Chan–Paton factor

ChanPaton factor

In theoretical physics, the ChanPaton factor is a multivalued index associated with the endpoints of an open string. An open string can be interpreted as a fluxtube connecting a quark and its antiparticle. The two ChanPaton factors make the string transform as a tensor under a gauge group whose charges are carried by the endpoints of the strings.

After the Second Superstring Revolution in 1995, ChanPaton factors are interpreted as labels that identify which (spacetime-filling) D-branes the stringy endpoints are attached to. The ChanPaton factors have become a special case of a more general concept.