1999/12/30 by Edward Witten · 1 citation
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Combinatorics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Dual (grammatical number) #Duality (order theory) #Field theory (psychology) #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Non-critical string theory #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Physics #Pure mathematics #Quantum #Quantum gravity #Quantum mechanics #Relationship between string theory and quantum field theory #S-duality #String (physics) #String field theory #String theory #Superstring theory #Supersymmetry #Theoretical physics #Topological quantum field theory #Topological string theory #Topology (electrical circuits) #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1126-6708/2000/05/031
published as JHEP 0005:031,2000 · 33 pp, clarifications and added references
arxiv created 1999/12/30 · openalex publication_date 2000/05/17 · arxiv updated 2010/04/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
We explore two different problems in string theory in which duality relates an ordinary p-form in one theory to a self-dual (p+1)-form in another theory. One problem involves comparing D4-branes to M5-branes, and the other involves comparing the Ramond-Ramond forms in Type IIA and Type IIB superstring theory. In each case, a subtle topological effect involving the p-form can be recovered from a careful analysis of the quantum mechanics of the self-dual (p+1)-form.