HYPER-KAHLER MANIFOLDS AND MULTIPLY INTERSECTING BRANES

Generalized membrane solutions of D = II supergravity, for which the t ransverse space is a toric hyper-Kahler manifold, are shown to have II B duals representing the intersection of parallel 3-branes with 5-bran es whose orientations are determined by their Sl(2; Z) charge vectors. These IIB solutions, which generically preserve 3/16 of the supersymm etry, can be further mapped to solutions of D = II supergravity repres enting the intersection of parallel membranes with any number of fiveb ranes at arbitrary angles. Alternatively, a subclass (corresponding to non-singular D = 11 solutions) can be mapped to solutions representin g the intersection on a string of any number of D-5-branes at arbitrar y angles, again preserving 3/16 supersymmetry, as we verify in a speci al case by a quaternionic extension of the analysis of Berkooz, Dougla s and Leigh. We also use similar methods to find new 1/8 supersymmetri c solutions of orthogonally intersecting branes. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sci ence B.V.