$G_2$ holonomy metrics and wrapped D6-branes

We construct a new (singular) cohomogeneity-three metric of G_2 holonomy. The solution can be viewed as a triple intersection of smeared Taub-NUTs. The metric comprises three non-compact radial-type coordinates, with the principal orbits being a T^3 bundle over S^1. We consider an M-theory vacuum (Minkowski)_4\times M_7 where M_7 is the G_2 manifold. Upon reduction on a circle in the T^3, we obtain the intersection of a D6-brane, a Taub-NUT and a 6-brane with R-R 2-form flux....

We study N=1 supersymmetric four-dimensional solutions of massive Type IIA supergravity with intersecting D6-branes in the presence NS-NS three-form fluxes. We derive N=1 supersymmetry conditions for the D6-brane and flux configurations in an internal manifold $X_6$ and derive the intrinsic torsion (or SU(3)-structure) related to the fluxes. In the absence of fluxes, N=1 supersymmetry implies that D6-branes wrap supersymmetric three-cycles of $X_6$ that intersect at angles of...

We investigate the four-dimensional supergravity theory obtained from the compactification of eleven-dimensional supergravity on a smooth manifold of G_2 holonomy. We give a new derivation for the Kaehler potential associated with the scalar kinetic term of the N=1 four-dimensional theory. We then examine some solutions of the four-dimensional theory which arise from wrapped M-branes.

We show how an extremal Reissner-Nordstrom black hole can be obtained by wrapping a dyonic D3-brane on a Calabi-Yau manifold. In the orbifold limit T^6/Z_3, we explicitly show the correspondence between the solution of the supergravity equations of motion and the D-brane boundary state description of such a black hole.

We construct supersymmetric M3-brane solutions in D=11 supergravity. They can be viewed as deformations of backgrounds taking the form of a direct product of four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime and a non-compact Ricci-flat manifold of G_2 holonomy. Although the 4-form field strength is turned on it carries no charge, and the 3-branes are correspondingly massless. We also obtain 3-branes of a different type, arising as M5-branes wrapped over S^2.

We construct novel classes of compact G2 spaces from lifting type IIA flux backgrounds with O6 planes. There exists an extension of IIA Calabi-Yau orientifolds for which some of the D6 branes (required to solve the RR tadpole) are dissolved in $F_2$ fluxes. The backreaction of these fluxes deforms the Calabi-Yau manifold into a specific class of SU(3)-structure manifolds. The lift to M-theory again defines compact G2 manifolds, which in case of toroidal orbifolds are a twiste...

We consider several solutions of supergravity with reduced supersymmetry which are related to wrapped branes, and elaborate on their geometrical and physical interpretation. The Killing spinors are computed for each configuration. In particular, all the known metrics on the conifold and all G_2 holonomy metrics with cohomogeneity one and S^3xS^3 principal orbits are constructed from D=8 gauged supergravity in a unified formalism. The addition of 4-form fluxes piercing the unw...

We study supergravity solutions corresponding to fivebranes wrapped on a three-sphere inside a G_2 holonomy manifold. By changing a parameter the solutions interpolate between a G_2 manifold X_i \cong S^3 x R^4 with flux on a three-sphere and a distinct G_2 manifold X_j \cong S^3 x R^4 with branes on another three-sphere. Therefore, these realise a G_2 geometric transition purely in the supergravity context. We can add D2 brane charge by applying a simple transformation to th...

We give an 11 and 10 dimensional supergravity description of M5-branes wrapping 4-cylces in a Calabi-Yau manifold and carrying momentum along a transverse S$^1$. These wrapped branes descend to a class of N=2 black holes in 4 dimensions. Our description gives the conditions on the geometry interpolating between the asymptotic and near-horizon regions. We employ the ideas of geometric transitions to show that the near horizon geometry in ten dimensions is AdS$_2\times$S$^2\tim...

We extend previous results on generalized calibrations to describe supersymmetric branes in supergravity backgrounds with diverse fields turned on, and provide several new classes of examples. As an important application, we show that supersymmetric D-branes in compactifications with field strength fluxes, and on SU(3)-structure spaces, wrap generalized calibrated submanifolds, defined by simple conditions in terms of the underlying globally defined, but non-closed, 2- and 3-...