D2-D8 system with massive strings and the Lifshitz spacetimes

Abstract

The Romans’ type IIA supergravity allows fundamental strings to have explicit mass term at the tree level. We show that there exists a (F1,D2,D8) brane configuration which gives rise to Lif4(2) × R1 × S5 vacua supported by the massive strings. The presence of D8-branes naturally excites massive fundamental strings. A compactification on circle relates these Lifshitz massive type-IIA background with the axion-flux Lif4(2) × S1 × S5 vacua in ordinary type-IIB theory. The massive T-duality in eight dimensions further relates them to yet another {tilde{Lif}}_4^{(2)}times {S}^1times {S}^5 vacua constituted by (F1,D0,D6) system in ordinary type IIA theory. The latter vacua after compactification to four dimensions generate two ‘distinct’ electric charges and a constant magnetic field, all living over 2-dimensional plane. This somewhat reminds us of a similar set up in quantum Hall systems.