D-brane tension as central charge

2026/06/30 by Vinícius Bernardes, Theodore Erler, Atakan Hilmi Fırat
Physics and Astronomy · #hep-th

paper · pdf

4 pages, double column; v2: minor improvements

arxiv created 2026/08/03 · arxiv updated 2026/08/05

Abstract

Using Hamiltonian methods in open bosonic string field theory, we derive the mass of a D0-brane as the central charge of the spontaneously broken Poincaré algebra in 26 dimensions. Though the formulas originate from string field theory, the calculation can be carried out completely on-shell. This illustrates a general procedure for computing spacetime central charges in string theory.

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• Conserved charges and L_∞ algebras
• Poisson bracket and L_∞ algebras