Nonassociativity,Malcev algebras and string theory

Nonassociative structures have appeared in the study of D‐branes in curved backgrounds. In recent work, string theory backgrounds involving three‐form fluxes, where such structures show up, have been studied in more detail. We point out that under certain assumptions these nonassociative structures coincide with nonassociative Malcev algebras which had appeared in the quantum mechanics of systems with non‐vanishing three‐cocycles, such as a point particle moving in the field of a magnetic charge. We generalize the corresponding Malcev algebras to include electric as well as magnetic charges. These structures find their classical counterpart in the theory of Poisson‐Malcev algebras and their generalizations. We also study their connection to Stueckelberg's generalized Poisson brackets that do not obey the Jacobi identity and point out that nonassociative string theory with a fundamental length corresponds to a realization of his goal to find a non‐linear extension of quantum mechanics with a fundamental length. Similar nonassociative structures are also known to appear in the cubic formulation of closed string field theory in terms of open string fields, leading us to conjecture a natural string‐field theoretic generalization of the AdS/CFT‐like (holographic) duality.     

Theta functions,modular invariance,and strings

We use Quillen's theorem and algebraic geometry to investigate the modular transformation properties of some quantities of interest in string theory. In particular, we show that the spin structure dependence of the chiral Dirac determinant on a Riemann surface is given by Riemann's theta function. We use this result to investigate the modular invariance of multiloop heterotic string amplitudes.     

Conformal invariance,supersymmetry and string theory

Covariant quantization of string theories is developed in the context of conformal field theory and the BRST quantization procedure. The BRST method is used to covariantly quantize superstrings, and in particular to construct the vertex operators for string emission as well as the supersymmetry charge. The calculation of string loop diagrams is sketched. We discuss how conformal methods can be used to study string compactification and dynamics.     

Covariant open string field theory on multiple Dp-branes

We study covariant open bosonic string field theories on multiple Dp-branes by using the deformed cubic string field theory, which is equivalent to string field theory in the proper-time gauge. Constructing the Fock space representations of the three-string vertex and the four-string vertex on multiple Dp-branes, we obtain the field theoretical effective action in the zero-slope limit. On multiple D0-branes, the effective action reduces to the Banks-Fishler-Shenker-Susskind(BFSS) matrix model. We also discuss the relation between open string field theory on multiple D-instantons in the zero-slope limit and the Ishibashi-Kawai-Kitazawa-Tsuchiya(IKKT) matrix model.The covariant open string field theory on multiple Dp-branes could be useful to study the non-perturbative properties of quantum field theories in(p+1)-dimensions in the framework of the string theory. The non-zero-slope corrections may be evaluated systematically by using covariant string field theory.     

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.     

Tensor constructions of open string theories II: Vector bundles, D-branes and orientifold groups

A generalized Chan-Paton construction is presented which is analogous to the tensor product of vector bundles. To this end open string theories are considered where the space of states decomposes into sectors whose product is described by a semigroup. The cyclicity properties of the open string theory are used to prove that the relevant semigroups are direct unions of Brandt semigroups. The known classification of Brandt semigroups then implies that all such theories have the structure of a theory with Dirichlet-branes. We also describe the structure of an arbitrary orientifold group, and show that the truncation to the invariant subspace defines a consistent open string theory. Finally, we analyze the possible orientifold projections of a theory with several kinds of branes.     

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.     

M-theory: Strings,duality and branes

String theory is an attempt to combine all of the known physical forces into a single unified framework. A powerful new type of duality symmetry has recently been discovered in string theory which has led to important breakthroughs. What were previously considered to be five distinct string theories are now known to be different aspects of an underlying structure called M-theory. In addition to strings, extended objects of higher dimension or 'branes', play a key role. We review these developments and discuss the impact that they are having on quantum field theory and the quantum properties of black holes.     

Simplicial vs. continuum string theory and loop equations

We derive loop equations in a scalar matrix field theory. We discuss their solutions in terms of simplicial string theory—the theory describing embeddings of two-dimensional simplicial complexes into the spacetime of the matrix field theory. This relation between the loop equations and the simplicial string theory gives further arguments that favor one of the statements of the paper hep-th/0407018. The statement is that there is an equivalence between the partition function of the simplicial string theory and the functional integral in a continuum string theory—the theory describing embeddings of smooth two-dimensional world-sheets into the spacetime of the matrix field theory in question.     

Affine Lie algebras, string junctions and 7-branes

We consider the realization of affine ADE Lie algebras as string junctions on mutually non-local 7-branes in Type 1113 string theory. The existence of the affine algebra is signaled by the presence of the imaginary root junction δ, which is realized as a string encircling the 7-brane configuration. The level k of an affine representation partially constrains the asymptotic (p, q) charges of string junctions departing the configuration. The junction intersection form reproduces the full affine inner product, plus terms in the asymptotic charges.     

Open-closed string duality at tree level

We study the decay of unstable D-branes in string theory in the presence of an electric field, and show that the classical open string theory results for various properties of the final state agree with the properties of closed string states into which the system is expected to decay. This suggests a duality between tree level open string theory on unstable D-branes and closed strings at high density.     

Strings, T-duality breaking, and nonlocality without the shortest distance

T-duality of string theory suggests nonlocality manifested at the shortest possible distance. As an alternative, we suggest a nonlocal formulation of string theory that breaks T-duality at the fundamental level and does not require the shortest possible distance. Instead, the string has an objective shape in spacetime at all length scales, but different parts of the string interact in a nonlocal Bohmian manner. PACS 11.25.-w; 03.65.Ta     

The supersymmetric one-dimensional string

We consider a supersymmetric discretized string. The full string theory is defined as the sum over the triangulations of the surface, which is imbedded in the superspace. In the continuum limit such a string theory is described by an appropriate Wess-Zumino model. We present an explicit computation of the properties of the string in the ID case: we find that supersymmetry is spontaneously broken.     

M‐strings,elliptic genera and N = 4 string amplitudes

We study mass‐deformed N = 2 gauge theories from various points of view. Their partition functions can be computed via three dual approaches: firstly, (p,q)‐brane webs in type II string theory using Nekrasov's instanton calculus, secondly, the (refined) topological string using the topological vertex formalism and thirdly, M theory via the elliptic genus of certain M‐strings configurations. We argue for a large class of theories that these approaches yield the same gauge theory partition function which we study in detail. To make their modular properties more tangible, we consider a fourth approach by connecting the partition function to the equivariant elliptic genus of ℂ² through a (singular) theta‐transform. This form appears naturally as a specific class of one‐loop scattering amplitudes in type II string theory on T², which we calculate explicitly.     

The Effective Theory of Strings

We show that the Nambu–Goto string, and its higher dimensional generalizations, can be quantized, in the sense of an effective theory, in any dimension of the target space. The crucial point is to consider expansions around classical string configurations. We are using tools from perturbative algebraic quantum field theory, quantum field theory on curved spacetimes, and the Batalin–Vilkovisky formalism. Our model has some similarities with the Lüscher–Weisz string, but we allow for arbitrary classical background string configurations and keep the diffeomorphism invariance.     

Stochastic confinement and dimensional reduction (II). Three-dimensional SU(2) lattice gauge theory

We study 3-dimensional SU(2) lattice gauge theory with respect to dimensional reduction. By Monte Carlo calculations we find that this reduction is valid to a good approximation (within ≈10%). The adjoint string tension is found to scale approximately. We also compare the adjoint string tension with a string theory.     

Flat directions,string compactification and three generation models

We show how identification of absolutely flat directions allows the construction of a new class of compactified string theories with reduced gauge symmetry that may or may not be continuously connected to the original theory. We use this technique to construct a class of three generation models with just the Standard Model gauge group after compactification. We discuss the low-energy symmetries necessary for a phenomenologically viable low-energy model and construct an example in which these symmetries are identified with string symmetries which remain unbroken down to the supersymmetry breaking scale. Remarkably the same symmetry responsible for stabilising the nucleon is also responsible for ensuring one and only one pair of Higgs doublets is kept light. We show how the string symmetries also lead to textures in the quark and lepton mass matrices which can explain the hierarchy of fermion masses and mixing angles.     

Polylogarithms,multiple zeta values and superstring amplitudes

A formalism is provided to calculate tree amplitudes in open superstring theory for any multiplicity at any order in the inverse string tension. We point out that the underlying world‐sheet disk integrals share substantial properties with color‐ordered tree amplitudes in Yang‐Mills field theories. In particular, we closely relate world‐sheet integrands of open‐string tree amplitudes to the Kawai‐Lewellen‐Tye representation of supergravity amplitudes. This correspondence helps to reduce the singular parts of world‐sheet disk integrals – including their string corrections – to lower‐point results. The remaining regular parts are systematically addressed by polylogarithm manipulations.     

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.