Topological extensions of Noether charge algebras carried by Dp-branes Original Research Article

We derive an extension of the supersymmetry algebra carried by D-branes in a massless type IIA superspace vacuum. We find that the extended algebra contains not only topological charges that probe the presence of compact space-time dimensions but also pieces that measure non-trivial configurations of the gauge field on the world-volume of the brane. Furthermore there are terms that measure the coupling of the non-triviality of the world-volume regarded as a U(1) bundle of the gauge field to possible compact space-time dimensions. In particular, the extended algebra carried by the D2-brane can contain the charge of a Dirac monopole of the gauge field. In the course of this work we derive a set of generalized Gamma-matrix identities that include the ones presently known for the IIA case. In the first part of the paper we give an introduction to the basic notions of Noether current algebras and charge algebras; furthermore we find a theorem that describes in a general context how the presence of a gauge field on the world-volume of an embedded object transforming under the symmetry group on the target space alters the algebra of the Noether charges, which otherwise would be the same as the algebra of the symmetry group. This is a phenomenon recently found by Sorokin and Townsend in the case of the N15-brane, but here we show that it holds quite generally, and in particular also in the case of D-branes.