ solutions, labelled by the function $`\sigma `$.

## 3. More Ricci-flat domain walls

In this section we discuss generalised domain walls, focusing on the $`𝖣8`$-brane in the massive IIA supergravity theory of Romans  for concreteness; although it should be clear from this discussion how to generalise this to other domain walls, as discussed in .

The background of the $`𝖣8`$-brane  is given by:

$$ds^2=H^{\frac{1}{8}}ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^{8,1})+H^{\frac{9}{8}}dy^2\text{and}e^\varphi =H^{\frac{5}{4}}$$

with all other fields set to zero, and where $`H(y)`$ is given by

$$H(y)=1+m|yy_0|,$$

with $`m`$ the mass parameter in the supergravity theory. This metric has a delta-function singularity at $`y=y_0`$, which can be cured by adding a source for the brane. This solution preserves a fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{2}`$ of the supersymmetry.

Following , we define a new variable $`z`$ by

$$dz^2=H^{\frac{9}{8}}dy^2,$$

so that the metric becomes

$$ds^2=\left(1+\frac{25}{16}m|zz_0|\right)^{\frac{2}{25}}ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^{8,1})+dz^2,$$

and

$$e^\varphi =\left(1+\frac{25}{16}m|zz_0|\right)^{\frac{4}{5}}.$$

This expression suggests the following generalised $`𝖣8`$-brane Ansatz :

$$ds^2=F^2(z)ds^2(X)+dz^2,$$

where $`X`$ is a nine-dimensional lorentzian manifold and $`F`$ and $`\varphi `$ are functions of the real variable $`z`$. As shown in , the choice

$$F(z)=\left(1+\frac{25}{16}m|zz_0|\right)^{\frac{1}{25}}\text{and}e^\varphi =F^{20},$$

gives rise to a solution of the supergravity theory provided that $`X`$ is Ricci-flat. In addition the solution preserves some supersymmetry provided that $`X`$ admits *parallel* spinors.

The case of $`ds^2(X)=dt^2+ds^2(Y)`$, with $`Y`$ an eight-dimensional riemannian manifold of holonomy contained in $`\mathrm{Spin}(7)`$ was discussed in detail in . However, according to Table 2, we see that there are also solutions corresponding to indecomposable manifolds $`Y`$ with holonomy contained in $`G_2\mathrm{}^7`$, provided that they are Ricci-flat.

A possible construction of such metrics in the following. Choose coordinates $`(x^+,x^{},x^i)`$, with $`i=1,\mathrm{},7`$, and consider the following metric

$$ds^2(Y)=2dx^+dx^{}+a(x^+,x^i)(dx^+)^2+e^{2\sigma (x^+)}g_{ij}dx^idx^j,$$

where $`g`$ is a metric of holonomy contained in $`G_2`$. The nonzero component of the Ricci tensor is given by

$$R_{++}=\frac{1}{2}a7\left(\sigma ^{\prime \prime }+(\sigma ^{})^2\right),$$

whence if we let $`a(x^+,x^i)=14\left(\sigma ^{\prime \prime }+(\sigma ^{})^2\right)f(x^i)`$, then the metric is Ricci-flat provided that $`f=1`$, which always has a local solution.

For example, if we take $`g`$ to be flat, then we can choose $`f=\frac{1}{2}x^2`$, and obtain a family of Ricci-flat metrics parametrised by the function $`\sigma `$. This family preserves a fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{4}`$ of the supersymmetry. Other fractions are possible by allowing $`g`$ to have larger holonomy; for example: $`\nu =\frac{1}{8}`$ if $`g`$ has holonomy $`\mathrm{Sp}(1)`$, $`\nu =\frac{1}{16}`$ if $`g`$ has holonomy $`\mathrm{SU}(3)`$, and $`\nu =\frac{1}{32}`$ if $`g`$ has holonomy $`G_2`$.

## 4. Ricci-flat $`𝖣3`$-branes

In the previous two sections we have seen how to generalise the examples of Ricci-flat branes obtained in  to nonstatic brane worldvolumes. In this section we show how to curve the worldvolume of a $`𝖣3`$-brane. This case was not covered in  because it is not possible to curve Ricci-flat static worldvolume metrics. Indeed, if a four-dimensional Ricci-flat lorentzian metric is decomposable, then it is automatically flat.

The metric for the $`𝖣3`$-brane of type IIB is given by ,

$$g=H^{\frac{1}{2}}ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^{3,1})+H^{\frac{1}{2}}ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^6),$$

where now $`\mathrm{𝔼}^{3,1}`$ is the four-dimensional minkowskian worldvolume of the threebrane and $`\mathrm{𝔼}^6`$ is the euclidean transverse space. The self-dual $`5`$-form $`F`$ has (quantised) flux on the unit transverse five-sphere $`S^5\mathrm{𝔼}^6`$ and the dilaton is constant. $`H`$ is again harmonic in $`\mathrm{𝔼}^6`$ and the unique spherically symmetric solution with $`lim_r\mathrm{}H(r)=1`$ is

$$H(r)=1+\frac{a^4}{r^4};a^44\pi gN\mathrm{}_s^4$$

where $`g`$ is the string coupling constant, given by the exponential of the constant dilaton, and $`\mathrm{}_s=\sqrt{\alpha ^{}}`$ is the string length. The solution corresponds to $`N`$ parallel $`𝖣3`$-branes at $`r=0`$. The ten-dimensional Planck length is $`\mathrm{}_pg^{{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{4}}}\mathrm{}_s`$, so that $`a`$ can be rewritten as

$$a^4=4\pi N\mathrm{}_p^4.$$

Just like was done in the previous two sections, we can try to curve the worldvolume metric while preserving supersymmetry and satisfying the supergravity equations of motion. As was explained above, the only possibility is to consider an indecomposable four-dimensional metric. According to Table 2, for the metric to admit a parallel spinor, it must have holonomy $`\mathrm{}^2\mathrm{Spin}(3,1)`$. The most general local metric with this holonomy was constructed, for example, in Section 3.2.3 in , and it can be written as follows:

$$ds^2=2dx^+dx^{}+a(dx^+)^2+bϵ_{ij}x^jdx^idx^++dx^idx^i,$$

where $`b=b(x^+)`$ and $`a=a(x^+,x^i)`$ are arbitrary functions, and where now $`i,j=1,2`$. The only nonzero component of the Ricci tensor is again

$$R_{++}=\frac{1}{2}a+2b^2,$$

where $`=_i_i`$ is the laplacian on functions of the transverse coordinates $`x^i`$. In order for this to cancel, we need that $`a`$ should be a non-negative function of only $`x^+`$, so that we can choose $`b=\frac{1}{2}\left(a\right)^{{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{2}}}`$. The most general local solution is given by

$$a=f(x^+)+g_i(x^+)x^i+e^{2h(x^+)}x^2\text{and}b=e^{h(x^+)},$$

where the four functions $`f`$, $`g_i`$, and $`h`$ are arbitrary. Such a $`𝖣3`$-brane solution preserves a fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{4}`$ of the supersymmetry.

Interestingly enough, we can also deform the transverse space to the threebrane. One way to do this is to notice that the euclidean metric in $`\mathrm{𝔼}^6`$ is that of the metric cone over the unit five-sphere:

$$ds^2(\mathrm{𝔼}^6)=dr^2+r^2ds^2(S^5).$$

As has been explained, for example, in , one can substitute the five-sphere for any five-dimensional Sasaki–Einstein manifold, and recover a solution with presumably one fourth of the supersymmetry of the spherical solution. In other words, we can construct a large class of $`𝖣3`$-brane solutions which preserve a mere fraction $`\nu =\frac{1}{16}`$ of the supersymmetry.<sup>1</sup><sup>1</sup>1In fact, the fraction is at least $`\frac{1}{16}`$ but might actually be larger, since in this case not all the “supergravity Killing spinors” (i.e., zero modes of the gravitino shift equation) need be given simply as tensor products of Killing spinors in the two factors of the near horizon geometry.

It is possible to analyse the near-horizon geometry of these threebrane solutions and to study the Lie superalgebra of symmetries as in . Since the near-horizon geometry does not contain an anti de Sitter factor, the putative Maldacena dual field theory is not conformal, and in fact is not even Lorentz invariant. This is consistent with the heuristic picture of understanding the Maldacena dual as living on the brane, which is now a curved manifold.