Fractional branes and localized tachyons

Abstract:
Condensation of closed string tachyons localized at the fixed points of spacetime non-supersymmetric orbifolds can be studied in the framework of gauged linear sigma model (GLSM). As tachyons condense, some fractional branes become branes wrapping cycles in the Higgs branch of GLSM, while the others reside in the massive vacua on the Coulomb branch. We study properties of both Higgs and Coulomb branch branes. They are shown to originate from the linear combinations of fractional branes. The precise form of the map depends on the phases of the tachyon expectation values.