Heterotic-Type II duality and wrapping rules

Abstract

We show how the brane wrapping rules, recently discovered in closed oriented string theories compactified on tori, are extended to the case of the Type IIA string compactified on K3. To this aim, a crucial role is played by the duality between this theory and the Heterotic string compactified on a four-dimensional torus T^4. We first show how the wrapping rules are applied to the T^4/Z_N orbifold limits of K3 by relating the D0 branes, obtained as D2 branes wrapping two-cycles, to the perturbative BPS states of the Heterotic theory on T^4. The wrapping rules are then extended to the solitonic branes of the Type IIA string, finding agreement with the analogous Heterotic states. Finally, the geometric Type IIA orbifolds are mapped, via T-duality, to non-geometric Type IIB orbifolds, where the wrapping rules are also at work and consistent with string dualities.