Superstrings in Curved Ramond-Ramond Backgrounds

We discuss the main issues related to understanding closed string spectrum in Ramond-Ramond backgrounds on the example of AdS₅ × S ⁵ and and its special limit – the maximally supersymmetric plane-wave background with constant null 5-form field strength. As we describe, in the latter case the spectrum can be found explicitly. We compare the plane-wave string spectrum with the expected form of the light-cone gauge spectrum of the AdS₅ × S ⁵ superstring and comment on the tensionless string limit.     

Cubic interaction vertices for fermionic and bosonic arbitrary spin fields

Using the light-cone gauge approach to relativistic field dynamics, we study arbitrary spin fermionic and bosonic fields propagating in flat space of dimension greater than or equal to four. Generating functions of parity invariant cubic interaction vertices for totally symmetric and mixed-symmetry massive and massless fields are obtained. For the case of totally symmetric fields, we derive restrictions on the allowed values of spins and the number of derivatives. These restrictions provide a complete classification of parity invariant cubic interaction vertices for totally symmetric fermionic and bosonic fields. As an example of application of the light-cone formalism, we obtain simple expressions for the Yang–Mills and gravitational interactions of massive arbitrary spin fermionic fields. For some particular cases, using our light-cone cubic vertices, we discuss the corresponding manifestly Lorentz invariant and on-shell gauge invariant cubic vertices.     

CFT adapted gauge invariant formulation of arbitrary spin fields in AdS and modified de Donder gauge

Using Poincaré parametrization of AdS space, we study totally symmetric arbitrary spin massless fields in AdS space of dimension greater than or equal to four. CFT adapted gauge invariant formulation for such fields is developed. Gauge symmetries are realized similarly to the ones of Stueckelberg formulation of massive fields. We demonstrate that the curvature and radial coordinate contributions to the gauge transformation and Lagrangian of the AdS fields can be expressed in terms of ladder operators. Realization of the global AdS symmetries in the conformal algebra basis is obtained. Modified de Donder gauge leading to simple gauge fixed Lagrangian is found. The modified de Donder gauge leads to decoupled equations of motion which can easily be solved in terms of the Bessel function. Interrelations between our approach to the massless AdS fields and the Stueckelberg approach to massive fields in flat space are discussed.     

Type IIB Green-Schwarz superstrings in AdS 5 × S 5 from the supercoset approach

We consider superstrings moving in the AdS ₅ × S ⁵ space-time and find their Green-Schwarz action using the supercoset approach based on the supergroup PSU(2, 2|4). We describe several parametrizations of the relevant supercoset and present the action in different κ-symmetry gauges. In particular, we discuss a gauge where all the fermionic coordinates corresponding to the conformal (S) supercharges are gauged away and also a light-cone type gauge where half of the Q and S supercoordinates are gauged away. The resulting action contains terms that are quadratic and quartic in fermions. In the flat-space limit, it reduces to the standard light-cone Green-Schwarz action. We comment on the possibility of fixing the bosonic light-cone gauge and of reformulating the action in terms of two-dimensional Dirac spinors.     

The BRST-BV approach to massless fields adapted for the AdS/CFT correspondence

In the framework of the BRST-BV approach to the formulation of relativistic mechanics, we consider massless and massive fields of arbitrary spin propagating in a flat space and massless fields propagating in the AdS space. For such fields, we obtain BRST-BV Lagrangians invariant under gauge transformations. The Lagrangians and gauge transformations are constructed in terms of traceless gauge fields and traceless parameters of the gauge transformations. We consider the fields in the AdS space using the Poincaré parameterization of this space, which leads to a simple form of the BRST-BV Lagrangian. We show that in the Siegel gauge, the Lagrangian of the massless AdS fields leads to a decoupling of the equations of motion, and this substantially simplifies the study of the AdS/CFT correspondence. In a conformal algebra basis, we find a realization of the relativistic symmetries of fields and antifields in the AdS space.