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.     

Higher derivative modifications ofD=10 superspace Yang-Mills theories

We extend the superspace treatment of higher derivative supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories, emphasizing the role played by manifestD=10 Lorentz covariance and supersymmetry invariance. As an example, the superspace formulation of the effective action is considered for the massless fields in the open superstring, as well as in theSO(32) andE ₈×E₈ superstring theories. We show that there exists a unique modification of thef-tensor supercurrent which can provide the embedding of theO(α'³) string corrections in the slope parameter expansion for the Yang-Mills sector inD=10 superspace. The new correction term is relevant for the understanding of nonperturbative effects.     

Comments on worldsheet description of the Omega background

Nekrasov?s partition function is defined on a flat bundle of R⁴ over S¹ called the Omega background. When the fibration is self-dual, the partition function is known to be equal to the topological string partition function, which computes scattering amplitudes of self-dual gravitons and graviphotons in type II superstring compactified on a Calabi-Yau manifold. We propose a generalization of this correspondence when the fibration is not necessarily self-dual.     

Chan–Paton soliton gauge states of the compactified open string

We study the mechanism of the enhanced gauge symmetry of the bosonic open string compactified on a torus by analyzing the zero-norm soliton (non-zero winding of the Wilson line) gauge states in the spectrum. Unlike the closed string case, we find that the soliton gauge state exists only at massive levels. These soliton gauge states correspond to the existence of enhanced massive gauge symmetries with transformation parameters containing both Einstein and Yang–Mills indices. In the T-dual picture, these symmetries exist only at some discrete values of compactified radii when N D-branes are coincident. Received: 14 May 1999 / Published online: 17 March 2000     

The heterotic string is a soliton

It is shown that the Type IIA superstring compactified on K3 has a smooth string soliton with the same zero mode structure as the heterotic string compactified on a four-torus, thus providing new evidence for a conjectured exact duality between the two six-dimensional string theories. The chiral worldsheet bosons arise as zero modes of Ramond-Ramond fields of the IIA string theory and live on a signature (20,4) even, self-dual lattice. Stable, finite loops of soliton string provide the charged Ramond-Ramond states necessary for enhanced gauge symmetries at degeneration points of the K3 surface. It is also shown that Type IIB strings toroidally compactified to six dimensions have a multiplet of string solutions with Type II worldsheets.     

PartiallyU(1) compactified scalar massless field on the compact Riemann surface and the bosonic string amplitudes

The theory of the partiallyU(1) compactified scalar massless field on the compact Riemann surface with Nambu-Goto action is defined. The partition function is determined completely by a choice of the finite-dimensional approximations. The correlation functions are the only correctly defined objects of the theory. The averages of the correlation function asymptotic values provide the amplitudes. For the compact Riemann surfaces of any genus the usual bosonic string amplitudes are the special cases of the above amplitudes.     

N=2 superstrings in more than two dimensions?

For a string propagating in a Parisi-Sourlas superspace the critical dimension equals the difference in the number of positive-and negative-dimensional coordinates. In this way the dimension of the Minkowski subspace can be increased. Here we apply this to the N=2 superstring, with D_c=2 and find anomaly-free N=2 superstrings in all positive even dimensions. Nontrivial theories can be constructed from these N=2 theories by truncation: In a Parisi-Sourlas superspace with a ten-dimensional Minkowski subspace we find the N=1 NSR superstring, and with a four-dimensional Minkowski subspace we find an N=1 superstring, classically related to the D=10 NSR superstring by a canonical transformation.     

Superstring theory

Dual string theories, initially developed as phenomenological models of hadrons, now appear more promising as candidates for a unified theory of fundamental interactions. Type I superstring theory (SST I), is a ten-dimensional theory of interacting open and closed strings, with one supersymmetry, that is free from ghosts and tachyons. It requires that an SO(n) or Sp(2n) gauge group be used. A light-cone-gauge string action with space-time supersymmetry automatically incorporates the superstring restrictions and leads to the discovery of type II superstring theory (SST II). SST II is an interacting theory of closed strings only, with two D = 10 supersymmetries, that is also free from ghosts and tachyons. By taking six of the spatial dimensions to form a compact space, it becomes possible to reconcile the models with our four-dimensional perception of spacetime and to define low-energy limits in which SST I reduces to N = 4, D = 4 super Yang-Mills theory and SST II reduces to N = 8, D = 4 supergravity theory. The superstring theories can be described by a light-cone-gauge action principle based on fields that are functionals of string coordinates. With this formalism any physical quantity should be calculable. There is some evidence that, unlike any conventional field theory, the superstring theories provide perturbatively renormalizable (SST I) or finite (SST II) unifications of gravity with other interactions.     

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.     

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.     

On second-quantized open superstring theory

The SO(32) theory, in the limit where it is an open superstring theory, is completely specified in the light-cone gauge as a second-quantized string theory in terms of a “matrix string” model. The theory is defined by the neighborhood of a 1 + 1-dimensional fixed point theory, characterized by an Abelian gauge theory with type IB Green-Schwarz form. Non-orientability and SO(32) gauge symmetry arise naturally, and the theory effectively constructs an orientifold projection of the (weakly coupled) matrix type IIB theory (also discussed herein). The fixed point theory is a conformal field theory with boundary, defining the free string theory. Interactions involving the interior of open and closed strings are governed by a twist operator in the bulk, while string endpoints are created and destroyed by a boundary twist operator.     

Superconformal deformation,zero-norm states and space-time symmetries of the superstring theories

We present a formalism to study type II and Heterotic superstrings with massless and massive background fields in the bosonic sector. This formalism is appropriate to study high energy symmetries of the superstring. As an example, we explicitly relate all massless symmetries to the massless zero-norm states in the spectrum. This includes theE ₈ ?E ₈ andSO (32) gauge symmetries in the ten-dimensional Heterotic string. The first (evenG-parity) massive level is briefly described. We then argue the existence of new symmetries for the massive Yang-Mills-like gauge bosons and tensor fields at each fixed mass level. These enlarged stringy symmetries correspond to the decoupling of massive zero-norm states in the spectrum.     

Strings at nonzero temperature

String theory at nonzero temperature is reviewed. A bosonic string at nonzero temperature is studied and the calculation of its free energy in both the one-loop approximation and the case of arbitrary genus (multiloop analysis) is discussed. A string at nonzero temperature is compared with a string compacted on a one-dimensional torus. The properties of modular invariance and dual symmetry are discussed at both the one-loop and multiloop levels. The thermodynamics of superstrings, including also superstrings compactified on a torus, is also studied. Possible cosmological applications are briefly considered. It is shown that many features of string thermodynamics (in particular, the existence of the Hagedorn temperature and dual symmetry) also occur in the theory of noncritical strings.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshykh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 3–49, December, 1991.     

Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz string with new boundary conditions

For the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz string in D space-time dimensions we seek boundary conditions which preserve Poincaré invariance in d dimensions, d<D. We obtain twisted closed and twisted open strings preserving Gervais-Sakita supersymmetry. Covariant BRST quantization yields D=10. For some boundary conditions, partition functions exhibit space-time supersymmetry.     

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.     

Fermionic strings on the compactified moduli space

On the compactified moduli space we consider theN=2,N=4 local supersymmetric string theories. It would be proven that theN=2,N=4 fermionic string theories might not develop any tachyon pole, which might imply theg-loop partition functions forN=2,N=4 fermionic string would be finite.     

Field theory of interacting open superstrings in fermionic ghost representation

The field theory of interacting open superstring in the fermionic ghost representation based on anticommuting and commuting ghosts, corresponding respectively to world sheet bosonic x_μ and fermionic ψ_μ coordinates, is presented. We have to revise once more the field theory of the free Ramond (R) string and starting from a general algebraic point of view we obtain that the number of degrees of freedom in the R and NS (Neveu-Schwarz) sectors are equal, permitting us to construct a supersymmetric operator. We propose to solve a specific equation guaranteeing superinvariance in order to find the R-R-NS and NS-R-R vertices in the term of the NS-NS-NS vertex.     

All NSR-models in terms of bosonic strings: An explicit derivation

We construct the open and closed string NSR-models in terms ofD15 bosonic string theories. All anticommuting NSR-operators are obtained after fermionizing 4 bosonic dimensions, and the NSR-Hilbert spaces are embedded as linear subspaces of the bosonic Hilbert spaces. We thus show the existence of various 10D supersymmetric sectors of the state spaces ofD=26 consistent bosonic strings.     

String quantization in accelerated frames and black holes

We quantize a closed bosonic string in a light-cone gauge in Rindler (uniformly accelerated) space-time and apply it to the Schwarzschild-Kruskal manifold. Inertial and accelerated particle states of the string associated to positive frequency modes with respect to the inertial and Rindler times respectively, are defined. There is a stretching effect of the string due to the presence of an event horizon. We explicitly solve the dynamical constraints leaving as physical degrees of freedom only those transverse to the acceleration. Different mass formulae are introduced depending on whether the centre of mass of the string has uniform speed or uniform acceleration. The expectation value of the Rindler (Schwarzschild) number-mode operator in the string around state (tachyon) results equal to a thermal spectrum at the Hawking-Unruh temperature T_s=α/2π (∼ M_Pl(M_Pl/M)^1/(D−3), where M is the black hole mass). We find T₀=M′/2π where M′ is the accelerated ground state string mass and T₀ the temperature T_s in dimensionless frequency units. Correlation functions of string coordinates and vertex operators and their Fourier transforms in accelerated time (string response functions) are computed and their thermal properties analyzed.