S-duality and brane descent relations

We present a description of the type IIB NS-NS p-branes in terms of topological solitons in systems of spacetime-filling brane-antibrane pairs. S-duality implies that these spacetime-filling branes are NS9-branes, S-dual to the D9-branes of the type IIB theory. The possible vortex-like solutions in an NS9, anti-NS9 configuration are identified by looking at its worldvolume effective action. Finally we discuss the implications of these constructions in the description of BPS and non-BPS states in the strongly coupled Heterotic SO(32) theory. (author)