We construct a supersymmetric version of the ``critical'' non-relativistic bosonic string theory\cite{Kim:2007hb} with its manifest global symmetry. We introduce the anticommuting $bc$ CFT which is the super partner of the $βγ$ CFT. The conformal weights of the $b$ and $c$ fields are both 1/2. The action of the fermionic sector can be transformed into that of the relativistic superstring theory. We explicitly quantize the theory with manifest SO(8) symmetry and find that the spectrum is similar to that of Type IIB superstring theory. There is one notable difference: the fermions are non-chiral. We further consider ``noncritical'' generalizations of the supersymmetric theory using the superspace formulation. There is an infinite range of possible string theories similar to the supercritical string theories. We comment on the connection between the critical non-relativistic string theory and the lightlike Linear Dilaton theory.
We construct new superstring actions which are distinguished from standard superstrings by being space-time scale invariant. Like standard superstrings, they are also reparametrization invariant, space-time supersymmetric, and invariant under local scale transformations of the world sheet. We discuss scenarios in which these actions could play a significant role, in particular one which involves their coupling to supersymmetric gauge theories.
We find a new sector of string theory in AdS_5xS^5 describing non-relativistic superstrings in that geometry. The worldsheet theory of non-relativistic strings in AdS_5xS^5 is derived and shown to reduce to a supersymmetric free field theory in AdS_2. Non-relativistic string theory provides a new calculable setting in which to study holography.
We propose a pregeometrical formulation of Berkovits' open Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz (RNS) superstring field theories. We show that Berkovits' open RNS superstring field theories arise by expanding around particular solutions of the classical equations of motion for this theory. Our action contains pure ghost operators only and so is formally background independent.
In a previous paper it was shown that the recently constructed action for open superstring field theory based on $A_\infty$ algebras can be re-written in Wess-Zumino-Witten-like form, thus establishing its relation to Berkovits' open superstring field theory. In this paper we explain the relation between these two theories from a different perspective which emphasizes the small Hilbert space, and in particular the relation between the $A_\infty$ structures on both sides.
These are introductory lectures on the correspondence between SU(N) gauge theories and Superstring Theory in anti-de Sitter geometries (AdS). The subject combines a number of different topics, including supersymmetric field theory, classical and quantum physics of black holes, string theory, string dualities, conformal field theories (CFT), and quantum field theory in anti-de Sitter spaces. We also discuss applications of this AdS/CFT correspondence to the large $N$ dynamics of pure QCD.
Non-supersymmetric d=4 gauge theories which arise from superstring duality on a manifold $AdS_5 \times S_5/Z_p$ are cataloged for a range $2 \leq p \leq 41$. A number have vanishing two-loop gauge β-function, a necessary but not sufficient condition to be a conformal field theory.
We calculate the leading-order scattering amplitude of one vector and two tensor gauge bosons in a recently proposed non-Abelian tensor gauge field theory and open superstring theory. The linear in momenta part of the superstring amplitude has identical Lorentz structure with the gauge theory, while its cubic in momenta part can be identified with an effective Lagrangian which is constructed using generalized non-Abelian field strength tensors.
A new type of tensionless superstring theory, called the Inhomogeneous tensionless superstring, has been recently introduced. This is characterised by a residual symmetry algebra on the worldsheet richer in structure than the previously known symmetry algebra related to Homogeneous tensionless superstring. In this paper, we investigate theories of tensile superstring that the Inhomogeneous tensionless superstring with manifestly real fermions could arise from. We provide two different candidates for these parent tensile theories. The nature of the limit dictates that these theories have some e…
String theories with (N,N') local world-sheet supersymmetries are related to each other by marginal deformations. This connects N=1 and N=0 theories in which the target-spaces are interpreted as space-times, N=2 theories in which the target spaces can be interpreted as world-volumes, and theories with $N\ge 3$, in which the central charge vanishes -- theories with zero target-space dimensions.
We extend the recently constructed NS superstring field theories in the small Hilbert space to give classical field equations for all superstring theories, including Ramond sectors. We also comment on the realization of supersymmetry in this framework.
Type II superstring theory with mixed Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions admit antisymmetric tensors with varying degrees in the spectrum. We show that there exists a family of dual supergravity lagrangians to the $N=2$ type IIA action in ten dimensions. The duality transformations and the resulting actions are constructed explicitely.
We study (p,q)=(2,4k) minimal superstrings within the minimal superstring field theory constructed in hep-th/0611045. We explicitly give a solution to the W_{1+\infty} constraints by using charged D-instanton operators, and show that the (m,n)-instanton sector with m positive-charged and n negative-charged ZZ-branes is described by an (m+n)\times (m+n) supermatrix model. We argue that the supermatrix model can be regarded as an open string field theory on the multi ZZ-brane system.
We lift the dynamical field of the $A_\infty$ superstring field theory to the large Hilbert space by introducing a gauge invariance associated with the eta zero mode. We then provide a field redefinition which relates the lifted field to the dynamical field of Berkovits' superstring field theory in the large Hilbert space. This generalizes the field redefinition in the small Hilbert space described in earlier works, and gives some understanding of the relation between the gauge symmetries of the theories. It also provides a new perspective on the algebraic structure underlying gauge invariance…
We propose a string-theoretic ansatz describing the dynamics of SU(N) Yang-Mills theories in the limit of large N in D=4. The construction uses in a crucial way open-string vertex operators that describe non-perturbative brane dynamics. According to our proposal, various gauge theories are described by string theories with the same action, but with different measures in the functional integral. The choice of measure defines the gauge group, as well as the effective space-time dimension of the resulting gauge theory.
Massless BPS-saturated states in toroidally compactified heterotic string were discussed first. Then, I constructed a large class of BPS-saturated states of toroidally compactified type II string theories. They were parametrized by four independent parameters. Both orthogonal and non-orthogonal intersections of non-perturbative states in the corresponding ten dimensional theories were discussed. Phenomenologically, I considered the string effect in the form of threshold corrections on dilatonic charged black holes, and the superpotential of N=1 supergravity theory
We investigate the holographic correspondence between (p+1)-dimensional ($0\le p\le 4$) SYM theories with 16 supercharges and superstring theories on the near-horizon limit of Dp-brane backgrounds. Following an approach based on the tunneling picture, we study Euclidean superstring semi-classically along null geodesics which connect two points on the boundary of the spacetime. We extend the analysis of hep-th/0308024 and study the fermionic sector of the superstring. For $p\ne 3$, we do not have world-sheet supersymmetry, and the energies of bosonic and fermionic fluctuations do not match. By …
There are an infinite number of type IIB superstrings in ten dimensions, called (p,q) strings, that are labeled by two distinct string charges. They can form string junctions and string networks. These are the key to understanding the Coulomb branch BPS spectrum of N=4 super Yang--Mills theories in four dimensions. Nongravitational theories that are analogous to type IIB superstring theory in some respects are the ADE (2,0) six-dimensional theories on the Coulomb branch. Each of them contains a finite number of half-BPS superstrings, which can be labeled by the root vectors of the Lie algebra.…
We consider effective actions for six-dimensional non-critical superstrings. We show that the addition of $N$ units of R-R flux and of $N_f$ space-time filling D5-branes produces $AdS_5 \times S^1$ solutions with curvature comparable to the string scale. These solutions have the right structure to be dual to ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetric SU(N) gauge theories with $N_f$ flavors. We further suggest bounds on the mass-squared of tachyonic fields in this background that should restrict the theory to the conformal window.
We show that the tree-level S-matrices of the superstring field theories based on the homotopy-algebra structure agree with those obtained in the first-quantized formulation. The proof is given in detail for the heterotic string field theory. The extensions to the type II and open superstring field theories are straightforward.
We construct mappings that send solutions of the cubic and non-polynomial open superstring field theories to each other. We prove that the action is invariant under the maps and that gauge orbits are mapped into gauge orbits. It follows that the perturbative spectrum around solutions is the same in both theories. The mappings also preserve the string field reality condition. We generalize to the cases of a non-BPS D-brane and of multi-D-brane systems. We analyze the recently found analytical solutions of the cubic action, both in the BPS sector and the non-BPS sector and show that they span a …
The heterotic and type II superstring actions are identified in different anomaly-free decompositions of a single topological sigma-model action depending on bosonic and fermionic coordinates, $X^μ$ and $\r^A$ respectively, and of their topological ghosts. This model results from gauge-fixing the topological gauge symmetry $δX^μ= ε^μ(z,\bar z)$ ($μ=1,2,\dots, 10$) and $δ\r^α= ε^α(z,\bar z)$. ($α=1,2.\dots, 16$). From another viewpoint the heterotic and type II superstring actions emerge as two different gauge-fixings of the same closed two-form. Comments are also made concerning the possibilit…
We show that the M-theory/IIA and IIA/IIB superstring dualities together with the diffeomorphism invariance of the underlying theories require the presence of certain p-brane bound states in IIA and IIB superstring theories preserving 1/2 of the spacetime supersymmetry. We then confirm the existence of IIA and IIB supergravity solutions having the appropriate p-brane bound states interpretation.
We study D-branes in the superstring background R^{3,1} \times SL(2,R)_{k=1}/U(1) which are extended in the cigar direction. Some of these branes are new. The branes realize flavor in the four dimensional N=1 gauge theories on the D-branes localized at the tip of the cigar. We study the analytic properties of the boundary conformal field theories on these branes with respect to their defining parameter and find non-trivial monodromies in this parameter. Through this approach, we gain a better understanding of the brane set-ups in ten dimensions involving wrapped NS5-branes. As one application,…
We describe a systematic method of studying the action of the T-duality group O(d,d) on space-time fermions and R-R field strengths and potentials in type-II string theories, based on space-time supersymmetry. The formalism is then used to show that the couplings of non-Abelian D-brane charges to R-R potentials can be described by an appropriate Clifford multiplication.
I review how traditional grand unified theories, which require adjoint (or higher representation) Higgs fields for breaking to the standard model, can be contained within string theory. The status (as of January 1996) of the search for stringy free fermionic three generation SO(10) SUSY--GUT models is discussed. Progress in free fermionic classification of both SO(10)$_2$ charged and uncharged embeddings and in $N=1$ spacetime solutions is presented. Based on talks presented at the Workshop on SUSY Phenomena and SUSY GUTs, Santa Barbara, California, Dec. 7-11, 1995, and at the Orbis Scientiae,…
The four six-dimensional ``little string'' theories are all described in the infinite momentum frame (IMF) as matrix theories by non-trivial 1+1 dimensional infra-red fixed points. We characterize these fixed points using supergravity. Starting from the matrix theory definition of M5-branes, we derive an associated dual supergravity description of the fixed point theories, arising as the near horizon geometry of certain brane configurations. These supergravity solutions are all smooth, and involve three dimensional Anti-de Sitter space AdS_3. They therefore provide a complete description of th…
This text is a review of aspects of supergravity theories that are relevant in superstring cosmology. In particular, it considers the possibilities and restrictions for `uplifting terms', i.e. methods to produce de Sitter vacua. We concentrate on N=1 and N=2 supergravities, and the tools of superconformal methods, which clarify the structure of these theories. Cosmic strings and embeddings of target manifolds of supergravity theories in others are discussed in short at the end.
I describe our understanding of physics near the planck length, in particular the great progress of the last four years in string theory. Superstring theory, and a recent extension called M theory, are leading candidates for a quantum theory that unifies gravity with the other forces. As such, they are certainly not ordinary quantum field theories. However, recent duality conjectures suggest that a more complete definition of these theories can be provided by the large N limits of suitably chosen U(N) gauge theories associated to the asymptotic boundary of spacetime.
Given a family of world-sheet superconformal field theories related by marginal deformation, we can formulate superstring field theory based on any of these world-sheet theories. Background independence is the statement that these different superstring field theories are related to each other by field redefinition. We prove background independence of closed superstring field theory.
In the framework of the four dimensional heterotic superstring with free world-sheet fermions we study the GUSTs which contain non-abelian horizontal symmetry. To solve the problem of breaking the G_GUT gauge symmetry of the level one current algebra we extend the gauge symmetry to G x G. Using the autoduality of the fermionic charge lattice we study the possibilities of constructing of some GUST gauge groups. We also study the string amplitudes and for one realistic model explicitly calculate the renormalizable and non-renormalizable (N=4,5,6) contributions to the superpotential. We observe t…
We use insights from superstring field theory to prove the subleading soft graviton theorem for tree amplitudes of (compactified) heterotic and type II string theories for arbitrary number of finite energy NS (NSNS) sector external states but only one soft graviton. We also prove the leading soft graviton theorem in these theories for arbitrary number of external soft gravitons. In our analysis there is no restriction on the mass and spin of the finite energy external states. This method can also be used to give a proof of the subleading soft graviton theorem for tree amplitudes in quantum fie…
We construct heterotic string theories on spacetimes of the form R^{d-1,1} times N=2 linear dilaton, where d=6,4,2,0. There are two lines of supersymmetric theories descending from the two supersymmetric ten-dimensional heterotic theories. These have gauge groups which are lower rank subgroups of E_{8} times E_{8} and SO(32). On turning on a (2,2) deformation which makes the two dimensional part a smooth SL_{2}(R)/U(1) supercoset, the gauge groups get broken further. In the deformed theories, there are non-trivial moduli which are charged under the surviving gauge group in the case of d=6. We …
We present an exact solution of superstring theory that interpolates in time between an initial type 0 phase and a final phase whose physics is exactly that of the bosonic string. The initial theory is deformed by closed-string tachyon condensation along a lightlike direction. In the limit of large tachyon vev, the worldsheet conformal field theory precisely realizes the Berkovits-Vafa embedding of bosonic string theory into superstring theory. Our solution therefore connects the bosonic string dynamically with the superstring, settling a longstanding question about the relationship between th…
Recently, it has been shown that the minimum number of gauge invariant couplings for $B$-field, metric and dilaton at order $α'^3$ is 872. These couplings, in a particular scheme, appear in 55 different structures. In this paper, up to an overall factor, we fix all parameters in type II supertirng theories by requiring the reduction of the couplings on a circle to be invariant under T-duality transformations. We find that there are 445 non-zero couplings which appear in 15 different structures. The couplings are fully consistent with the partial couplings that have been found in the literature…
Recent results on solutions to the equation of motion of the cubic fermionic string field theory and an equivalence of non-polynomial and cubic string field theories are discussed. To have a possibility to deal with both GSO(+) and GSO(-) sectors in the uniform way a matrix formulation for the NS fermionic SFT is used. In constructions of analytical solutions to open string field theories truncated pure gauge configurations parameterized by wedge states play an essential role. The matrix form of this parametrization for the NS fermionic SFT is presented. Using the cubic open superstring field …
We compute explicitly the four-particle amplitude in superstring theories by using the hyperelliptic language and the newly obtained chiral measure of D'Hoker and Phong. Although the algebra of the intermediate steps is a little bit involved, we obtain a quite simple expression for the four-particle amplitude. As expected, the integrand is independent of all the insertion points. As an application of the obtained result, we show that the perturbative correction to the $R^4$ term in type II superstring theories is vanishing point-wise in (even) moduli space at two loops.
We study superstring theories on the Penrose limit of the enhancon geometry realized by the D(p+4)-branes wrapped on a K3 surface. We first examine the null geodesics with fixed radius in general brane backgrounds, which give solvable superstring theories with constant masses. In most cases, the superstring theories contain negative mass-squared. We clarify a condition that the world-sheet free fields have positive mass-squared. We then apply this condition to the enhancon geometry and find that the null geodesics with fixed radius exist only for p=0 case. They define the superstring theories …
We study a set of asymmetric deformations of non-critical superstring theories in various dimensions. The deformations arise as Kaehler and complex structure deformations of an orthogonal two-torus comprising of a parallel and a transverse direction in the near-horizon geometry of NS5-branes. The resulting theories have the following intriguing features: Spacetime supersymmetry is broken in a continuous fashion and the masses of the lightest modes are lifted. In particular, no bulk or localized tachyons are generated in the non-supersymmetric vacua. We discuss the effects of these deformations…
We give a brief review of the twistor string approach to supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories with an emphasis on the different formulations of (super)string models in supertwistor space and their superspace form. We discuss the classical equivalence among the Siegel closed twistor string and the Lorentz harmonics formulation of the (N=4) tensionless superstring, and notice the possible relation of the twistor string to the D=10 Green-Schwarz superstring action, as well as to models in the enlarged, tensorial superspaces that are relevant in higher spin theories.
A large class of equivalence relations between the moduli spaces of instantons on ALE spaces and the Higgs branches of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories, are found by means of a certain kind of duality transformation between brane configurations in superstring theories. 4d, N=2 and 5d, N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories with product gauge groups turn out to correspond to the ALE-instanton moduli of type II B and type II A superstring theories, respectively.
We offer some thoughts regarding the space of string fields. We suggest that this space should be identified as the odd component of a star-algebra and focus among other issues on the role of the mid-point. We argue that theories with mid-point insertions in the action, such as the modified cubic theory can be well behaved, even if this mid-point insertion has a non-trivial kernel. We then discuss the recent proposal by Berkovits and Siegel of a non-minimal superstring field theory. In this theory the action contains a mid-point insertion of a non-zero conformal weight. We show that, while thi…
Synopsis: (i) how superstring theories are unified by M-theory; (ii) how superstring and supermembrane properties follow from the D=10 and D=11 supersymmetry algebras; (iii) how D=10 and D=11 supergravity theories determine the strong coupling limit of superstring theories; (iv) how properties of Type II p-branes follow from those of M-branes.
The inflation model of Gaillard, Lyth and Murayama is revisited, with a systematic scan of the parameter space for dilaton stabilization during inflation.
We present a geometric formulation of type-IIA and -IIB superstring theories in which the Wess-Zumino term is second order in the supersymmetric currents. The currents are constructed using supergroup manifolds corresponding to superalgebras: the IIA superalgebra derived from M-algebra and the IIB superalgebra obtained by a T-duality transformation of the IIA superalgebra. We find that a slight modification of the IIB superalgebra is needed to describe D-string theories, in which the U(1) gauge field on the worldsheet is explicitly constructed in terms of D-string charges. A unification of the…
We review the recent developments in obtaining accelerating cosmologies and/or inflation from higher-dimensional gravitational theories, in particular superstring theories in ten dimensions and M-theory in eleven dimensions. We first discuss why it is difficult to obtain inflationary behavior in the effective low-energy theories of superstring/M-theory, i. e. supergravity theories. We then summarize interesting solutions including S-branes that give rise to accelerating cosmologies and inflationary solutions in M-theory with higher order corrections. Other approaches to inflation in the string…
We develop off-shell formulations for ${\cal N}=1$ and ${\cal N}=2$ anti-de Sitter supergravity theories in three spacetime dimensions that contain gauge two-forms in the auxiliary field sector. These formulations are shown to allow consistent couplings of supergravity to the Green-Schwarz superstring with ${\cal N}=1$ or ${\cal N}=2$ spacetime supersymmetry. In addition to being $κ$-symmetric, the Green-Schwarz superstring actions constructed are also invariant under super-Weyl transformations of the target space. We also present a detailed study of models for spontaneously broken local super…
We study superstring theories on AdS(3) x N backgrounds yielding N=2,3,4 extended superconformal symmetries in the dual boundary CFT. In each case the necessary constraints on the internal worldsheet theory N are found.
We study a family of unstable heterotic string theories in more than ten dimensions which are connected via tachyon condensation to the ten-dimensional supersymmetric vacuum of heterotic string theory with gauge group SO(32). Calculating the spectrum of these theories, we find evidence for an S-duality which relates type I string theory in ten dimensions with n additional ninebrane-antininebrane pairs to heterotic string theory in 10+n dimensions with gauge group SO(32+n). The Kaluza-Klein modes of the supercritical dimensions are dual to non-singlet bound states of open strings.
Computation of superstring partition function for the non-linear sigma model on the product of a two-torus and its dual within the scope of the doubled formalism is presented. We verify that it reproduces the partition functions of the toroidally compactified type--IIA and type--IIB theories for appropriate choices of the GSO projection.
