Fundamental strings and NS5-branes from unstable D-branes in supergravity

Abstract

By using the non-supersymmetric $p$-brane solutions delocalized in arbitrary number of transverse directions in type II supergravities, we show how they can be regarded as interpolating solutions between unstable D$p$-branes (a non-BPS D-brane or a pair of coincident D-brane-antiD-brane) and fundamental strings and also between unstable D$p$-branes and NS5-branes. We also show that some of these solutions can be regarded as interpolating solutions between NS5/$\bar{\rm NS}$5 and D$p$-branes (for $p \leq 5$). This gives a closed string description of the tachyon condensation and lends support to the conjecture that the open string theory on unstable D-branes at the tachyonic vacuum has soliton solutions describing not only the lower dimensional BPS D-branes, but also the fundamental strings as well as the NS5-branes.

11 pages, LaTeX, one statement corrected and one reference added, v3: more details of the solution used is given, version to appear in Phys. Lett. B