We obtain the effective field equations in a brane-world scenario within the framework of a DGP model where the action on the brane is an arbitrary function of the Ricci scalar, ${\cal L}(R)$, and the bulk action includes a scalar field in the matter Lagrangian. We obtain the Friedmann equations and acceleration conditions in the presence of the bulk scalar field for the $R^n$ term in four-dimensional gravity.
We consider a DGP brane scenario where a scalar field is present on the brane through the introduction of a scalar potential, itself motivated by the notion of modified gravity. This theory predicts that the mass appearing in the gravitational potential is modified by the addition of the mass of the scalar field. The cosmological implications that such a scenario entails are examined and shown to be consistent with a universe expanding with power-law acceleration.
Recently, inspired by Eddington's theory, an alternative gravity called Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity was proposed by Ba$\tilde{\text{n}}$ados and Ferreira. It is equivalent to Einstein's general relativity in vacuum, but deviates from it when matter is included. Interestingly, it seems that the cosmological singularities are prevented in this theory. Based on the new theory, we investigate a thick brane model with a scalar field presenting in the five-dimensional background. A domain wall solution is obtained, and further, we find that at low energy the four-dimensional Einstein grav…
The Palatini $f(|\hatΩ|)$ gravity is a generalized theory of the Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity, where $Ω_{~N}^{K}\equivδ_{~N}^{K}+bg^{KL}R_{LN}(Γ)$ is an auxiliary tensor constructed with the spacetime metric $g$ and independent connection $Γ$. In this paper, we study $f(|\hatΩ|)$ theory with $f(|\hatΩ|)=|\hatΩ|^{\frac{1}{2}+n}$ in the thick brane scenario and give some constraints on the brane model. We finally found an analytic solution of the thick brane generated by a single scalar field. The behavior of the negative energy density denotes the localization of the thick brane at th…
Stability and localization of the gravitational perturbations for a special brane system in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld (EiBI) gravity were studied in [Phys. Rev. D 85, 124053 (2012)]. In this paper, we show that the gravitational perturbations for a general brane system are stable, the four-dimensional graviton (massless KK graviton) can be localized on the brane, and the mass spectrum of massive KK gravitons are gapless and continuous. Two models are constructed as examples. In the first model, which is a generalization of [Phys. Rev. D 85, 124053 (2012)], the brane has no inner structure…
We consider the scalar perturbations of Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld braneworld models in this paper. The dynamical equation for the physical propagating degree of freedom $ξ(x^μ,y)$ is achieved by using the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner decomposition method: $F_1(y) {\partial_y^2 ξ} + F_2(y){\partial_y ξ} + {\partial^μ\partial_μ}ξ=0$. We conclude that the solution is tachyonic-free and stable under scalar perturbations for $F_1(y)>0$ but unstable for $F_1(y)< 0$. The stability of a known analytic domain wall solution with the warp factor given by $a(y)= \text{sech}^{\frac{3}{4p}}(ky)$ is analyzed a…
We generalise the RS braneworld model by taking into account a general stringy bulk containing the scalar dilaton field and the two-form Kalb-Ramond field, apart from gravity. Assuming small fluctuations around a RS background, the back-reacted warp factor is obtained. It is shown that the fine tuning problem in connection with the Higgs mass reappears in a new guise and the effective modular potential fails to stabilise the braneworld.
The brane inflationary model inspired by a polytropic inflationary idea is studied. In the slow-roll approximation and high energy limit, for a chaotic potential, the model is developed, and its characteristics are discussed. We obtain explicit expressions for the scalar power spectrum, the tensor-scalar ratio, the scalar spectral index and its running in terms of the polytropic parameters. We find a new constraint on the energy scale of the inflation and the brane tension using the WMAP9 data.
Braneworld scenarios are motivated by string/M-theory and can be characterized by the way in which they modify the conventional Friedmann equations of Einstein gravity. An alternative approach to quantum gravity, however, is the loop quantum cosmology program. In the semi-classical limit, the cosmic dynamics in this scenario can also be described by a set of modified Friedmann equations. We demonstrate that a dynamical correspondence can be established between these two paradigms at the level of the effective field equations. This allows qualitatively similar features between the two approache…
We consider braneworld scenarios including the leading correction to the Einstein-Hilbert action suggested by superstring theory, the Gauss-Bonnet term. We obtain and study the complete set of equations governing the cosmological dynamics. We find they have the same form as those in Randall-Sundrum scenarios but with time-varying four-dimensional gravitational and cosmological constants. Studying the bulk geometry we show that this variation is produced by bulk curvature terms parameterized by the mass of a black hole. Finally, we show there is a coupling between these curvature terms and matt…
It has been shown recently that phantom-like effect can be realized on the normal branch of the DGP setup without introduction of any phantom matter neither in the bulk nor on the brane and therefore without violation of the null energy condition. It has been shown also that inclusion of the Gauss-Bonnet term in the bulk action modifies this picture via curvature effects. Here, based on the Lue-Starkman conjecture on the dynamical screening of the brane cosmological constant in the DGP setup, we extend this proposal to a general DGP-inspired $f(R,ϕ)$ model that stringy effects in the ultra-vio…
We propose the disappearance of "the hyperon puzzle" in neutron star (NS) by invoking two new-physics prescriptions: modified gravity theory and braneworld scenario. By assuming that NS lives on a $3$-brane within a $5d$ empty AdS bulk, gravitationally governed by Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld (EiBI) theory, the field equations can be effectively cast into the usual Einstein's with "apparent" anisotropic energy-momentum tensor. Solving the corresponding brane-TOV equations numerically, we study its mass-radius relation. It is known that the appearance of finite brane tension $λ$ reduces the c…
Based on the Lue-Starkman conjecture on the dynamical screening of the brane cosmological constant in the DGP scenario, we extend this proposal to a general DGP-inspired $F(R,ϕ)$ Model. We show that modification of the induced gravity and its coupling to a quintessence field localized on the brane, affects the screening of the brane cosmological constant and also phantom-like behavior on the brane. We extend our study to possible modification of the induced gravity on the brane and for clarification some specific examples are presented. As a result, phantom-like behavior can be realized in thi…
In string-inspired effective actions, representing the low-energy bulk dynamics of brane/string theories, the higher-curvature ghost-free Gauss-Bonnet combination is obtained by local field redefinitions which leave the (perturbative) string amplitudes invariant. We show that such redefinitions lead to surface terms which induce curvature on the brane world boundary of the bulk spacetime.
We study the phantom-like behavior of a DGP-inspired braneworld scenario where curvature correction on the brane is taken into account. We include a possible modification of the induced gravity on the brane by incorporating higher order curvature terms of Gauss-Bonnet type. We investigate the cosmological implications of the model and we show that the normal branch of the scenario self-accelerates in this modified scenario without introducing any dark energy component. Also, a phantom-like behavior can be realized in this model without introducing any phantom field that suffers from serious di…
Optical activity of electromagnetic waves in a string inspired Kalb-Ramond cosmological background is studied in presence of extra spacetime dimension. The Kalb-Ramond-electromagnetic coupling which originates from the gauge anomaly cancelling Chern-Simons term in a string inspired model, is explicitly calculated following Randall-Sundrum braneworld conjecture. It is shown that the Randall-Sundrum scenario leads to an enormous enhancement of the optical rotation of a plane polarized electromagnetic wave propagating on the visible brane.Absence of any experimental support in favour of such a la…
We consider 5D braneworld models of quasi-localized gravity in which 4D gravity is reproduced at intermediate scales while the extra dimension opens up at both the very short and the very long distances, where the geometry is flat. Our main interest is the interplay between the zero mode of these models, whenever a normalizable zero mode exists, and the effects of zero energy graviton resonant modes coming from the contributions of massive KK modes. We first consider a compactified version of the GRS model and find that quasi-localized gravity is characterized by a scale for which both the res…
We study the braneworld effective action in the two-brane Randall-Sundrum model. In the framework of this essentially-nonlocal action we reveal the origin of an infinite sequence of gravitational wave modes -- the usual massless one as well as the tower of Kaluza-Klein massive ones. Mixing of the modes, which parametrically depends on the background value of the modulus of the extra dimension, can be interpreted as radion-induced gravitational-wave oscillations, a classical analogue to meson and neutrino oscillations. We show that these oscillations arising in M-theory-inspired braneworld setu…
We study $d$-dimensional $AdS$ black holes surrounded by Dark Energy (DE), embedded in $D$-dimensional M-theory/superstring inspired models having $AdS_d \times \mathbb{S}^{d+k}$ space-time with $D=2d+k$. We focus on the thermodynamic Hawking-Page phase transitions of quintessential DE black hole solutions, whose microscopical origin is linked to $N$ coincident $(d-2)$-branes supposed to live in such $(2d+k)$-dimensional models. Interpreting the cosmological constant as the number of colors $\propto N^{\frac{d-1}{2}}$, we calculate various thermodynamical quantities in terms of brane number, e…
I discuss cosmological models either derived from, or inspired by, string theory or M-theory. In particular I discuss solutions in the low-energy effective theory and the role of the dilaton, moduli and antisymmetric form fields in the dimensionally reduced effective action. The pre big bang model is an attempt to use cosmological solutions to make observational predictions. I then discuss the effective theory of gravity found in recent brane-world models where we live on a 3-brane embedded in a five-dimensional spacetime and how the study of cosmological perturbations may enable us to test th…
Inspired from the inflation brane world cosmology, we study the thermodynamics of a black hole solution in two dimensional dilaton gravity with an arctangent potential background. We first derive the two dimensional black hole geometry, then we examine its asymptotic behaviors. More precisely, we find that such behaviors exhibit properties appearing in some known cases including the Anti de Sitter and the Schwarzchild black holes. Using the complex path method, we compute the Hawking radiation. The entropy function can be related to the value of the potential at the horizon.
In the framework of string-inspired dilatonic gravity theories (from 4 to $D$ space-time dimensions), we construct new non-asymptotically flat black hole or black brane solutions. For particular values of the dilatonic coupling constant, we generalize static solutions to rotating ones, using the target space isometry group. We compute their masses and their angular momentum using the modern approach to the computation of energy in General Relativity, the quasilocal formalism, and we check the agreement of these solutions with the first law of black hole thermodynamics. Finally, we study a new …
Inspired by the Randall-Sundrum brane-world scenario, we investigate the possibility of brane-world inflation driven not by an inflaton field on the brane, but by a bulk, dilaton-like gravitational field. As a toy model for the dilaton-like gravitational field, we consider a minimally coupled massive scalar field in the bulk 5-dimensional spacetime, and look for a perturbative solution in the anti-de Sitter (AdS) background. For an adequate range of the scalar field mass, we find a unique solution that has non-trivial dependence on the 5th dimensional coordinate and that induces slow-roll infl…
Inspired by the peculiarities of the effective geometry of crystalline structures, we reconsider thick brane scenarios from a metric-affine perspective. We show that for a rather general family of theories of gravity, whose Lagrangian is an arbitrary function of the metric and the Ricci tensor, the background and scalar field equations can be written in first-order form, and tensorial perturbations have a non negative definite spectrum, which makes them stable under linear perturbations regardless of the form of the gravity Lagrangian. We find, in particular, that the tensorial zero modes are …
In this paper, we have investigated the possibility to have inflation from inhomogeneous viscous fluids by taking into account the brane correction coming from string-inspired five dimensional Einsten's gravity. We have realized several kinds of viable solutions for early-time acceleration. At the end of inflation, the classical Einstein's gravity is recovered and fluids produce decelerated expansion.
We consider a new braneworld model with a bulk scalar field coupled to gravity. The bulk scalar action is inspired by the proposed low energy effective action around the tachyon vacuum. A class of warped geometries representing solutions of this Einstein-scalar system for a specific scalar potential is found. The geometry is non singular with a decaying warp factor and a negative Ricci curvature. The solution of the hierarchy problem is obtained using this type of warping. Though qualitatively similar to the usual Randall--Sundrum I model there are interesting quantitative differences. Additio…
We study cosmological implications of a Lorentz invariance violating DGP-inspired braneworld scenario. A minimally coupled scalar field and a single, fixed-norm, Lorentz-violating timelike vector field within an interactive picture provide a wide parameter space which accounts for late-time acceleration and transition to phantom phase of the scalar field.
We use static solutions of 5-dimensional Kaluza-Klein gravity to generate several classes of static, spherically symmetric spacetimes which are analytic solutions to the equation $^{(4)}R = 0$, where $^{(4)}R$ is the four-dimensional Ricci scalar. In the Randall $&$ Sundrum scenario they can be interpreted as vacuum solutions on the brane. The solutions contain the Schwarzschild black hole, and generate new families of traversable Lorenzian wormholes as well as nakedly singular spacetimes. They generalize a number of previously known solutions in the literature, e.g., the temporal and spatial …
Recently a series of studies on high energy gamma-ray burst~(GRB) photons suggest a light speed variation with linear energy dependence at the Lorentz violation scale of $3.6 \times 10^{17}~\mathrm{GeV}$, with subluminal propagation of high energy photons in cosmological space. We propose stringy space-time foam as a possible interpretation for this light speed variation. In such a string-inspired scenario, bosonic photon open-string travels \textit{in vacuo} at an infraluminal speed with an energy dependence suppressed by a single power of the string mass scale, due to the foamy structure of …
In four-space-time dimensional string/brane theory, obtained either through compactification of the extra spatial dimensions, or by appropriate restriction to brane worlds with three large spatial dimensions, the rich physics potential associated with the presence of non-trivial Kalb-Ramond (KR) axion-like fields has not been fully exploited so far. In this talk, I discuss a scenario whereby such fields produce spontaneous Lorentz- and CPT-violating cosmological backgrounds over which strings propagate, which in the early Universe can lead to Baryogenesis through Leptogenesis in models with he…
We compute six-point string amplitudes for the scattering of one closed string Ramond-Ramond state, two tachyons, and two gauge fields in the worldvolume of D-brane-anti-D-brane systems in the Type II superstring theories. From the resulting S-matrix elements, we read off the precise form of the couplings, including their exact numerical coefficients, of two tachyons and two gauge fields in the corresponding highly symmetric effective field theory (EFT) Lagrangian in the worldvolume of D-brane-Anti-D-brane to all orders in $α'$, which modify and complete previous proposals. We verify that the …
Using modified gravity with non-linear terms of curvature, $R^2$ and $R^{(r +2)}$ (with $r$ being the positive real number and $R$ being the scalar curvature), cosmological scenario,beginning at the Planck scale, is obtained. Here, a unified picture of cosmology is obtained from $f(R)-$ gravity. In this scenario, universe begins with power-law inflation, followed by deceleration and acceleration in the late universe as well as possible collapse of the universe in future. It is different from $f(R)-$ dark energy models with non-linear curvature terms assumed as dark energy. Here, dark energy te…
Since the Randall-Sundrum 1999 papers, braneworlds have been a favourite playground to test string inspired cosmological models. The subject has developped into two main directions : elaborating more complex models in order to strenghten the connection with string theories, and trying to confront them with observations, in particular the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies. We review here the latter and see that, even in the simple, "paradigmatic", case of a single expanding brane in a 5D anti-de Sitter bulk, there is still a missing link between the "view from the brane" and the "view fr…
As in the case of Einstein or Lovelock gravity, the action of quartic quasitopological gravity has not a well-defined variational principle. In this paper, we first introduce a surface term that makes the variation of quartic quasitopological gravity well defined. Second, we present the static charged solutions of quartic quasitopological gravity in the presence of a non linear electromagnetic field. One of the branch of these solutions presents a black brane with one or two horizons or a naked singularity depending on the charge and mass of the solution. The thermodynamic of these black brane…
Inspired by recent developments in particle physics, the so-called brane world cosmology seems to provide an alternative explanation for the present dark energy problem. In this paper, we use the estimated age of high-$z$ objects to constrain the value of the cosmological parameters in some particular scenarios based on this large scale modification of gravity. We show that such models are compatible with these observations for values of the crossover distance between the 4 and 5 dimensions of the order of $r_c \leq 1.67H_o^{-1}$.
We investigate gravitational collapses of charged black holes in string-inspired gravity models, including dilaton gravity and braneworld model, as well as f(R) gravity and the ghost limit. If we turn on gauge coupling, the causal structures and the responses of the Brans-Dicke field depend on the coupling between the charged matter and the Brans-Dicke field. For Type IIA inspired models, a Cauchy horizon exists, while there is no Cauchy horizon for Type I or Heterotic inspired models. For Type IIA inspired models, the no-hair theorem is satisfied asymptotically, while it is biased to the weak…
We present a new class of asymptotically AdS magnetic solutions in ($n+1$)-dimensional dilaton gravity in the presence of an appropriate combination of three Liouville-type potentials. This class of solutions is asymptotically AdS in six and higher dimensions and yields a spacetime with longitudinal magnetic field generated by a static brane. These solutions have no curvature singularity and no horizons but have a conic geometry with a deficit angle. We find that the brane tension depends on the dilaton field and approaches a constant as the coupling constant of dilaton field goes to infinity.…
We study cosmological dynamics of a canonical bulk scalar field in the DGP setup within a superpotential approach. We show that the normal branch of this DGP-inspired model realizes a late-time de Sitter expansion on the brane. We extend this study to the case that the bulk contains a phantom scalar field. Our detailed study in the supergravity-style analysis reveals some yet unexplored aspects of cosmological dynamics of bulk scalar field in the normal DGP setup. Some clarifying examples along with numerical analysis of the model parameter space are presented in each case.
We consider the motion of test particles in a thick brane version of Randall-Sundrum type II model. It is known that gravity alone cannot explain the confinement of test particles in this kind of brane. In this paper we show that a stable confinement in a domain wall is possible by admitting a direct interaction between test particles and a scalar field. This interaction is implemented by a modification of the Lagrangian of the particle which is inspired by a Yukawa-type interaction between fermions and scalar fields.
Recently quintessence is proposed to explain the observation data of supernova indicating a time-varying cosmological constant and accelerating universe. Inspired by this and its mysterious origin, we look for the possibility of quintessence as the holographic dark matters dominated in the late time in the brane world scenarios. We consider both the cases of static and moving brane in a dilaton gravity background. For the static brane we use the Hamilton-Jacobi method motivated by holographic renormalization group to study the intrinsic FRW cosmology on the brane and find out the constraint on…
We investigate the effect of the bulk content in the general Gauss-Bonnet braneworld on the evolution of the universe. We find that the Gauss-Bonnet term and the combination of the dark radiation and the matter content of the bulk play a crucial role in the universe evolution. We show that our model can describe the super-acceleration of our universe with the equation of state of the effective dark energy in agreement with observations.
A few years ago, Campos investigated the critical phenomena of thick branes in warped spacetimes [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 88} (2002) 141602]. Inspired by his work, we consider a toy model of thick branes generated by a real scalar field with the potential $V(ϕ)=aϕ^2-bϕ^4+cϕ^6$, and investigate the variation of the mass parameter $a$ on the branes as well as the localization and resonances of fermions. An interesting result is found: there is a critical value for the mass parameter $a$, and when the critical value of $a$ is reached the solution of the background scalar field is not unique and has…
We study possible crossing of the phantom divide line in a DGP-inspired $F(R,ϕ)$ braneworld scenario where scalar field and curvature quintessence are treated in a unified framework. With some specific form of $F(R,ϕ)$ and by adopting a suitable ansatz, we show that there are appropriate regions of the parameters space which account for late-time acceleration and admit crossing of the phantom divide line.
We consider branes as "points" in an infinite dimensional brane space ${\cal M}$ with a prescribed metric. Branes move along the geodesics of ${\cal M}$. For a particular choice of metric the equations of motion are equivalent to the well known equations of the Dirac-Nambu-Goto branes (including strings). Such theory describes "free fall" in ${\cal M}$-space. In the next step the metric of ${\cal M}$-space is given the dynamical role and a corresponding kinetic term is added to the action. So we obtain a background independent brane theory: a space in which branes live is ${\cal M}$-space and …
We investigate a curved brane-world, inspired by a noncommutative D3-brane, in a type IIB string theory. We obtain, an axially symmetric and a spherically symmetric, (anti) de Sitter black holes in 4D. The event horizons of these black holes possess a constant curvature and may be seen to be governed by different topologies. The extremal geometries are explored, using the noncommutative scaling in the theory, to reassure the attractor behavior at the black hole event horizon. The emerging two dimensional, semi-classical, black hole is analyzed to provide evidence for the extra dimensions in a …
In this paper we extend previous work on the relation between the complex structure moduli of the underlying Calabi-Yau manifold in five dimensional supergravity with the time evolution of an embedded 3-brane. We numerically solve the fields' equations for such a construction and focus on dust and radiation filled branes; with the possible application of modeling the universe as a brane-world. It is shown that in both cases the time evolution of the moduli causally connects to the expansion of the brane-world. We also find that in most cases considered there is an early short period of rapid a…
We study cosmological consequences of non-constant brane world moduli in five dimensional brane world models with bulk scalars and two boundary branes. We focus on the case where the brane tension is an exponential function of the bulk scalar field, $U_b \propto \exp{(αϕ)}$. In the limit $α\to 0$, the model reduces to the two-brane model of Randall-Sundrum, whereas larger values of $α$ allow for a less warped bulk geometry. Using the moduli space approximation, we derive the four-dimensional low-energy effective action from a supergravity-inspired five-dimensional theory. For arbitrary values …
Rotation angle of the plane of polarization of the distant galactic radio waves has been estimated in a string inspired axion-dilaton background. It is found that the axion,dual to the field strength of the second rank antisymmetric massless Kalb-Ramond field in the string spectrum, produces a wavelength independent optical rotation which is much larger than that produced by the dilaton. Detection of such rotation has been reported in some recent cosmological experiments. The observed value has been compared with our estimated theoretical value following various cosmological constraints. The e…
We have studied a DGP-inspired braneworld scenario where the idea of Lorentz invariance violation has been combined into a specifying preferred frame that embed a dynamical normal vector field to brane. We propose the Lorentz violating DGP brane models with enough parameters can explain crossing of phantom divide line. Also we have considered the model for proper cosmological evolution that is according to the observed behavior of the equation of state. In other view point, we have described a Rip singularity solution of model that occur in this model.
We study the generation of electromagnetic fields in a string-inspired scenario associated with a rolling massive scalar field $ϕ$ on the anti-D3 branes of KKLT de Sitter vacua. The 4-dimensional DBI type effective action naturally gives rise to the coupling between the gauge fields and the inflaton $ϕ$, which leads to the production of cosmological magnetic fields during inflation due to the breaking of conformal invariance. We find that the amplitude of magnetic fields at decoupling epoch can be larger than the limiting seed value required for the galactic dynamo. We also discuss the mechani…
The brane-worlds model was inspired partly by Kaluza-Klein's theory, where the gravitation and the gauge fields are obtained of a geometry of higher dimension (bulk). Such a model has been showing positive in the sense of we find perspectives and probably deep modifications in the physics, such as: Unification in a scale TeV, quantum gravity in this scale and deviation of Newton's law for small distances. One of the principles of this model is to suppose a space-time embedded in a bulk of high dimension. In this note it is shown, basing on the theorem of Collinson-Szekeres, that the space-time…
We construct a DGP-inspired braneworld model where induced gravity on the brane is modified in the spirit of $f(R)$ gravity and stringy effects are taken into account by incorporation of the Gauss-Bonnet term in the bulk action. We explore cosmological dynamics of this model and we show that this scenario is a successful alternative for dark energy proposal. Interestingly, it realizes the phantom-like behavior without introduction of any phantom field on the brane and the effective equation of state parameter crosses the cosmological constant line naturally in the same way as observational dat…
We study N=1 Supergravity inflation in the context of the braneworld scenario. Particular attention is paid to the problem of the onset of inflation at sub-Planckian field values and the ensued inflationary observables. We find that the so-called $η$-problem encountered in supergravity inspired inflationary models can be solved in the context of the braneworld scenario, for some range of the parameters involved. Furthermore, we obtain an upper bound on the scale of the fifth dimension, $M_5 \lsim 10^{-3} M_P$, in case the inflationary potential is quadratic in the inflaton field, $ϕ$. If the i…
Using the holographic principle we constrained the Friedmann equation, modified by brane-cosmology inspired terms which accommodate dark energy contributions in the context of extra dimensions.
In the context of brane-world theories, the production cross-section for black holes may be greatly enhanced. Such black holes can in principle lead to detectable signals via their Hawking evaporation to brane-localized modes. We calculate, in the semiclassical approximation, the leading corrections to the energy spectrum (the greybody factors) for decay into scalar fields, as a function of the number of toroidally compactified extra dimensions, and partial wave number.
I discuss a model inspired from the string/brane framework, in which our Universe is represented as a three brane, propagating in a bulk space time punctured by D0-brane (D-particle) defects. As the D3-brane world moves in the bulk, the D-particles cross it, and from an effective observer on D3 the situation looks like a ``space-time foam'' with the defects ``flashing'' on and off (``D-particle foam''). The open strings, with their ends attached on the brane, which represent matter in this scenario, can interact with the D-particles on the D3-brane universe in a topologically non-trivial manne…
