Contact interactions in superstring theory

Contact interactions are shown to be required in superstring theory in order to ensure either world-sheet supersymmetry in a covariant formalism or spacetime supersymmetry in the light-cone gauge. These interactions only contribute for specific ranges of the momenta of the emitted particles. Their rôle is to ensure analyticity of S-matrix elements in much the same way as with contact terms in ordinary field theories with point particles. For tree diagrams the usual functional calculations, performed at sufficiently spacelike momentum transfer, give correct results. For other values of the momenta the correct answer is obtained either by analytic continuation or by adding the contribution of the contact interactions. In certain loop calculations the effect of the contact interactions must be taken into account. In the light-cone gauge formalism the contact terms ensure positivity of the hamiltonian.     

Scattering amplitudes in open superstring theory

This review is concerned with scattering amplitudes in open superstring theories. In particular, we introduce two different formalisms to compute tree level amplitudes – the Ramond Neveu Schwarz‐ (RNS‐) and the Pure Spinor (PS‐) formalism. The RNS approach proves to be flexible in describing compactifications from ten to four flat spacetime dimensions. We solve the technical problems due to the underlying interacting conformal field theory on the worldsheet. This is exploited to extract phenomenologically relevant scattering amplitudes of gluons and quarks as well as production‐ and decay rates of massive vibration modes which have already been identified as virtual exchange particles at the massless level. In case of a TeV string scale, string specific signatures in parton collisions might be observed at the LHC experiment in the near future and constitute the first experimental evidence for string theory. These statements apply to a wide class of string vacua and therefore bypass the so‐called landscape problem of string theory. The PS formalism allows for a manifestly supersymmetric treatment of scattering amplitudes in ten spacetime dimensions with sixteen supercharges. We introduce a family of superfields which arises in tree amplitudes of massless open string states and can be naturally identified with diagrams made of cubic vertices. We firstly achieve a compact superspace representation of multiparticle field theory amplitudes and moreover express the complete n point superstring amplitude as a minimal linear combination of partial field theory amplitudes and hypergeometric functions. The latter carry the stringy effects and are analyzed from different perspectives.     

Perturbative BPS algebras in superstring theory

This paper investigates the algebraic structure that exists on perturbative BPS states in the superstring, compactified on the product of a circle and a Calabi-Yau fourfold. This structure was defined in a recent article by Harvey and Moore. It is shown that for a toroidal compactification this algebra is related to a generalized Kac-Moody algebra. The BPS algebra itself is not a Lie algebra. However, it turns out to be possible to construct a Lie algebra with the same graded dimensions, in terms of a half-twisted model. The dimensions of these algebras are related to the elliptic genus of the transverse part of the string algebra. Finally, the construction is applied to an orbifold compactification of the superstring.     

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.     

The antisymmetric tensor field in superstring theory

We discuss various aspects of the role of the antisymmetric tensor field in superstring theory, including the quantization law obeyed by its field strength and its role in topological defects and in vacuum configurations.     

Integration over moduli space in superstring theory

A calculation of multiloop superstring amplitudes is considered, the equivalence of popular approaches to determining these amplitudes being discussed. A calculation of poorly defined integrals over singular configurations is clarified. Amplitudes obtained by a correct method do not involve divergences in any order of perturbation theory.     

Space-time supersymmetry in covariant superstring field theory

It is shown that the existence of a transition operator, which interchanges the BRS charges of the Neveu-Schwarz and the Ramond sectors, implies space-time supersymmetry in the covariant free open superstring field theory proposed previously by the present authors.     

Background formalism for superstring field theory

In the framework of the background formalism we analyse possible versions of the Witten-type NSR superstring field theory. We find the picture for string fields to be uniquely fixed by the requirement that the perturbative classical solutions are well-defined. This uniquely defined picture and the corresponding action are different from the ones in Witten's theory and coincide with the ones proposed from different reasons in our previous paper. Following the same background method we calculate the tree-level scattering amplitudes for the new action and argue that in contrast to the ones in Witten's original theory, the amplitudes are singularity-free and hence there is no need to add any tree-level counterterms. We also prove the amplitudes to reproduce correctly the first quantized results.     

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.     

Pregeometry of open superstring field theory

We show that the conventional action for interacting open superstring field theory is contained in a purely cubic action which does not depend on the background induced by the super BRST charge.     

E6 symmetry breaking in the superstring theory

We derive two methods for determining the symmetry breaking of E₆ in the low energy superstring theory, and classify all breaking patterns. A method for calculating the effective Higgs vacuum expectation values is presented. We show that there are theories with naturally light SU₂^w Higgs doublets, and classify all theories in which this occurs. The phenomenology of spontaneously broken E₆ theories is discussed, emphasizing the issues of nucleon decay and neutrino masses.     

Statistical sums in superstring theory. genus 2

We prove the vanishing of the two-loop contribution to the statistical sum.