Dilatonic p-branes and brane worlds - art. no. 084007

We study a general dilatonic p-brane solution in arbitrary dimensions in re lation to the Randall-Sundrum scenario. When the p-brane is fully localized along its transverse directions, the Kaluza-Klein zero mode of the bulk gr aviton is not normalizable. When the p-brane is delocalized along its trans verse directions except one, the Kaluza-Klein zero mode of the bulk gravito n is normalizable if the warp factor is chosen to increase, in which case t here are singularities at a finite distance away from the p-brane. Such a d elocalized p-brane can be regarded as a dilatonic domain wall as seen in hi gher dimensions. This unusual property of the warp factor allows one to avo id the problem of a dilatonic domain wall with a decreasing warp factor tha t free massive particles are repelled from the domain wall and hit singular ities, since massive particles with finite energy are trapped around deloca lized p-branes with increasing warp factor by gravitational force and can n ever reach the singularities.