S-branes, negative tension branes and cosmology

A general class of solutions of string background equations is studied and its physical interpretations are presented. These solutions correspond to generalizations of the standard black p-brane solutions to surfaces with curvature k = -1, 0. The relation with the recently introduced S-branes is provided. The mass, charge, entropy and Hawking temperature are computed, illustrating the interpretation in terms of negative tension branes. Their cosmological interpretation is discussed as well as their potential instability under small perturbations. (Work done in collaborations with C. Grojean, and with C. P. Burgess and S. J. Rey).