Vertex operators in string theory come in two varieties: integrated and unintegrated. Understanding both types is important for the calculation of the string theory amplitudes. The relation between them is a descent procedure typically involving the b-ghost. In the pure spinor formalism vertex operators can be identified as cohomology classes of an infinite-dimensional Lie superalgebra formed by covariant derivatives. We show that in this language the construction of the integrated vertex from an unintegrated vertex is very straightforward, and amounts to the evaluation of the cocycle on the generalized Lax currents.
In this paper we extend to the case of IIB superstring sigma models the method proposed in hep-th/10023500 to derive the pure spinor approach for type IIA sigma models. In particular, starting from the (Free) Differential Algebra and superspace parametrization of type IIB supergravity, extended to include the BRST differential and all the ghosts, we derive the BRST transformations of fields and ghosts as well as the standard pure spinor constraints for the ghosts $λ$ related to supersymmetry. Moreover, using the method first proposed by us, we derive the pure spinor action for type IIB superst…
In this thesis are presented two aplications of the sigma model for the superstring in the pure spinor formulation. The first aplication concerns the computation of the one-loop conformal invariance for the type II superstring, resulting in equations of motion written in superspace for the background fields coupled to the superstring. The second application is related to the BRST invariance of the heterotic superstring at the quantum level, which allows to find stringy corrections to the ten-dimensional super Yang-Mills/supergravity constraints.
The $b$-ghost of the pure spinor formalism in a general curved background is not holomorphic. For such theories, the construction of the string measure requires the knowledge of the action of diffeomorphisms on the BV phase space. We construct such an action for the pure spinor sigma-model in $AdS_5\times S^5$. From the point of view of the BV formalism, this sigma-model belongs to the class of theories where the expansion of the Master Action in antifields terminates at the quadratic order. We show that it can be reduced to a simpler degenerate sigma-model, preserving the AdS symmetries. We c…
We discuss the relation between unintegrated and integrated vertex operators in string worldsheet theory, in the context of BV formalism. In particular, we clarify the origin of the Fradkin-Tseytlin term. We first consider the case of bosonic string, and then concentrate on the case of pure spinor superstring in $AdS_5\times S^5$. In particular, we compute the action of $b_0 - \bar{b}_0$ on the beta-deformation vertex. As a by-product, we formulate some new conjectures on general finite-dimensional vertices.
This paper considers the Free Differential Algebra and rheonomic parametrization of type IIA Supergravity, extended to include the BRS differential and the ghosts. We consider not only the ghosts lambda's of supersymmetry but also the ghosts corresponding to gauge and Lorentz transformations. In this way we can derive not only the BRS transformations of fields and ghosts but also the standard pure spinor constraints on lambda's. Moreover the formalism allows to derive the action for the pure spinor formulation of type IIA superstrings in a general background, recovering the action first obtain…
We construct the integrated vertex operator for the first massive states of open superstrings with $(mass)^2=1/α'$ in the pure spinor formalism of the superstring theory. This vertex operator is expressed in terms of the ten dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ superfields describing the massive supermultiplet which appear in the unintegrated vertex operator of the same states.
The construction of the ghost number zero and one vertex operators for the 11D pure spinor superparticle will be revisited. In this sense, an alternative way of defining the ghost number one vertex operator will be given after introducing a ghost number -2 operator made out of physical operators defined on the 11D non-minimal pure spinor superspace. This procedure will make explicit and transparent the relation between the ghost number three and one vertex operators. In addition, using a non-Lorentz covariant b-ghost, ghost number zero and two vertex operators satisfying standard descent equat…
The OPE between the composite $b$ ghost and the unintegrated vertex operator for massless states of the pure spinor superstring is computed and shown to reproduce the structure of the bosonic string result. The vanishing of the double pole singularity is Lorentz gauge and the single pole is shown to be equal to the corresponding integrated vertex operator.
In this work we give an explicit construction for the vertex operators of massless states in the pure spinor superstring in a plane wave background. The construction is based on the observation that the full action can be divided in two parts, where the simpler one is based on a smaller coset and closely resembles the gauge fixed Green-Schwarz action.
Since the b ghost in the pure spinor formalism is a composite operator depending on non-minimal variables, it is not trivial to impose the Siegel gauge condition b_0 V=0 on BRST-invariant vertex operators. Using the antifield vertex operator V* of ghost-number +2, we show that Siegel gauge unintegrated vertex operators can be constructed as b_0 V* and Siegel gauge integrated vertex operators as \int dz b_{-1} b_0 V*. These Siegel gauge vertex operators depend on the non-minimal variables, so scattering amplitudes involving these operators need to be regularized using the prescription developed…
We derive the Free Differential Algebra for type IIA supergravity in 10 dimensions in the string frame. We provide all fermionic terms for all curvatures. We derive the Green-Schwarz sigma model for type IIA superstring based on the FDA construction and we check its invariance under kappa-symmetry. Finally, we derive the pure spinor sigma model and we check the BRST invariance. The present derivation has the advantage that the resulting sigma model is constructed in terms of the superfields appearing in the FDA and therefore one can directly relate a supergravity background with the correspond…
We discuss the structure of correlators involving the spinor emission vertex in non critical $N=1$ superstring theory. The technique used in the computation is the zero mode integration to arrive at the integral representation, and later an analysis of the pole structure of the integrals which are thus obtained. Our analysis has been done primarily for the 5-point functions. The result confirms previous expectations and prepares ground for a comparison with computations using matrix models techniques.
We provide the covariant superspace equations that are sufficient to determine the complete $θ$ expansion of the vertex operator of the open string massive states with $(mass)^2=1/α'$ in pure spinor formalism of superstring theory. These equations get rid of the redundant degrees of freedom in superfields and are consistent with the BRST conditions derived in [1]. Further, we give the explicit $θ$ expansion of the superfields appearing in the unintegrated vertex to $O(θ^3)$. Finally, we compute the contribution to a 3-point tree amplitude with the resulting vertex operator upto $O(θ^3)$ and fi…
The general fluctuations, in the form of vertex operators, for the type II superstring in the pure spinor formalism are considered. We review the construction of these vertex operators in flat space-time. We then review the type II superstrings in curved background in the pure spinor formalism to finally construct the vertex operators on a generic type II supergravity background.
The curved beta-gamma system is the chiral sector of a certain infinite radius limit of the non-linear sigma model with complex target space. Naively it only depends on the complex structures on the worldsheet and the target space. It may suffer from the worldsheet and target space diffeomorphism anomalies. We analyze the curved beta-gamma system on the space of pure spinors, aiming to verify the consistency of Berkovits covariant superstring quantization. We demonstrate that under certain conditions both anomalies can be cancelled for the pure spinor sigma model, in which case one reproduces …
We have previously described a way of describing the relation between unintegrated and integrated vertex operators in AdS5xS5 which uses the interpretation of the BRST cohomology as a Lie algebra cohomology and integrability properties of the AdS background. Here we clarify some details of that description, and develop a similar approach for an arbitrary curved background with nondegenerate RR bispinor. For an arbitrary curved background, the sigma-model is not integrable. However, we argue that a similar construction still works using an infinite-dimensional Lie algebroid.
In this paper we formulate the pure spinor superstring theory on AdS_4 x CP^3. By recasting the pure spinor action as a topological A-model on the fermionic supercoset Osp(6|4)/SO(6)xSp(4) plus a BRST exact term, we prove the exactness of the sigma-model. We then give a gauged linear sigma-model which reduces to the superstring in the limit of large volume and we study its branch geometry in different phases. Moreover, we discuss possible D-brane boundary conditions and the principal chiral model for the fermionic supercoset.
The $D=11$ pure spinor superparticle has been shown to describe linearized $D=11$ supergravity in a manifestly covariant way. A number of authors have proposed that its correlation functions be used to compute amplitudes. The use of the scalar structure of the eleven-dimensional pure spinor top cohomology introduces a natural measure for computing such correlation functions. This prescription requires the construction of ghost number one and zero vertex operators. In these notes, we construct explicitly a ghost number one vertex operator but show the incompatibiliy of a ghost number zero verte…
The general fluctuations, in the form of vertex operators, for the heterotic superstring in the pure spinor formalism are considered. The case of a flat background is reviewed and the case of a curved case is studied. The left-moving ghosts are pure spinors and the right-moving ghosts come from fixing the reparametrization invariance. The role of the reparametrization ghosts in the construction of the vertex operators is emphasized.
In this paper a mass dimension one fermionic sigma model, realized by the eigenspinors of the charge conjugation operator with dual helicity (Elko spinors), is developed. Such spinors are chosen as a specific realization of mass dimension one spinors, wherein the non-commutative fermionic feature is ruled by torsion. Moreover, we analyse Elko spinors as a source of matter in a background in expansion. Moreover, we analyse Elko spinors as a source of matter in a background in expansion and we have found that such kind of mass dimension one fermions can serve not only as dark matter but they als…
On-shell supergravity vertex operators in an $AdS_5\times S^5$ background are described in the pure spinor formalism by the zero mode cohomology of a BRST operator. After expanding the pure spinor BRST operator in terms of the $AdS_5$ radius variable, this cohomology is computed using N=4 harmonic superspace variables and explicit superfield expressions are obtained for the behavior of supergravity vertex operators near the boundary of $AdS_5$.
Nilpotency of the pure spinor BRST operator in a curved background implies superspace equations of motion for the background. By computing one-loop corrections to nilpotency for the heterotic sigma model, the Yang-Mills Chern-Simons corrections to the background are derived.
We report on progresses on the derivation of pure spinor constraints, BRST algebra and BRST invariant sigma models a la pure spinors from the algebraic structure of the FDA underlying supergravity.
Using the pure spinor formalism, a quantizable sigma model has been constructed for the superstring in an AdS_5 x S^5 background with manifest PSU(2,2|4) invariance. The PSU(2,2|4) metric g_{AB} has both vector components g_{ab} and spinor components g_{alpha beta}, and in the limit where the spinor components g_{alpha beta} are taken to infinity, the AdS_5 x S^5 sigma model reduces to the worldsheet action in a flat background. In this paper, we instead consider the limit where the vector components g_{ab} are taken to infinity. In this limit, the AdS_5 x S^5 sigma model simplifies to a topol…
We use Berkovits' pure spinor quantization to compute various three-point tree correlation functions in position-space for the Type IIB superstring. We solve the constraint equations for the vertex operators and obtain explicit expressions for the graviton and axion components of the vertex operators. Using these operators we compute tree level correlation functions in flat space and discuss their extension to the AdS5 X S5 background.
We start from the Maurer-Cartan (MC) equations of the Osp(N|4) superalgebras satisfied by the left-invariant super-forms realized on supercoset manifolds of the corresponding supergroups and we derive some new pure spinor constraints. They are obtained by "ghostifying" the MC forms and extending the differential d to a BRST differential. From the superalgebras G =Osp(N|4) we single out different subalgebras H contained in G associated with the different cosets G/H: each choice of H leads to a different weakening of the pure spinor constraints. In each case, the number of parameter is counted a…
Triple systems are closely related to Yang-Baxter symmetries. Utilizing a non-parameter-dependent triple product, we derive the BCS interaction. The enlargement of the notion of symmetry leads in some sense to a regular vertex function. The connection to the effect of running coupling constants is outlined, which leads to the recently discussed anisotropic effective local interactions. Furthermore, a discussion of the physical nature of q-symmetries is given.
We analyze the properties of the non-minimal pure spinor formalism. We show that Siegel gauge on massless vertex operators implies the primary field constraint and the level-matching condition in closed string theory by reconstructing the integrated vertex operator representation from the unintegrated ones. The pure spinor integration in the non-minimal formalism needs a regularisation. To this end we introduce a new regulator for the pure spinor integration and an extension of the regulator to allow for the saturation of the fermionic d-zero modes to all orders in perturbation. We conclude wi…
All the BRST-invariant operators in pure spinor formalism in $d=10$ can be represented as BRST commutators, such as $V=\lbrace{Q_{brst}},{θ_{+}\over{λ_{+}}}V\rbrace$ where $λ_{+}$ is the U(5) component of the pure spinor transforming as $1_{5\over2}$. Therefore, in order to secure non-triviality of BRST cohomology in pure spinor string theory, one has to introduce "small Hilbert space" and "small operator algebra" for pure spinors, analogous to those existing in RNS formalism. As any invariant vertex operator in RNS string theory can also represented as a commutator $V=\lbrace{Q_{brst}},LV\rbr…
After adding a pair of non-minimal fields and performing a similarity transformation, the BRST operator in the pure spinor formalism is expressed as a conventional-looking BRST operator involving the Virasoro constraint and (b,c) ghosts, together with 12 fermionic constraints. This BRST operator can be obtained by gauge-fixing the Green-Schwarz superstring where the 8 first-class and 8 second-class Green-Schwarz constraints are combined into 12 first-class constraints. Alternatively, the pure spinor BRST operator can be obtained from the RNS formalism by twisting the ten spin-half RNS fermions…
We replace our earlier condition that physical states of the superstring have non-negative grading by the requirement that they are analytic in a new real commuting constant t which we associate with the central charge of the underlying Kac-Moody superalgebra. The analogy with the twisted N=2 SYM theory suggests that our covariant superstring is a twisted version of another formulation with an equivariant cohomology. We prove that our vertex operators correspond in one-to-one fashion to the vertex operators in Berkovits' approach based on pure spinors. Also the zero-momentum cohomology is equa…
It was recently pointed out in \cite{Kim:2015hya} that AdS$_6$ solutions in IIB theory enjoy an extended symmetry structure and the consistent truncation to $D=4$ internal space leads to a nonlinear sigma model with target $SL(3,\mathbb{R})/SO(2,1)$. We continue to study the purely bosonic $D=4$ effective action, and elucidate how the addition of scalar potential term still allows Killing spinor equations in the absence of gauge fields. In particular, the potential turns out to be a single diagonal component of the coset representative. Furthermore, we perform a general analysis of the integra…
In this Thesis we study first- and second-quantized approaches describing $D=11$ supergravity using pure spinor variables. We introduce the so-called $D=11$ pure spinor superparticle through BRST cohomology arguments starting from the semi-light-cone gauge $D=11$ Brink-Schwarz-like superparticle. After performing a light-cone gauge analysis of the pure spinor BRST cohomology at ghost number three, we find the linearized equations of motion of $D=11$ supergravity in $D=9$ superspace. In addition, we construct a BRST-closed, ghost number one vertex operator made out of worldline fields and $D=11…
In this work, a DDF-like construction within the pure spinor formalism is presented. Starting with the light-cone massless vertices, the creation/annihilation algebra is derived in a simple manner, enabling a systematic construction of the physical vertex operators at any mass level in terms of $SO\left(8\right)$ superfields, in both integrated and unintegrated forms.
We will discuss some properties of the pure spinor string on the AdS_5 x S_5 background. Using the classical Hamiltonian analysis we will show that the vertex operator for the massless state that is in the cohomology of the BRST charges describes on-shell fluctuations around AdS_5 x S_5 background.
By replacing ten-dimensional pure spinors with eleven-dimensional pure spinors, the formalism recently developed for covariantly quantizing the d=10 superparticle and superstring is extended to the d=11 superparticle and supermembrane. In this formalism, kappa symmetry is replaced by a BRST-like invariance using the nilpotent operator Q=int (lambda^alpha d_alpha) where d_alpha is the worldvolume variable corresponding to the d=11 spacetime supersymmetric derivative and lambda^alpha is an SO(10,1) pure spinor variable satisfying (lambda Gamma^c lambda)=0 for c=1 to 11. Super-Poincare covariant …
We study the properties of the vertex operator for the beta-deformation of the superstring in AdS(5) x S(5) in the pure spinor formalism. We discuss the action of supersymmetry on the infinitesimal beta-deformation, the application of the homological perturbation theory, and the relation between the worldsheet description and the spacetime supergravity description.
Using the pure spinor formalism for the superstring, the vertex operator for the first massive states of the open superstring is constructed in a manifestly super-Poincaré covariant manner. This vertex operator describes a massive spin-two multiplet in terms of ten-dimensional superfields.
A topological sigma model based on the pure spinor formalism was recently proposed for the small radius limit of the AdS_5xS^5 superstring. Physical states in this model can be constructed by connecting holes on the worldsheet with Wilson lines of the worldsheet gauge field. The contribution of these states to the topological amplitude is claimed to reproduce the usual Feynman diagram expansion of gauge-invariant super-Yang-Mills correlation functions.
In this paper a multiparticle generalization of linearized ten-dimensional super Yang--Mills superfields is proposed. Their equations of motions are shown to take the same form as in the single-particle case, supplemented by contact terms. A recursive construction of these superfields is inspired by the iterated OPEs among massless vertex operators in the pure spinor formalism. An enlarged set of BRST-covariant pure spinor blocks is then defined in a streamlined fashion and combined to multiparticle vertex operators. The latter can be used to universally describe tree-level subdiagrams in the …
As a check of the first massive integrated vertex operator in the pure spinor formalism constructed in arXiv:1802.04486, we compute the one loop 2-point function of the stable non-BPS massive states in SO(32) heterotic string theory. This allows us to compute the one loop renormalized mass of these states using the pure spinor formalism. Our results are in agreement with the corresponding results obtained by Sen using the RNS formalism. This provides an instance of the equivalence between the RNS and the pure spinor formalism for the massive states at loop level.
The gravitating matter is studied within the framework of the non-commutative geometry. The non-commutative Einstein-Hilbert action on the product of a four dimensional manifold with a discrete space gives the models of matter fields coupled to the standard Einstein gravity.The matter multiplet is encoded in the Dirac operator which yields the representation of the algebra of the universal forms. The general form of the Dirac operator depends on a choice of the grading of the corresponding spinor bundle. A choice is given, which leads to the nonlinear vector sigma-model coupled to the Einstein…
A covariant map between the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz (RNS) and pure spinor formalisms for the superstring is found which transforms the RNS and pure spinor BRST operators into each other. The key ingredient is a dynamical twisting of the ten spin-half RNS fermions into five spin-one and five spin-zero fermions using bosonic pure spinors that parameterize an SO(10)/U(5) coset. The map relates massless vertex operators in the two formalisms, and gives a new description of Ramond states which does not require spin fields. An argument is proposed for relating the amplitude prescriptions in the two for…
Pure spinor formalism implies that supergravity equations in space-time are equivalent to the requirement that the worldsheet sigma-model satisfies certain properties. Here we point out that one of these properties has a particularly transparent geometrical interpretation. Namely, there exists an odd nilpotent vector field on some singular supermanifold, naturally associated to space-time. All supergravity fields are encoded in this vector field, as coefficients in its normal form. The nilpotence implies, modulo some zero modes, that they satisfy the SUGRA equations of motion.
Using the pure spinor formalism for the superstring in an $AdS_5\times S^5$ background, a simple expression is found for half-BPS vertex operators. At large radius, these vertex operators reduce to the usual supergravity vertex operators in a flat background. And at small radius, there is a natural conjecture for generalizing these vertex operators to non-BPS states.
The worldline representation of the one loop fermionic effective action is used to obtain the vertex operator for the pion and the sigma in QCD strings. The vertex operator of the scalar sigma is distinguished from that of the pseudo-scalar pion by the presence of an additional operator m V_{0} where m is the current quark mass and V_{0} is a vertex operator that would describe a tachyon in the open bosonic string theory. This leads to a relation between the sigma propagator and the pion propagator, when chiral symmetry is spontaneously broken this relation implies that the propagator construc…
Based on a novel first class algebra, we develop an extension of the pure spinor (PS) formalism of Berkovits, in which the PS constraints are removed. By using the homological perturbation theory in an essential way, the BRST-like charge $Q$ of the conventional PS formalism is promoted to a bona fide nilpotent charge $\hat{Q}$, the cohomology of which is equivalent to the constrained cohomology of $Q$. This construction requires only a minimum number (five) of additional fermionic ghost-antighost pairs and the vertex operators for the massless modes of open string are obtained in a systematic …
Recently, the superstring was covariantly quantized using the BRST-like operator $Q = \oint λ^αd_α$ where $λ^α$ is a pure spinor and $d_α$ are the fermionic Green-Schwarz constraints. By performing a field redefinition and a similarity transformation, this BRST-like operator is mapped to the sum of the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz BRST operator and $η_0$ ghost. This map is then used to relate physical vertex operators and tree amplitudes in the two formalisms. Furthermore, the map implies the existence of a $b$ ghost in the pure spinor formalism which might be useful for loop amplitude computations.
We consider type II superstrings on AdS backgrounds with Ramond-Ramond flux in various dimensions. We realize the backgrounds as supercosets and analyze explicitly two classes of models: non-critical superstrings on AdS_{2d} and critical superstrings on AdS_p\times S^p\times CY. We work both in the Green--Schwarz and in the pure spinor formalisms. We construct a one-parameter family of flat currents (a Lax connection) leading to an infinite number of conserved non-local charges, which imply the classical integrability of both sigma-models. In the pure spinor formulation, we use the BRST symmet…
The $S^N\R^8$ supersymmetric orbifold sigma model is expected to describe the IR limit of the Matrix string theory. In the framework of the model the type IIA string interaction is governed by a vertex which was recently proposed by R.Dijkgraaf, E.Verlinde and H.Verlinde. By using this interaction vertex we derive all four particle scattering amplitudes directly from the orbifold model in the large $N$ limit.
In the IR limit the Matrix string theory is expected to be described by the $S^N\R^{8}$ supersymmetric orbifold sigma model. Recently Dijkgraaf, Verlinde and Verlinde proposed a vertex that may describe the type IIA string interaction. In this paper using this interaction vertex we derive the four graviton scattering amplitude from the orbifold model in the large $N$ limit.
This review is devoted to the classical integrability of the AdS5xS5 superstring theory. It starts with a reminder of the corresponding action as a coset model. The symmetries of this action are then reviewed. The classical integrability is then considered from the lagrangian and hamiltonian points of view. The second part of this review deals with the gauge fixing of this theory. Finally, some aspects of the pure spinor formulation are also briefly reviewed.
