F0 fluxbranes, F-walls and new brane worlds

Abstract

We complete the list of fluxbrane solutions in classical supergravities by introducing Melvin type space-times supported by antisymmetric forms of rank $D-1$ and their pseudoscalar duals. In IIB theory these solutions belong to the same family as the seven-brane and D-instanton. In current notation, a fluxbrane supported by the D-1 form is an F0 brane, its euclidean continuation is a cylindrical background which ``interacts&#39;&#39; with a pointlike instanton. The general F0 brane can have a transverse space S_k times R^{(D-k-2)} with 1 <= k <= D-2. For k=1 we find the complete solution containing four parameters, three of them associated with pointlike singularities on the Melvin-type background. The S-dual to the F0 brane in ten dimensions is the F8 fluxbrane of codimension one, or F-wall, similar fluxbranes exist in any dimensions if an appropriate form field is present. F-walls contain naked singularities unless one introduces source branes. In such a way one obtains new brane-world type solutions with two bulk scalar fields. Their relation to the supersymmetric brane-worlds is discussed.