Orientifolds, RR Torsion, and K-theory

We analyze the role of RR fluxes in orientifold backgrounds from the point of view of K-theory, and demonstrate some physical implications of describing these fluxes in K-theory rather than cohomology. In particular, we show that certain fractional shifts in RR charge quantization due to discrete RR fluxes are naturally explained in K-theory. We also show that some orientifold backgrounds, which are considered distinct in the cohomology classification, become equivalent in the K-theory description, while others become unphysical.

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