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.     

From conformal quantum mechanics on bordered Riemann surfaces to covariant string field theory

The Faddeev-Popov determinant of the reparametrization ghosts of the closed bosonic string on bordered Riemann surfaces is investigated. It is found that the standard ghost action has to be supplemented by additional boundary terms. These additional terms lead to a nontrivial ghost transition amplitude. It is shown that boundary variations of ghost transition amplitudes are generated by the ghost Virasoro operators. The relevance of the boundary variation operator for string field theory is illustrated. A new interpretation of the BRST operator in terms of boundary variations is obtained and the BRST invariance of the transition amplitudes is demonstrated. A generalization of the Siegel gauge of second quantized closed bosonic string field theory is presented.     

The relationship between the gauged BRST symmetry and the ghost number symmetry

A general method of gauging the BRST algebra by combining a (local) ghost number symmetry with the standard (global) BRST algebra, is displayed. This method enables us to construct an automatically nilpotent local BRST algebra and to obtain in a straightforward way the corresponding versions of the action and the eventual anomalies. To illustrate the procedure we study the Yang-Mills and the free bosonic string theories (including the “conformal” Beltrami parametrization) and show that it reproduces the results discussed in the literature. Two major outcomes of this scheme are briefly discussed: a possible connection between ghost number and BRST currents, arising from the Slavnov identities and the implications of the ghost number anomaly for the BRST localization program in theories such as string theory.     

On representations of conformal field theories and the construction of orbifolds

We consider representations of meromorphic bosonic chiral conformal field theories and demonstrate that such a representation is completely specified by a state within the theory. The necessary and sufficient conditions upon this state are derived and, because of their form, we show that we may extend the representation to a representation of a suitable larger conformal field theory. In particular, we apply this procedure to the (untwisted) lattice conformal field theories (i.e. corresponding to the propagation of a bosonic string on a torus), and deduce that Dong's proof of the uniqueness of the twisted representation for the reflection-twisted projection of the Leech lattice conformal field theory generalises to an arbitrary even (self-dual) lattice. As a consequence, we see that the reflection-twisted lattice theories of Dolan, Goddard and Montague are truly self-dual, extending the analogies with the theories of lattices and codes which were being pursued. Some comments are also made on the general concept of the definition of an orbifold of a conformal field theory in relation to this point of view.     

The T-dual symmetries of a bosonic string

We investigate whether the symmetry transformations of a bosonic string are connected by T-duality. We start with a standard closed string theory. We continue with a modified open string theory, modified to preserve the symmetry transformations possessed by the closed string theory. Because the string theory is conformally invariant world-sheet field theory, in order to find the transformations which preserve the physics, one has to demand the isomorphism between the conformal field theories corresponding to the initial and the transformed field configurations. We find the symmetry transformations corresponding to the similarity transformation of the energy-momentum tensor, and find that their generators are T-dual. Particularly, we find that the general coordinate and local gauge transformations are T-dual, so we conclude that T-duality in addition to the well-known exchanges, transforms symmetries of the initial and its T-dual theory into each other.     

Dynamical approach to conformal gravity and the bosonic string effective action

We show that a theory invariant under the full local conformal group in a coset realization contains naturally the massless degrees of freedom of the closed bosonic string. This effective theory is alternative to the bosonic part of SupergravityN=1 as given by Manton and Chapline [4].     

On the harmonic gauge in the quantization of strings

We discuss the path integral quantization of the bosonic string in the (non-background covariant) harmonic gauge, confronting it with the recently proposed background covariant version. The critical dimension as well as the ghost number current anomaly is computed. Whereas the latter has been found to vanish in the background covariant harmonic gauge, we obtain the same result as in the conformal gauge. This apparent discrepancy is resolved by detecting a new anomaly pertaining to the background covariant version of the harmonic gauge.     

Some comments on twisted ghosts

Studying the ghost contribution to an off-shell vertex in the open bosonic string theory we argue for the existence of twisted ghost fields, compute some of their properties and compare with recent work of Bershadski.     

Strings in the harmonic gauge

The bosonic string is quantized in a path-integral formulation in harmonic gauge. The BRST transformations are identified and the stress tensor is constructed. The conformal anomaly is computed, and has the standard (D−26) form. The ghost number current is shown to have no anomalies, even on a curved world sheet.     

Quantum constraint algebra for a closed bosonic string in a gravitational and dilaton background

We derive the quantum constraint algebra for a closed bosonic string moving in a gravitational and dilaton background to first order in '. The hamiltonian approach is used to directly compute the quantum constraint commutators and calculate the c-and q-number anomalies that arise at the quantum level. The requirement that the algebra preserves the conformal invariance leads to the known background field equations.     

The Pomeron in Closed Bosonic String Theory

We review the features of the pomeron in the S-matrix theory and in quantum field theory. We extend those general properties to the pomeron of closed bosonic string theory in a Minkowskian background. We compute the couplings of the pomeron to the first few mass levels of closed bosonic string states in flat space. We recognize the deviation from the linearity of the Regge trajectories in a five dimensional anti De Sitter background.     

Killing spinors for the bosonic string and Kaluza–Klein theory with scalar potentials

The paper consists mainly of two parts. In the first part, we obtain well-defined Killing spinor equations for the low-energy effective action of the bosonic string with the conformal anomaly term. We show that the conformal anomaly term is the only scalar potential that one can add into the action that is consistent with the Killing spinor equations. In the second part, we demonstrate that Kaluza–Klein theory can be gauged so that the Killing spinors are charged under the Kaluza–Klein vector. This gauging process generates a scalar potential with a maximum that gives rise to an AdS spacetime. We also construct solutions of these theories.     

ON GEOMETRIC QUANTIZATION FOR BOSONIC STRING (Ⅱ)

The Hilbert space and the representation of the generators of Virasoro algebra for bosonic string under a holomorphic polarization are given in this paper,It is shown that the contre term of Virasoro algebra may be interpreted as curvature of a holomorphic vector bundle (holomorphic Fock bundle) on coset space G¹¹=G/H where G denotes the conformal transformation group and H the one-parameter subgroup generated by the generator L₀.The condition of the conformal anomaly cancellation may be expressed as the vanishing curvature of the bundle which is obtained by the product of the holomorphic Fock bundle and the holomorphic ghost vacuum bundle.The geometric interpretations of both classical and quantized BRST operators,ghost and antighost operators are also discussed.     

Ghost freedom and string actions

We prove that the effective action for a closed bosonic string propagating in a massless background is ghost free to all orders in α'.     

Conformal field theory and the symmetries of string field theory

The two-dimensional conformal field theory representation of Witten's bosonic string field theory is discussed. The basic overlap equations, K_n symmetry and BRST invariance are proved directly, without the usual expansion in oscillators. The conformal field theory approach naturally provides local overlap identities which (when integrated over half the string) can be used to verify properties of the cubic action. In particular, a recently proposed diffeomorphism invariance is shown to be free of anomalies. Finally, a new class of symmetries, including generalizations of the K_n symmetries which are local in spacetime, are presented.     

The conformal factor and DiffS1/S1

Two-dimensional gravity coupled with an open string is considered to geometrically construct a string field theory following Bowick and Rajeev. The phase space of this system can be thought of as an extended loop space, and is in fact a Kähler manifold. Each loop carries a conformal factor. Bowick and Rajeev's proposal is modified so that the ghost fields stand on the same footing as the x^μ-fields. The closed string field is modified to be the Kähler potential of the extended loop space. The canonical line bundle is not needed for the equation of motion for a closed string field. A covariant (free) open string field theory is constructed as a by-product in this approach.     

Two-Dilaton Theories in Two Dimensions from Dimensional Reduction

Dimensional reduction of generalized gravity theories or string theories generically yields dilaton fields in the lower-dimensional effective theory. Thus at the level of D=4 theories and cosmology, many models contain more than just one scalar field (e.g., inflaton, Higgs, quintessence). Our present work is restricted to two-dimensional gravity theories with only two dilatons which nevertheless allow a large class of physical applications. The notions of factorizability, simplicity and conformal simplicity, Einstein form, and Jordan form are the basis of an adequate classification. We show that practically all physically motivated models belong either to the class of factorizable simple theories (e.g., dimensionally reduced gravity, bosonic string) or to factorizable conformally simple theories (e.g., spherically reduced scalar-tensor theories). For these theories a first order formulation is constructed straightforwardly. As a consequence an absolute conservation law can be established.     

Amplitudes for the Bosonic String with Boundaries

We deal with the problem of the computation of amplitudes for the bosonic Polyakov string with boundaries and show that both conformal invariance and reparametrisation invariance are maintained in critical dimensional d = 26 as the case without boundaries. The amplitudes of the bosonic, closed oriented Polyakov string with boundaries are formulated aa integral over moduli space with respect to the Weil-Petersson measure.