String Solitons and T-duality

Abstract

We construct for arbitrary dimensions a universal T-duality covariant expression for the Wess-Zumino terms of supersymmetric String Solitons in toroidally compactified string theories with 32 supercharges. The worldvolume fields occurring in the effective action of these String Solitons form either a vector or a tensor multiplet with 16 supercharges. We determine the dimensions of the conjugacy classes under T-duality to which these String Solitons belong. We do this in two steps. First, we determine the T-duality representations of the $p$-forms of maximal supergravities that contain the potentials that couple to these String Solitons. We find that these are p-forms, with D-4\le p\le 6 if D \ge 6 and with D-4\le p\le D if D < 6, transforming in the antisymmetric representation of rank m=p+4-D\le 4 of the T-duality symmetry SO(10-D,10-D). All branes support vector multiplets except when m=10-D. In that case the T-duality representation splits, for D<10, into a selfdual and anti-selfdual part, corresponding to 5-branes supporting either a vector or a tensor multiplet. In a second step we show that only certain well-defined lightlike directions in the anti-symmetric tensor representations of the T-duality group correspond to supersymmetric String Solitons. These lightlike directions define the conjugacy classes. As a by-product we show how by a straightforward procedure all solitonic fields of maximal supergravity are derived using the Kac-Moody algebra E(11).