Topological Field Theory Interpretation of String Topology

The string bracket introduced by Chas and Sullivan is reinterpreted from the point of view of topological field theories in the Batalin–Vilkovisky or BRST formalisms. Namely, topological action functionals for gauge fields (generalizing Chern–Simons and BF theories) are considered together with generalized Wilson loops. The latter generate a (Poisson or Gerstenhaber) algebra of functionals with values in the S¹-equivariant cohomology of the loop space of the manifold on which the theory is defined. It is proved that, in the case of GL(n,) with standard representation, the (Poisson or BV) bracket of two generalized Wilson loops applied to two cycles is the same as the generalized Wilson loop applied to the string bracket of the cycles. Generalizations to other groups are briefly described.     

Chiral BRST Cohomology of N= 2 Strings at Arbitrary Ghost and Picture Number

We compute the BRST cohomology of the holomorphic part of the N= 1 string at arbitrary ghost and picture number. We confirm the expectation that the relative cohomology at non-zero momentum consists of a single massless state in each picture. The absolute cohomology is obtained by an independent method based on homological algebra. For vanishing momentum, the relative and absolute cohomologies both display a picture dependence – a phenomenon discovered recently also in the relative Ramond sector of N= 1 strings by Berkovits and Zwiebach [1]. Received: 5 January 1998 / Accepted: 16 November 1998     

N = 1 superstring in 2 + 2 dimensions

In this paper we construct a (2,2) dimensional string theory with manifest N = 1 spacetime supersymmetry. We use Berkovits' approach of augmenting the spacetime supercoordinates by the conjugate momenta for the fermionic variables. The worldsheet symmetry algebra is a twisted and truncated “small” N = 4 superconformal algebra. The realisation of the symmetry algebra is reducible with an infinite order of reducibility. We study the physical states of the theory by two different methods. In one of them, we identify a subset of irreducible constraints, which is by itself critical. We construct the BRST operator for the irreducible constraints, and study the cohomology and interactions. This method breaks the SO(2,2) spacetime symmetry of the original reducible theory. In another approach, we study the theory in a fully covariant manner, which involves the introduction of infinitely many ghosts for ghosts.     

Loop Homotopy Algebras in Closed String Field Theory

Barton Zwiebach constructed [20] “string products” on the Hilbert space of a combined conformal field theory of matter and ghosts, satisfying the “main identity”. It has been well known that the “tree level” of the theory gives an example of a strongly homotopy Lie algebra (though, as we will see later, this is not the whole truth). Strongly homotopy Lie algebras are now well-understood objects. On the one hand, strongly homotopy Lie algebra is given by a square zero coderivation on the cofree cocommutative connected coalgebra [13, 14]; on the other hand, strongly homotopy Lie algebras are algebras over the cobar dual of the operad &?om for commutative algebras [9]. As far as we know, no such characterization of the structure of string products for arbitrary genera has been available, though there are two series of papers directly pointing towards the requisite characterization. As far as the characterization in terms of (co)derivations is concerned, we need the concept of higher order (co)derivations, which has been developed, for example, in[2, 3]. These higher order derivations were used in the analysis of the ”master identity“. For our characterization we need to understand the behavior of these higher (co)derivations on (co)free (co)algebras. The necessary machinery for the operadic approach is that of modular operads, anticipated in [5] and introduced in [8]. We believe that the modular operad structure on the compactified moduli space of Riemann surfaces of arbitrary genera implies the existence of the structure we are interested in the same manner as was explained for the tree level in [11]. We also indicate how to adapt the loop homotopy structure to the case of open string field theory [19]. Received: 10 November 1999 / Accepted: 29 March 2001     

Superstrings from Hamiltonian reduction

In any string theory there is a hidden, twisted superconformal symmetry algebra, part of which is made up by the BRST current and the anti-ghost. We investigate how this algebra can be systematically constructed for strings with N − 2 supersymmetries, via quantum Hamiltonian reduction of the Lie superalgebras osp(N|2). The motivation is to understand how one could systematically construct generalized string theories from superalgebras. We also briefly discuss the BRST algebra of the topological string, which is a doubly twisted N = 4 superconformal algebra.     

Quasiclassical Lian-Zuckerman Homotopy Algebras,Courant Algebroids and Gauge Theory

We define a quasiclassical limit of the Lian-Zuckerman homotopy BV algebra (quasiclassical LZ algebra) on the subcomplex, corresponding to “light modes”, i.e. the elements of zero conformal weight, of the semi-infinite (BRST) cohomology complex of the Virasoro algebra associated with vertex operator algebra (VOA) with a formal parameter. We also construct a certain deformation of the BRST differential parametrized by a constant two-component tensor, such that it leads to the deformation of the A _∞-subalgebra of the quasiclassical LZ algebra. Altogether this gives a functor the category of VOA with a formal parameter to the category of A _∞-algebras. The associated generalized Maurer-Cartan equation gives the analogue of the Yang-Mills equation for a wide class of VOAs. Applying this construction to an example of VOA generated by β - γ systems, we find a remarkable relation between the Courant algebroid and the homotopy algebra of the Yang-Mills theory.     

BRST Formalism in Self-Dual Chern-Simons Theory with Matter Fields

We apply BRST method to the self-dual Chern-Simons gauge theory with matter fields and the generators of symmetries of the system from an elegant Lie algebra structure under the operation of Poisson bracket. We discuss four different cases: abelian, nonabelian, relativistic, and nonrelativistic situations and extend the system to the whole phase space including ghost fields. In addition, we obtain the BRST charge of the field system and check its nilpotence of the BRST transformation which plays an important role such as in topological quantum field theory and string theory.     

Tensor constructions of open string theories (I) foundations

The possible tensor constructions of open string theories are analyzed from first principles. To this end the algebraic framework of open string field theory is clarified, including the role of the homotopy associative A_∞ algebra, the odd symplectic structure, cyclicity, star conjugation, and twist. It is also shown that two string theories are off-shell equivalent if the corresponding homotopy associative algebras are homotopy equivalent in a strict sense.It is demonstrated that a homotopy associative star algebra with a compatible even bilinear form can be attached to an open string theory. If this algebra does not have a space-time interpretation, positivity and the existence of a conserved ghost number require that its cohomology is at degree zero, and that it has the structure of a direct sum of full matrix algebras. The resulting string theory is shown to be physically equivalent to a string theory with a familiar open string gauge group.     

BRST cohomology and highest weight vectors. I

We initiate a program to study certain recent problems in non-compact coset CFT by the BRST approach. We derive a reduction formula for the BRST cohomology by making use of a twisting by highest weight modules. As illustrations, we apply the formula to the bosonic string model and a rank one non-compact coset model [DPL]. Our formula provides a completely new approach to non-compact coset construction.Partially supported by NSF Grant DMS-8703581     

String center of mass operator and its effect on BRST cohomology

We consider the theory of bosonic closed strings on the flat background ℝ^25,1. We show how the BRST complex can be extended to a complex where the string center of mass operator,x ₀ ^μ is well defined. We investigate the cohomology of the extended complex. We demonstrate that this cohomology has a number of interesting features. Unlike in the standard BRST cohomology, there is no doubling of physical states in the extended complex. The cohomology of the extended complex is more physical in a number of aspects related to the zero-momentum states. In particular, we show that the ghost number one zero-momentum cohomology states are in one to one correspondence with the generators of the global symmetries of the backgroundi.e., the Poincaré algebra. Supported in part by funds provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.) under cooperative agreement #DF-FC02-94ER40818     

Improved proof of the no-ghost theorem for fermion states of the superstring

The purpose of this note is to extend the improved proof of the no-ghost theorem for the bosonic and Neveu–Schwarz dual resonance models, presented in my article [C.B. Thorn, Nucl. Phys. B 286 (1987) 61], to cover the Ramond fermion string. As in that paper, the improvement involves the identification of an efficient basis for string state space and a self-contained proof, based on the super-Virasoro algebra, of the linear independence of the basis elements. We use our results to calculate the BRST cohomology for this system.     

BRST Cohomology and Phase Space Reduction in Deformation Quantization

In this article we consider quantum phase space reduction when zero is a regular value of the momentum map. By analogy with the classical case we define the BRST cohomology in the framework of deformation quantization. We compute the quantum BRST cohomology in terms of a "quantum" Chevalley-Eilenberg cohomology of the Lie algebra on the constraint surface. To prove this result, we construct an explicit chain homotopy, both in the classical and quantum case, which is constructed out of a prolongation of functions on the constraint surface. We have observed the phenomenon that the quantum BRST cohomology cannot always be used for quantum reduction, because generally its zero part is no longer a deformation of the space of all smooth functions on the reduced phase space. But in case the group action is "sufficiently nice", e.g. proper (which is the case for all compact Lie group actions), it is shown for a strongly invariant star product that the BRST procedure always induces a star product on the reduced phase space in a rather explicit and natural way. Simple examples and counterexamples are discussed.     

Homotopy Algebras Inspired by Classical Open-Closed String Field Theory

We define a homotopy algebra associated to classical open-closed strings. We call it an open-closed homotopy algebra (OCHA). It is inspired by Zwiebach's open-closed string field theory and also is related to the situation of Kontsevich's deformation quantization. We show that it is actually a homotopy invariant notion; for instance, the minimal model theorem holds. Also, we show that our open-closed homotopy algebra gives us a general scheme for deformation of open string structures (A_∞-algebras) by closed strings (L_∞-algebras). H. K is supported by JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientists. J. S. is supported in part by NSF grant FRG DMS-0139799 and US-Czech Republic grant INT-0203119.     

BV Quantization of Topological Open Membranes

We study bulk-boundary correlators in topological open membranes. The basic example is the open membrane with a WZ coupling to a 3-form. We view the bulk interaction as a deformation of the boundary string theory. This boundary string has the structure of a homotopy Lie algebra, which can be viewed as a closed string field theory. We calculate the leading order perturbative expansion of this structure. For the 3-form field we find that the C-field induces a trilinear bracket, deforming the Lie algebra structure. This paper is the first step towards a formal universal quantization of general quasi-Lie bialgebroids.Dept. of Particle Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, IsraelMathematics Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, USA     

BRST quantization of superstring field theory

We write the gauge fixed action which arises in the quantization of Witten's string field theory in a linear gauge, in a form which applies to both the superstring and the bosonic string. The corresponding BRST transformation is nilpotent only on-shell. We construct also an off-shell nilpotent BRST transformation which formally leaves invariant the quantum effective action. This BRST transformation has a geometrical interpretation which could allow to describe the gauge anomalies of the superstring field theory as the nontrivial cohomology of the BRST charge via the Wess-Zumino consistency condition.     

Homotopy Classification of Bosonic String Field Theory

We prove the decomposition theorem for the loop homotopy Lie algebra of quantum closed string field theory and use it to show that closed string field theory is unique up to gauge transformations on a given string background and given S-matrix. For the theory of open and closed strings we use results in open-closed homotopy algebra to show that the space of inequivalent open string field theories is isomorphic to the space of classical closed string backgrounds. As a further application of the open-closed homotopy algebra, we show that string field theory is background independent and locally unique in a very precise sense. Finally, we discuss topological string theory in the framework of homotopy algebras and find a generalized correspondence between closed strings and open string field theories.     

Two-dimensional topological gravity and equivariant cohomology

The analogy between topological string theory and equivariant cohomology for differentiable actions of the circle group on manifolds has been widely remarked on. One of our aims in this paper is to make this analogy precise. We show that topological string theory is the derived functor of semi-relative cohomology, just as equivariant cohomology is the derived functor of basic cohomology. That homological algebra finds a place in the study of topological string theory should not surprise the reader, granted that topological string theory is the conformal field theorist's algebraic topology.In [7], we have shown that the cohomology of a topological conformal field theory carries the structure of a batalin-Vilkovisky algebra (actually, two commuting such structures, corresponding to the two chiral sectors of the theory). In the second part of this paper, we describe the analogous algebraic structure on the equivariant cohomology of a topological conformal field theory: we call this structure a gravity algebra. This algebraic structure is a certain generalization of a Lie algebra, and is distinguished by the fact that it has an infinite sequence of independent operations {a ₁, ...,a _k },k2, satisfying quadratic relations generalizing the Jacobi rule. (The operad underlying the category of gravity algebras has been studied independently by Ginzburg-Kapranov [9].)The author is grateful to M. Bershadsky, E. Frenkel, M. Kapranov, G. Moore, R. Plesser and G. Zuckerman for the many ways in which they helped in the writing of this paper; also to the Department of Mathematics at Yale University for its hospitality while part of this paper was written.The author is partially supported by a fellowship of the Sloan Foundation and a research grant of the NSF.     

Noncommutative Deformation Theory

In Gerstenhaber's classical theory of deformations, the deformation parameter commutes with the original algebra. Motivated by some non classical deformations which recently appeared for quantization of Nambu mechanics, we introduce new deformations where the parameter no longer commutes with the original algebra. We find the associated cohomology and Gerstenhaber algebra and give rigidity and integrability criterions. We show that the Weyl algebra (though rigid in classical theory) can be nontrivially deformed, in super-commutative theory, to the supersymmetry enveloping algebra      

Operadic formulation of topological vertex algebras and Gerstenhaber or Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras

We give the operadic formulation of (weak, strong) topological vertex algebras, which are variants of topological vertex operator algebras studied recently by Lian and Zuckerman. As an application, we obtain a conceptual and geometric construction of the Batalin-Vilkovisky algebraic structure (or the Gerstenhaber algebra structure) on the cohomology of a topological vertex algebra (or of a weak topological vertex algebra) by combining this operadic formulation with a theorem of Getzler (or of Cohen) which formulates Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras (or Gerstenhaber algebras) in terms of the homology of the framed little disk operad (or of the little disk operad).The author is supported in part by NSF grant DMS-9104519