Hyper-Kahler manifolds and multiply intersecting branes

Generalized membrane solutions of D = II supergravity, for which the transverse space is a toric hyper-Kahler manifold, are shown to have IIB duals representing the intersection of parallel 3-branes with 5-branes whose orientations are determined by their Sl(2; Z) charge vectors. These IIB solutions, which generically preserve 3/16 of the supersymmetry, can be further mapped to solutions of D = II supergravity representing the intersection of parallel membranes with any number of fivebranes at arbitrary angles. Alternatively, a subclass (corresponding to non-singular D = 11 solutions) can be mapped to solutions representing the intersection on a string of any number of D-5-branes at arbitrary angles, again preserving 3/16 supersymmetry, as we verify in a special case by a quaternionic extension of the analysis of Berkooz, Douglas and Leigh. We also use similar methods to find new 1/8 supersymmetric solutions of orthogonally intersecting branes. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.