Harmonic superpositions of M-branes Original Research Article

Harmonic superpositions of M-branes Original Research Article Pages 149-163 A.A. Tseytfin Close preview | Related articles | Related reference work articles AbstractAbstract | ReferencesReferences Abstract We present solutions describing supersymmetric configurations of 2 or 3 orthogonally intersecting 2-branes and 5-branes of D = 11 supergravity. The configurations which preserve 14 or 18 of maximal supersymmetry are 2⊥2, 5⊥5, 2⊥5, 2⊥2⊥2, 5⊥5⊥5, 2⊥2⊥5 and 2⊥5⊥5 (2⊥2 stands for orthogonal intersection of two 2-branes over a point, etc.; p-branes of the same type intersect over (p-2)-branes). There exists a simple rule which governs the construction of composite supersymmetric p-brane solutions in D = 10 and 11 with a separate harmonic function assigned to each constituent 12-supersymmetric p-brane. The resulting picture of intersecting p-brane solutions complements their D-brane interpretation in D = 10 and seems to support possible existence of a D = 11 analogue of D-brane description. The D = 11 solution describing intersecting 2-brane and 5-brane reduces in D = 10 to a type 11 string solution corresponding to a fundamental string lying within a solitonic 5-brane (which further reduces to an extremal D = 5 black hole). We also discuss a particular D = 11 embedding of the extremal D = 4 dyonic black hole solution with finite area of horizon.