Twisting S-branes

Abstract

Smooth time dependent supergravity solutions corresponding to analytic continuations of Kerr black holes are constructed and limits with a local de Sitter phase are found. These solutions are non-singular due to a helical twist in space and a fine tuning of the energy flow in the spacetime. For the extremal limit in which the mass and twist parameters are equal the S-brane undergoes de Sitter expansion. Subextremal limits show the formation and decay of a twisted circle and closed string tachyon condensation backreaction effects can be followed. For small values of the twist deformation, a short lived ergosphere envelopes the S-brane and leads to the production of closed timelike curves.