Open Strings and D-branes in WZNW model

Abstract

An abundance of the Poisson-Lie symmetries of the WZNW models is uncovered. They give rise, via the Poisson-Lie $T$-duality, to a rich structure of the dual pairs of $D$-branes configurations in group manifolds. The $D$-branes are characterized by their shapes and certain two-forms living on them. The WZNW path integral for the interacting $D$-branes diagrams is unambiguously defined if the two-form on the $D$-brane and the WZNW three-form on the group form an integer-valued cocycle in the relative singular cohomology of the group manifold with respect to its $D$-brane submanifold. An example of the $SU(N)$ WZNW model is studied in some detail.