Superstring thermodynamics and its application to cosmology

The thermodynamics of superstring theories (SST-I, SST-II and heterotic string theory) and its application to the cosmology are studied. The free energy of superstring gas is calculated in the one-loop approximation and the stability of the extra torus dimensions is discussed. Assuming that the Einstein equation dictates the evolution of the universe, we show that matter dominated universe filled with massive particles would never be realized at the beginning of the universe, contrary to the naive expectation in the superstring cosmology.     

Connecting T-duality invariant theories

We show that the vanishing of the one-loop beta-functional of the doubled formalism (which describes string theory on a torus fibration in which the fibres are doubled) is the same as the equation of motion of the recently proposed generalised metric formulation of double field theory restricted to this background: both are the vanishing of a generalised Ricci tensor. That this tensor arises in both backgrounds indicates the importance of a new doubled differential geometry for understanding both constructions.     

Model building on asymmetric Z3 orbifolds: Non-supersymmetric models

Four-dimensional string models arising in the asymmetric Z₃ orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string are studied. A mechanism for supersymmetry breaking that gives rise to chiral models in four dimensions is presented, and some typical models are discussed. A formalism for calculating one-loop partition functions in Z₃ models is developed. One partition function is constructed that may correspond to a non-supersymmetric, tachyon-free theory, with a vanishing cosmological constant as a consequence of Atkin-Lehner symmetry. The negative result of a search for the model corresponding to this partition function is reported.     

Loop corrections to the heterotic string effective lagrangian

We derive string-loop corrections (torus topology) to the quartic curvature term in the low-energy effective lagrangian for the heterotic string theory. The one-loop correction is found to give the relative weight of two tensor structures different from the tree level.     

Automorphic functions on super Riemann surfaces and fermionic string

Using the theory of super Riemann surfaces, the light-cone gauge formulation of the fermionic string by Mandelstam is extended to the one-loop level. The one-loop N-massless vector particle amplitude is explicitly calculated. The higher-loop extension is also discussed. We also demonstrate the equivalence between the light-cone picture and the Polyakov picture at the one-loop level.     

Current Algebra on the Torus

We derive the N-point one-loop correlation functions for the currents of an arbitrary affine Kac-Moody algebra. The one-loop amplitudes, which are elliptic functions defined on the torus Riemann surface, are specified by group invariant tensors and certain constant tau-dependent functions. We compute the elliptic functions via a generating function, and explicitly construct the invariant tensor functions recursively in terms of Young tableaux. The lowest tensors are related to the character formula of the representation of the affine algebra. These general current algebra loop amplitudes provide a building block for open twistor string theory, among other applications.     

The cosmological constant of modular closed string field theory. I

We formulate closed string field theory as a quantum theory of modular geometry. We determine the full interacting quantum hamiltonian to all loop orders in perturbation theory. The free action has a new highly non-linear symmetry acting on the string field, and the kinetic operator. Perturbatively we demonstrate that the new theory gives the correct expression for the cosmological constant that is ultraviolet finite to one-loop order.     

Dual Pomeron Amplitude with External Spin Particles

On the basis of the operator-formulation of the conventional dual resonance model we derive an expression for the one-loop Pomeron exchange amplitude with four external excited particles lying on the parent Regge trajectory. Evaluation of the high energy behaviour leads to the definition of spin-spin-Pomeron form factors. There is a leading Pomeron contribution only if the sum of external spins is even. The dual Pomeron does not exhibit any helicity conservation properties except for s-channel forward scattering. The extension to multiloop amplitudes is briefly discussed.     

Infrared regularization of superstring theory and the one-loop calculation of coupling constants

Infrared regularized versions of 4-D N = 1 superstring ground states are constructed by curving the spacetime. A similar regularization can be performed in field theory. For the IR regularized string ground states we derive the exact one-loop effective action for non-zero U(1) or chromomagnetic fields as well as gravitational and axionic-dilatonic fields. This effective action is IR and UV finite. Thus, the one-loop corrections to all couplings (gravitational, gauge and Yukawas) are unambiguously computed. These corrections are necessary for quantitative string superunification predictions at low energies. The one-loop corrections to the couplings are also found to satisfy Infrared Flow Equations.     

Vacuum stability in gauge theories

The vacuum behaviour in a quantum SU(2) gauge theory is investigated by calculating the one-loop contributions to the effective action in a covariant constant background field. It is found that the vacuum is stable against decay, for a particular nonzero value of the electric field, indicating a dynamical symmetry breaking.     

Chiral phase transition from string theory

The low energy dynamics of a certain D-brane configuration in string theory is described at weak t'Hooft coupling by a nonlocal version of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. We study this system at finite temperature and strong t'Hooft coupling, using the string theory dual. We show that for sufficiently low temperatures chiral symmetry is broken, while for temperatures larger then the critical value, it gets restored. We compute the latent heat and observe that the phase transition is of the first order.     

Four-dimensional heterotic strings and conformal field theory

The techniques of (super) conformal field theory are applied to 4-dimensional heterotic string theories. We discuss certain aspects of 4-dimensional strings in the framework of the bosonic lattice approach such as the realization of superconformal symmetry, character valued partition functions, construction of vertex operators and ghost picture changing. As an application we compute all possible 3- and 4-point tree amplitudes of the massless fields and derive from them the low energy effective action of the massless modes. Some effects for the massless spectrum due to one-loop string effects are also mentioned.     

Duality symmetry group of two dimensional heterotic string theory

The equations of motion of the massless sector of the two dimensional string theory, obtained by compactifying the heterotic string theory on an eight dimensional torus, is known to have an affine o(8,24) symmetry algebra generating an O(8,24) loop group. In this paper we study how various known discrete S- and T- duality symmetries of the theory are embedded in this loop group. This allows us to identify the generators of the discrete duality symmetry group of the two dimensional string theory.     

Orbifold models and modular transformation

The orbifold models of the heterotic string are constructed on the quotient spaces of generalized tori by translational and rotational discrete symmetries. In order to obtain the consistent orbifold models, the conditions of the modular invariance are derived from a one-loop vacuum amplitude. Z₃ orbifold models satisfying such conditions are searched systematically. It is shown that there are infinite possible models with N = 2 supersymmetry. Among these models, two examples having E₆ and E₇ gauge groups are discussed. The orbifold models with N = 1 supersymmetry are also discussed in detail. It is shown that there are only five consistent models in the class of these models based on E₈ ⊗ E′₈ heterotic string in which the extra six-dimensional torus and the E₈ ⊗ E′₈ maximal torus are modded out by the rotational and the translational Z₃ symmetries respectively.     

Quantum properties of a bonsonic membrane at nonzero temperature

The thermodynamics of a quasiclassical bosonic membrane is discussed. Based on the S representation, an attempt is made to construct the F representation for the free energy, and a comparison is made with the analogous analysis in field theory. The question of the possibility of dual symmetry of free energy is studied, and a dual-symmetric generalization of the free energy is constructed. The dependence of the Hagedorn temperature on the cutoff parameter is noted.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 66–71, September, 1991.The author is grateful to A. A. Bytsenko and I. M. Likhttsier for discussing a number of subjects.     

On loop corrections to string theory effective actions

We make some comments concerning the structure of loop corrections to the effective action (EA) for massless fields of a string. The singular part of the α′→0 limit of the one-loop EA in the open (super)string theory is studied and is shown to be in correspondence with the ultraviolet divergent part of the one-loop effective action in the (super) Yang-Mills theory. In particular, we reproduce the known result about the absence of Λ^D−4 F_μν² one-loop infinities in D = 26 Yang-Mills theory starting from the open Bose string theory. We also discuss the path integral representation for EA (EA = generalized partition function for the σ-model) and use it to compute the open string theory EA on the disc and the annulus.     

One-loop-dimensional reduction of the linear σ model

We perform the dimensional reduction of the linear σ model at one-loop level. The effective potential of the reduced theory obtained from the integration over the nonzero Matsubara frequencies is exhibited. Thermal mass and coupling constant renormalization constants are given, as well as the thermal renormalization group equation which controls the dependence of the counterterms on the temperature. We also recover, for the reduced theory, the vacuum unstability of the model for large N.     

The casimir energies forp-branes and supermembranes

The effective potential is calculated for open and toroidalp-branes in the one-loop approximation and the 1/d-approximation. The explicit expressions are given for 3-branes. The free energy for open (or closed) supermembranes on compactified backgrounds at nonzero temperature is obtained. Some cosmological applications are discussed. A mechanism of the supersymmetry breaking in compactified supermembranes is suggested.     

Noncommutative geometry in string and twisted Hopf algebra of diffeomorphism

We discuss the Hopf algebra structure in string theory and present the twist quantization as a unified formulation of the world sheet quantization of the string and the symmetry of the target spacetime. Applying it to the case with a nonzero B-field background, we explain a method to decompose the twist into two successive twists. There are two different possibilities of decomposition: The first is a natural decomposition from the viewpoint of the twist quantization, leading to a new type of twisted Poincaré symmetry. The second decomposition reveals the relation of our formulation to the twisted Poincaré symmetry on the Moyal type noncommutative space.