On non-supersymmetric heterotic branes

A bstract A uniform construction of non-supersymmetric 0-, 4-, 6- and 7-branes in heterotic string theory was announced and outlined in our letter [61]. In this full paper, we provide details on their properties. Among other things, we discuss the charges carried by the branes, their topological and dynamical stability, the exact worldsheet descriptions of their near-horizon regions, and the relationship of the branes to the mathematical notion of topological modular forms.