Pseudo-supersymmetry, consistent sphere reduction and Killing spinors for the bosonic string

Certain supergravity theories admit a remarkable consistent dimensional reduction in which the internal space is a sphere. Examples include type IIB supergravity reduced on S⁵, and eleven-dimensional supergravity reduced on S⁴ or S⁷. Consistency means that any solution of the dimensionally-reduced theory lifts to give a solution in the higher dimension. Although supersymmetry seems to play a role in the consistency of these reductions, it cannot be the whole story since consistent sphere reductions of non-supersymmetric theories are also known, such as the reduction of the effective action of the bosonic string in any dimension D on either a 3-sphere or a (D−3)-sphere, retaining the gauge bosons of SO(4) or SO(D−2) respectively. We show that although there is no supersymmetry, there is nevertheless a natural Killing spinor equation for the D-dimensional bosonic string. A projection of the full integrability condition for these Killing spinors gives rise to the bosonic equations of motion (just as happens in the supergravity examples). Thus it appears that by extending the notion of supersymmetry to “pseudo-supersymmetry” in this way, one may be able to obtain a broader understanding of a relation between Killing spinors and consistent sphere reductions.     

Tadpole resummations in string theory

While R–R tadpoles should be canceled for consistency, string models with broken supersymmetry generally have uncanceled NS–NS tadpoles. Their presence signals that the background does not solve the field equations, so that these models are in “wrong” vacua. In this Letter we investigate, with reference to some prototype examples, whether the true values of physical quantities can be recovered resumming the NS–NS tadpoles, hence by an approach that is related to the analysis based on String Field Theory by open–closed duality. We show that, indeed, the positive classical vacuum energy of a Dp-brane of the bosonic string is exactly canceled by the negative contribution arising from tree-level tadpole resummation, in complete agreement with Sen's conjecture on open-string tachyon condensation and with the consequent analysis based on String Field Theory. We also show that the vanishing classical vacuum energy of the SO(8192) unoriented bosonic open-string theory does not receive any tree-level corrections from the tadpole resummation. This result is consistent with the fact that this (unstable) configuration is free from tadpoles of massless closed-string modes, although there is a tadpole of the closed string tachyon. The application of this method to superstring models with broken supersymmetry is also discussed.     

Heterotic string from a higher dimensional perspective

The (abelian bosonic) heterotic string effective action, equations of motion and Bianchi identity at order α^′ in ten dimensions, are shown to be equivalent to a higher dimensional action, its derived equations of motion and Bianchi identity. The two actions are the same up to the gauge fields: the latter are absorbed in the higher dimensional fields and geometry. This construction is inspired by heterotic T-duality, which becomes natural in this higher dimensional theory.We also prove the equivalence of the heterotic string supersymmetry conditions with higher dimensional geometric conditions. Finally, some known Kähler and non-Kähler heterotic solutions are shown to be trivially related from this higher dimensional perspective, via a simple exchange of directions. This exchange can be encoded in a heterotic T-duality, and it may also lead to new solutions.     

On higher derivatives in 3D gravity and higher-spin gauge theories

The general second-order massive field equations for arbitrary positive integer spin in three spacetime dimensions, and their “self-dual” limit to first-order equations, are shown to be equivalent to gauge-invariant higher-derivative field equations. We recover most known equivalences for spins 1 and 2, and find some new ones. In particular, we find a non-unitary massive 3D gravity theory with a 5th order term obtained by contraction of the Ricci and Cotton tensors; this term is part of an N=2 super-invariant that includes the “extended Chern-Simons” term of 3D electrodynamics. We also find a new unitary 6th order gauge theory for “self-dual” spin 3.     

One-loop string corrections to the effective field theory

We calculate the parity-conserving one-loop string corrections to the bosonic part of the 10-dimensional effective field theory for the heterotic string. There is no renormalization of the Chamseddine-Chapline-Manton supergravity action, but terms of fourth order in the curvature tensors are generated. Most of these are of the same forms as those found at the tree level of the string topological expansion, such as (TrR²)², (TrR²)(TrF²) and (TrF²)². However, we also find a non-zero Tr(F⁴) coupling which was not present at the tree level. We comment on the phenomenological implications of these results, which include absences of renormalization of the Kähler metric and of the gauge kinetic function of the effective field theory in four dimensions after compactification, and a modification of the classical equations to be obeyed by the manifold of compactification.     

Magnetic charge can locally stabilize Kaluza-Klein bubbles

We construct a new 2-parameter family of static topological solitons in 5D minimal supergravity which are endowed with magnetic charge and mass. The solitons are asymptotically R⁴×S¹, where the radius of the S¹ has a lower bound Rs?Rmin. Setting up initial data on a Cauchy slice at a moment of time symmetry, we demonstrate that if Rs>Rmin these solitons correspond to a perturbatively stable “small” static bubble as well as an unstable “large” static bubble, whereas if Rs<Rmin there are no static bubbles. The energetics and thermodynamics of the magnetic black string are then discussed and it is shown that the locally stable bubble is the end point of a phase transition for an appropriate range of black string parameters.     

Formation of a black string in a higher dimensional vacuum gravitational collapse

We present a solution to the vacuum Einstein equations which represents a collapse of a gravitational wave in 5 dimensions. Depending on the “focal length” of the wave the collapse results, either in a black string covered by a horizon, or in a naked singularity which can be removed.     

Pohlmeyer reduction of superstring sigma model

Motivated by a desire to find a useful 2d Lorentz-invariant reformulation of the AdS₅×S⁵ superstring world-sheet theory in terms of physical degrees of freedom we construct the “Pohlmeyer-reduced” version of the corresponding sigma model. The Pohlmeyer reduction procedure involves several steps. Starting with a coset space string sigma model in the conformal gauge and writing the classical equations in terms of currents one can fix the residual conformal diffeomorphism symmetry and kappa-symmetry and introduce a new set of variables (related locally to currents but non-locally to the original string coordinate fields) so that the Virasoro constraints are automatically satisfied. The resulting equations can be obtained from a Lagrangian of a non-Abelian Toda type: a gauged WZW model with an integrable potential coupled also to a set of 2d fermionic fields. A gauge-fixed form of the Pohlmeyer-reduced theory can be found by integrating out the 2d gauge field of the gauged WZW model. The small-fluctuation spectrum near the trivial vacuum contains 8 bosonic and 8 fermionic degrees of freedom with equal mass. We conjecture that the reduced model has world-sheet supersymmetry and is ultraviolet-finite. We show that in the special case of the AdS₂×S² superstring model the reduced theory is indeed supersymmetric: it is equivalent to the N=2 supersymmetric extension of the sine-Gordon model.     

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.     

Extended string field theory for massless higher-spin fields

We propose a new gauge field theory which is an extension of ordinary string field theory by assembling multiple state spaces of the bosonic string. The theory includes higher-spin fields in its massless spectrum together with the infinite tower of massive fields. From the theory, we can easily extract the minimal gauge-invariant quadratic action for tensor fields with any symmetry. As examples, we explicitly derive the gauge-invariant actions for some simple mixed symmetric tensor fields. We also construct covariantly gauge-fixed action by extending the method developed for string field theory.     

Exact combinatorics of Bern-Kosower-type amplitudes for two-loop φ3 theory

Counting the contribution rate of a world-line formula to Feynman diagrams in (φ³ theory, we explain the idea of how to determine precise combinatorics of Bern-Kosower-like amplitudes derived from a bosonic string theory for N-point two-loop Feynman amplitudes. In this connection we also present a method to derive simple and compact world-line forms for the effective action.     

A simple expression for the multiloop amplitude in the bosonic string

Using the previously constructed new N-string vertex and BRST invariant twisted propagator we obtain a simple and explicit expression for the multiloop partition function of the bosonic string. We construct also the two-loop amplitude with N external tachyons and give the recipe for writing the amplitude at any perturbative order.     

Conformal gravity and the bosonic string

We show that the Callan et al. effective equations of motion for the bosonic closed string in a non-trivial background may not be derived only from the bosonic part of theN=1 supergravity action of Manton and Chapline, but also from just a general conformally invariant theory of gravity. In our scheme the invariance under gauge transformations of the antisymmetric tensor field turns out to be a consequence of the metricity condition.     

Un-graviton corrections to the Schwarzschild black hole

We introduce an effective action smoothly extending the standard Einstein–Hilbert action to include un-gravity effects. The improved field equations are solved for the un-graviton corrected Schwarzschild geometry reproducing the Mureika result. This is an important test to confirm the original “guess” of the form of the un-Schwarzschild metric. Instead of working in the weak field approximation and “dressing” the Newtonian potential with un-gravitons, we solve the “effective Einstein equations” including all order un-gravity effects. An unexpected “bonus” of accounting un-gravity effects is the fractalisation   of the event horizon. In the un-gravity dominated regime the event horizon thermodynamically behaves as fractal surface of dimensionality twice the scale dimension dU$d_U$.     

Defect branes

We discuss some general properties of “defect branes”, i.e. branes of co-dimension two, in (toroidally compactified) IIA/IIB string theory. In particular, we give a full classification of the supersymmetric defect branes in dimensions 3?D?10 as well as their higher-dimensional string and M-theory origin as branes and a set of “generalized” Kaluza-Klein monopoles. We point out a relation between the generalized Kaluza-Klein monopole solutions and a particular type of mixed-symmetry tensors. These mixed-symmetry tensors can be defined at the linearized level as duals of the supergravity potentials that describe propagating degrees of freedom. It is noted that the number of supersymmetric defect branes is always twice the number of corresponding central charges in the supersymmetry algebra.     

A path-dependent supersymmetric field theory of electric and magnetic charges

We present a supersymmetric field theory of electric and magnetic charges with a genuine string. As a consequence of the conventional and representation preserving constraints, the superstring variable has only a bosonic (space-time) part ξ^μ. We discuss the string-independence of the theory.     

Non-abelian gauge bosons in the compactified bosonic membrane theory

We consider the bosonic membrane compactified on a torus. The membrane motion is stabilized by a topologically non-trivial background. We find that, in the narrow membrane limit, the mass formula to O(ħ;) reduces to exactly the same form as that of the compactified closed bosonic string theory, and we obtain (almost) massless vector bosons in the adjoint representation of a simply laced Lie group in D = 27. This is only dimension at which the gravitation and gauge bosons may coexist in that background.     

Gauge invariant and gauge fixed actions for various higher-spin fields from string field theory

We propose a systematic procedure for extracting gauge invariant and gauge fixed actions for various higher-spin gauge field theories from covariant bosonic open string field theory. By identifying minimal gauge invariant part for the original free string field theory action, we explicitly construct a class of covariantly gauge fixed actions with BRST and anti-BRST invariance. By expanding the actions with respect to the level N   of string states, the actions for various massive fields including higher-spin fields are systematically obtained. As illustrating examples, we explicitly investigate the level N?3$N?3$ part and obtain the consistent actions for massive graviton field, massive 3rd rank symmetric tensor field, or anti-symmetric field. We also investigate the tensionless limit of the actions and explicitly derive the gauge invariant and gauge fixed actions for general rank n symmetric and anti-symmetric tensor fields.