Branes and Fluxes in Orientifolds and K-theory

Abstract

RR fields in string backgrounds including orientifold planes and branes on top of them are classified by K-theory. Following the idea introduced in hep-th/0103183, we also classify such fluxes by cohomology. Both of them are compared through the Atiyah-Hirzebruch Spectral Sequence. Some new correlations between branes on orientifold planes $Op^\pm$ and obstructions to the existence of some branes are found. Finally, we find a topological condition that avoid the presence of global gauge anomalies in lower dimensional systems.