BRST cohomology of the fermionic string

The BRST cohomology of the first-quantized fermionic string (Ramond model) is explicitly computed by using methods developed in a previous letter. The infinite degeneracy due to the commuting ghost zero mode is shown to be spurious by extending to the BRSt context an argument originally due to Corrigan and Goddard.     

BRST cohomology in superstring theories

Following the work of Freeman and Olive, it is shown that the operators counting the number of non-transverse modes of the superstrings in the Neveu-Schwarz-Ramond formalism are expressed as the anticommutators of the BRST charges Q with other operators. Also the cohomology of Q and the transverse state projection operators are discussed in terms of Q.     

Four‐dimensional couplings among BF and matter theories from BRST cohomology

The local and manifestly covariant Lagrangian interactions in four spacetime dimensions that can be added to a “free” model that describes a generic matter theory and an abelian BF theory are constructed by means of deforming the solution to the master equation on behalf of specific cohomological techniques.     

Duality theorems in BRST cohomology

In classical mechanics, there is no duality theorem relating the BRST cohomologies at positive and negative ghost numbers since these generically fail to be isomorphic. It is shown in this paper, however, that a duality theorem for the BRST operator cohomology can be established in quantum mechanics. Furthermore, when the hermicity properties of the quantum BRST formalism—which are in general just formal—turn out to be actually well defined, this duality theorem also holds for the state cohomology, as a consequence of the non degenerate pairing between subspaces at positive and negative ghost numbers defined by the BRST scalar product. In the case of gauge systems quantized in the Schrödinger representation with compact gauge orbits, the duality theorem contains ordinary Poincaré duality for a compact manifold. In the Fock representation, the duality theorem sheds a new light on existing decoupling theorems. The comparison with the classical situation is also briefly discussed.     

Beltrami parametrization and gauged BRST symmetry for the free bosonic string

The BRST symmetry for the free bosonic string in the Beltrami parametrization is gauged via a Noether procedure. The resulting local BRST symmetry is characterized by a (localized) differential algebra which is shown to be isomorphic to the (global) BRST algebra one starts from. The corresponding locally invariant gauge-fixed action which exhibits the factorization property is constructed, and a form for the (perturbative BRST current-algebra) anomaly, associated with the localized differential algebra is given. The equivalence between the Noether localization procedure presented here and a procedure which mimics the direct “geometrical” gauging of the BRST symmetry for the Yang-Mills theory is shown.     

BRST cohomology in classical mechanics

The classical (non-quantum) cohomology of the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) symmetry in phase space is defined and worked out. No group action for the gauge transformations is assumed. The results cover, therefore, the general case of an open algebra and are valid off-shell. Each cohomology class contains all BRST invariant functions with fixed ghost number (an integer) which differ from each other by a BRST variation. If the ghost number is negative there is only the trivial class whose elements are equivalent to zero. If the ghost number is positive or zero there is a bijective correspondence between the BRST classes and those of the exterior derivative along the gauge orbits. These gauge orbits lie in the phase space surface on which the gauge generators are constrained to vanish. The BRST invariant functions of ghost numberp are then related to closedp-forms along the orbits. The addition of a BRST variation corresponds to the addition of an exact form. Some comments about the quantum case are included. The physical meaning of the classes with ghost number greater than zero is not discussed.Chercheur qualifié du Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (Belgium)     

BRST cohomology of the super-Virasoro Algebras

We study the superextension of the semi-infinite cohomology theory of the Virasoro Algebra. In particular, we examine the BRST complex with coefficients in the Fock Space of the RNS superstring. We prove a theorem of vanishing cohomology, and establish the unitary equivalence between a positive definite transversal space, a physical subspace and the zeroth cohomology group. The cohomology of a subcomplex is identified as the covariant equivalent of the well-known GSO subspace. An exceptional case to the vanishing theorem is discussed.Supported by NSF Grant DMS-8703581     

Nonabelian interactions from Hamiltonian BRST cohomology

Consistent Hamiltonian couplings between a set of vector fields and a system of matter fields are derived by means of BRST cohomological techniques. Received: 20 June 2001 / Published online: 17 August 2001     

BRST invariant mixed string vertex for the bosonic string

We construct a BRST invariant (N + M)-string vertex including both open and closed string states. When we saturate it with N open string and M closed string physical states it reproduces their corresponding scattering amplitude. As a particular case we obtain a BRST invariant vertex for the open-closed string transition.     

A topological characterization of classical BRST cohomology

The recent identification of classical BRST cohomology with the vertical cohomology of a certain fibration is used to compute it in terms of the classical observables and the topology of the gauge orbits. When the gauge orbits are compact and orientable, a duality theorem is exhibited.     

BRST cohomology for certain reducible topological symmetries

In this paper, two different definitions of the BRST complex are connected. We obtain the BRST complex of topological quantum field theories (leading to equivariant cohomology) from the standard definition of the classical BRST complex (leading to Lie algebra cohomology) provided that we include ghosts for ghosts. Hereby, we use a finite dimensional model with a semi-direct product action ofH DiffM on a configuration spaceM, whereH is a compact Lie group representing the gauge symmetry in this model.     

Hamiltonian BRST quantization of the conformal string

We present a new formulation of the tensionless string (T = 0) where the space-time conformal symmetry is manifest. Using a Hamiltonian BRST scheme we quantize this Conformal String and find that it has critical dimension D = 2. This is in keeping with our classical result that the model describes massless particles in this dimension. It is also consistent with our previous results which indicate that quantized conformally symmetric tensionless strings describe a topological phase away from D = 2.

We reach our result by demanding nilpotency of the BRST charge and consistency with the Jacobi identities. The derivation is presented in two different ways: in operator language and using mode expansions.

Careful attention is paid to regularization, a crucial ingredient in our calculations.     

Hamiltonian BRST interactions in Abelian theories

Consistent couplings between an Abelian gauge field and three types of matter fields are investigated by means of the Hamiltonian BRST deformation theory based on cohomological techniques. In this manner, scalar electrodynamics, the Stuckelberg theory for Abelian zero- and one-forms, respectively, spinor electrodynamics, are inferred. Received: 6 December 2000 / Published online: 23 February 2001     

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     

Generalized classical BRST cohomology and reduction of Poisson manifolds

In this paper, we formulate a generalization of the classical BRST construction which applies to the case of the reduction of a Poisson manifold by a submanifold. In the case of symplectic reduction, our procedure generalizes the usual classical BRST construction which only applies to symplectic reduction of a symplectic manifold by a coisotropic submanifold, i.e. the case of reducible first class constraints. In particular, our procedure yields a method to deal with second-class constraints. We construct the BRST complex and compute its cohomology. BRST cohomology vanishes for negative dimension and is isomorphic as a Poisson algebra to the algebra of smooth functions on the reduced Poisson manifold in zero dimension. We then show that in the general case of reduction of Poisson manifolds, BRST cohomology cannot be identified with the cohomology of vertical differential forms.Address after September 1992     

BRST invariance and gauge independence of string path-integrals

The covariant quantization of relativistic strings is performed in the BRST formulation of path-integrals. BRST-invariant measures are constructed in the critical number of dimensions and the gauge independence of the resulting path-integrals is proved.     

Supersymmetrical string theories

A supersymmetrical light-cone-gauge string action is presented. It provides a basis for understanding the previously- studied supersymmetrical dual string theory as well as two new closed-string theories that have extended supersymmetry in ten dimensions, corresponding to N=8 supersymmetry in four dimensions.