Superstring effects on D=4, N=1 supergravity

We give a lagrangian and supersymmetry transformation rules for the four-dimensional N=1 supergravity sector of superstring theories with their O(α′) corrections, obtained by the dimensional reduction á la Witten of the effective action of the ten-dimensional heterotic superstring. We also give general forms of O(α′ ″) corrections to supersymmetry transformation rules which arise through an axial vector superfield. Since our system is based on the ten-dimensional superstring without any auxiliary fields, our four-dimensional N=1 supergravity is free of auxiliary fields. Our point-field theory lagrangian is supposed to describe the mass-less fields in the untwisted sector of the ten-dimensional heterotic superstring propagating on orbifolds.     

Four-dimensional N = 2 superstring constructions and their (non-) perturbative duality connections

We investigate the connections between four-dimensional, N = 2 M-theory vacua constructed as orbifolds of type II, heterotic, and type I strings. All these models have the same massless spectrum, which contains an equal number of vector multiplets and hypermultiplets, with a gauge group of the maximal rank allowed in a perturbative heterotic string construction. We find evidence for duality between two type I compactifications recently proposed and a new heterotic construction that we present here. This duality allows us to gain insight into the non-perturbative properties of these models. In particular we consider gravitational corrections to the effective action.     

Lattice classification of the four-dimensional heterotic strings

We propose a lattice slicing procedure leading to the classification of all four-dimensional chiral heterotic strings based on Conway and Sloane's 22-dimensional self-dual euclidean lattices. By reversing this procedure it is possible to construct all these theories.     

No renormalization of the N=1 supergravity theory derived from the heterotic string

We show that one-loop string effects do not alter the form of the leading terms in the low-energy effective ten-dimensional N=1 supergravity theory derived from the heterotic string. We extend this result to the four-dimensional N=1 supergravity theory obtained after compactification, showing in particular that its Kähler potential is not renormalized by string loop effects or by the exchange of Kaluza-Klein modes. We also demonstrate that the Kähler potential and the gauge kinetic function are not renormalized by one-loop string effects in a wide class of four-dimensional formulations of superstring theories.     

Catoptric tadpoles

Fermionic string perturbation theory is known to suffer from an ambiguity in the form of a total derivative in the moduli space. For a class of backgrounds (including R¹⁰, orbifolds and theories with no U(1) factors in gauge group) we show that these ambiguities for the partition function of heterotic string theory at any genus are proportional to massless physical tadpoles in the theory at lower genera and hence vanish in stable vacua. We also find that in R¹⁰ the cosmological constant at a given genus is proportional to the cosmological constant at lower genera. This enables us to give an inductive argument for the vanishing of the cosmological constant in R¹⁰ to all orders in string perturbation theory. We also address the ambiguity and finiteness of n-point functions. Our results indicate that in R¹⁰ the ambiguity can be absorbed by a renormalization of the string coupling constant and the string tension. The expected sources of divergence in the n-point function in arbitrary tachyon-free backgrounds, besides the usual infrared divergences for d ≤ 4, are shown to be proportional to tadpoles of physical massless fields. For type II strings in arbitrary backgrounds, we show by explicit calculations that the ambiguity vanishes at g = 2.     

Global anomalies on orbifolds

We consider global anomalies for heterotic string theory formulated on orbifolds. The vanishing of certain characteristic classes in group cohomology provides sufficient conditions for the absence of global anomalies. For abelian orbifolds level matching implies these cohomology conditions, so suffices for the absence of anomalies. For nonabelian orbifolds level matching does not suffice, and there are additional constraints. We give some examples to illustrate these new constraints.The first author is partially supported by an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. The second author is supported in part by the NSF contract no. PHY 82-15249, and in part by a fellowship from the Harvard Society of Fellows     

Seesaw neutrinos from the heterotic string

We study the possibility of realizing the neutrino seesaw mechanism in the E(8) x E(8) heterotic string. In particular, we consider its Z6 orbifold compactifications leading to the supersymmetric standard model gauge group and matter content. We find that these models possess all the necessary ingredients for the seesaw mechanism, including the required Dirac Yukawa couplings and large Majorana mass terms. We argue that this situation is quite common in heterotic orbifolds. In contrast with the conventional seesaw of grand unified theories (GUTs), no large GUT representations are needed to generate the Majorana mass terms. The total number of right-handed neutrinos can be very large, up to O(100).     

Degenerate orbifolds

We present evidence for the existence of new four-dimensional string theories, obtained from a smooth variation of background fields in the twisted sectors of symmetric and asymmetric orbifolds. Flat directions only in the untwisted sector are shown to reproduce previously constructed models in terms of Wilson lines, exhibiting a Three-Higgs-Rule (THR). The new models provide a mechanism to lower the rank of the gauge group, lead to more flexible Yukawa couplings and give a strict separation of hidden and observable sectors, which are usually mixed in (2, 0)-models. Even though Fayet-Iliopoulos terms are induced in some of the models due to the presence of anomalous U(1)'s supersymmetry remains, in general, unbroken. Particular examples of the new models correspond to “blown up” versions of (2, 0)-orbifolds.     

New heterotic string theories in uncompactified dimensions < 10

It is shown that infinitely many heterotic string theories exist in uncompactified dimensions less than 10, that are one-loop finite (for massless external legs). Tachyons are removed by compactifying into tori (10 − d) and (26 −d) dimensions of the right-moving superstring and left-moving bosonic string sectors, respectively. The condition for modular invariance is shown to be equivalent to self-duality condition on even lorentzian lattices with (10 −d) and (26 −d) timelike and spacelike directions, respectively. The construction results in a (10 −d)(26 −d) parameter family of one-loop finite string theories. The zero mass sector of these theories for d = 4 and 6 correspond to N = 4 and 2 supergravity coupled to super Yang-Mills with many possible groups, some of which cannot be obtained by compactifying d = 10 heterotic string theory.     

Unified gravitational and Yang-Mills fields

We unify the gravitational and Yang-Mills fields by extending the diffeomorphisms in (N=4+n)-dimensional space-time to a larger group, called the conservation group. This is the largest group of coordinate transformations under which conservation laws are covariant statements. We present two theories that are invariant under the conservation group. Both theories have field equations that imply the validity of Einstein's equations for general relativity with the stress-energy tensor of a non-Abelian Yang-Mills field (with massive quanta) and associated currents. Both provide a geometrical foundation for string theory and admit solutions that describe the direct product of a compactn-dimensional space and flat four-dimensional space-time. One of the theories requires that the cosmological constant shall vanish. The conservation group symmetry is so large that there is reason to believe the theories are finite or renormalizable.     

The heterotic sigma model in the presence of background gauge fields. Three-loop results

The covariant part of the β-functions for the heterotic σ-model in the presence of background gauge fields is calculated up to three-loop order. The equations β=0 are shown to coincide with the equations of motion derived from an effective space-time action. This effective action has been obtained previously via the string S-matrix approach.     

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.     

Four-dimensional heterotic string models with third-integral twists

The massless string states are constructed for a four-dimensional heterotic string model with the U(5) gauge group in the untwisted sector. The complete observable gauge group, quark and lepton generations, Higgs scalar structure, quark and lepton mass matrix, couplings to colour triplet scalars, and gauge symmetry breaking are studied for this model.     

Supersymmetric string theories,superconformal algebras and exceptional groups

We study the relation between extended space-time supersymmetry and extended worldsheet symmetries within the context of four-dimensional heterotic string theories. It is shown how these symmetries follow from an underlying E₇ and E₈ symmetry which also explains the appearance of extra U(1) gauge bosons. Supersymmetry transformation aalways act within a given multiplet of E₇ and E₈.     

Cancellation of leading divergences in multiloop closed superstring amplitudes

We discuss the general problem of divergences and the particularly important “tadpole” configuration for multiloop amplitudes in the closed superstring - or heterotic string - covariant theory, with any number of external legs. We show that, due to a factor coming from the supermoduli, the tachyon divergence in the tadpole is cancelled in each spin structure contribution separately.     

Evidence for heterotic - Type I string duality

A study is made of the implications of heterotic string T-duality and extended gauge symmetry for the conjectured equivalence of heterotic and Type I superstrings. While at first sight heterotic string world-sheet dynamics appears to conflict with Type I perturbation theory, a closer look shows that Type I perturbation theory “miraculously” breaks down, in some cases via novel mechanisms, whenever the heterotic string has massless particles not present in Type I perturbation theory. This strongly suggests that the two theories actually are equivalent. As further evidence in the same direction, we show that the Dirichlet one-brane of Type I string theory has the same world-sheet structure as the heterotic string.     

Four-dimensional heterotic string models with SU(5) and SO(10) grand unification

The gauge group, quark and lepton generations, Higgs scalar structure, couplings of quarks and leptons to Higgs scalars and to colour triplet scalars, and the gauge symmetry breaking are studied for a class of four-dimensional heterotic string models whose boundary conditions include third-integral twists.     

Ward identities in four-dimensional string theory

A four-dimensional heterotic string theory is envisaged in the background of its massless gauge Ward identities are derived. The spontaneous generating functional is constructed in the hamiltonian phase space and gauge Ward identities are derived. The spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetry is discussed in this approach.