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.
We determine the Killing spinors for a class of magnetic brane solutions with Minkowski worldvolume of the theory of AdS Einstein Maxwell theories in d dimensions. We also obtain curved magnetic brane solutions with Ricci-flat worldvolumes. If we demand that the curved brane solution admits Killing spinors, then its worldvolume must admit parallel spinors. Classes of Ricci-flat worldvolumes admitting parallel spinors are discussed.
Using the RNS-like fermionic vector variables introduced in arXiv:1305.0693, the pure spinor $b$ ghost in a curved heterotic superstring background is easily constructed. This construction simplifies and completes the $b$ ghost construction in a curved background of arXiv:1311.7012.
We study the coupling of the non-minimal ghost fields of the pure spinor superstring in general curved backgrounds. The coupling is found solving the consistent relations from the nilpotency of the non-minimal BRST charge.
It is shown that the pure spinor formulation of the heterotic superstring in a generic gravitational and super Yang-Mills background has vanishing one-loop beta functions.
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.
We study the non-minimal pure spinor string in a curved background. We find that the minimal BRST invariance implies the existence of a non-trivial stress-energy tensor for the minimal and non-minimal variables in the heterotic curved background. We find constraint equations for the b ghost. We construct the b ghost as a solution of these constraints.
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.
The pure spinor superstring in a type II curved background is considered. In order to define reparametrization ghosts, non-minimal pure spinor variables have to be present in the formalism. The BRST transformations of the non-minimal variables are obtained. It is found that the BRST transformations of a set of world-sheet variables have the form of the corresponding transformations in flat spacetime, up to a field-dependent Lorentz rotation. This simplify the construction of the reparametrization $b$ ghosts.
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 …
The classical pure spinor version of the heterotic superstring in a supergravity and super Yang-Mills background is considered. We obtain the BRST transformations of the world-sheet fields. They are consistent with the constraints obtained from the nilpotence of the BSRT charge and the holomorphicity of the BRST current.
We compute the one-loop beta function for the Type II superstring using the pure spinor formalism in a generic supergravity background. It is known that the classical pure spinor BRST symmetry puts the background fields on-shell. In this paper we show that the one-loop beta functions vanish as a consequence of the classical BRST symmetry of the action.
The pure spinor heterotic string in a generic super Yang-Mills and supergravity background is considered. We determine the one-loop BRST anomaly at the cohomological level. We prove that it can be absorbed by consistent corrections of the classical constraints due to Berkovits and Howe, in agreement with the Green-Schwarz cancelation mechanism.
Effects due to fermion-vacuum polarization by an external static magnetic field are considered in a two-dimensional noncompact curved space with a nontrivial topology. An expression for the vacuun angular momentum is obtained. Like the vacuum fermion number, it proves to be dependent on the global characteristics of the field and space.
We obtain the T-duality transformations of space-time spinors (the supersymmetry transformation parameters, gravitinos and dilatinos) of type-II theories in curved backgrounds with an isometry. The transformation of the spinor index is shown to be a consequence of the twist that T-duality introduces between the left and right-moving local Lorentz frames. The result is then used to derive the T-duality action on Ramond-Ramond field strengths and potentials in a simple way. We also discuss the massive IIA theory and, using duality, give a short derivation of ``mass''-dependent terms in the Wess-…
We construct two families of globally supersymmetric counterparts of standard Poincaré supersymmetric SYM theories on curved space-times admitting Killing spinors, in all dimensions less than six and eight respectively. The former differs from the standard theory only by mass terms for the fermions and scalars and modified supersymmetry transformation rules, the latter in addition has cubic Chern-Simons like couplings for the scalar fields. We partially calculate the supersymmetry algebra of these models, finding R-symmetry extensions proportional to the curvature. We also show that genericall…
The fundamental concepts of Riemannian geometry, such as differential forms, vielbein, metric, connection, torsion and curvature, are generalized in the context of non-commutative geometry. This allows us to construct the Einstein-Hilbert-Cartan terms, in addition to the bosonic and fermionic ones in the Lagrangian of an action functional on non-commutative spaces. As an example, and also as a prelude to the Standard Model that includes gravitational interactions, we present a model of chiral spinor fields on a curved two-sheeted space-time with two distinct abelian gauge fields. In this model…
In this lectures we outline the construction of pure spinor superstrings. We consider both the open and closed pure spinor superstrings in critical and noncritical dimensions and on flat and curved target spaces with RR flux. We exhibit the integrability properties of pure spinor superstrings on curved backgrounds with RR fluxes.
We analyse the spinor action on a curved noncommutative space, the so-called truncated Heisenberg algebra, and in particular, the nonminimal coupling of spinors to the torsion. We find that dimensional reduction of the Dirac action gives the noncommutative extension of the Gross-Neveu model, the model which is, as shown by Vignes-Tourneret, fully renormalisable.
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.
In this paper we explicitly evaluate the one-loop effective action in four dimensions for scalar and spinor fields under the influence of a strong, covariantly constant, magnetic field in curved spacetime. In the framework of zeta function regularization, we find the one-loop effective action to all orders in the magnetic field up to linear terms in the Riemannian curvature. As a particular case, we also obtain the one-loop effective action for massless scalar and spinor fields. In this setting, we found that the vacuum energy of charged spinors with small mass becomes very large due entirely …
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.
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 g…
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…
Admissible curved space backgrounds for four-dimensional supersymmetric field theories are determined by solving Killing spinor equations of four-dimensional off-shell supergravities. These can be obtained by combining ten-dimensional type IIB supersymmetry with D-brane kappa-symmetry and identifying auxiliary fields of the four-dimensional supergravity fields in terms of type IIB fields. In this paper we show how to extend a number of solutions of four-dimensional Killing spinor equations with four or less supercharges to solutions of the ten-dimensional supersymmetry constraints.
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…
We study supersymmetry conditions for the heterotic pure superstring preserving and N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions directly from the curved superspace defined by the Berkovits-Howe constraints.
A simplified pure spinor superstring $b$ ghost in a curved heterotic background was constructed recently. The $b$ ghost is a composite operator and it is not holomorphic. However, it satisfies $\bar\partial b = [ Q , Ω]$, where $Q$ is the BRST charge. In this paper, we find a possible $Ω$.
The pure spinor formulation of superstring theory includes an interacting sector of central charge $c_λ=22$, which can be realized as a curved $βγ$ system on the cone over the orthogonal Grassmannian $\text{OG}^{+}(5,10)$. We find that the spectrum of the $βγ$ system organizes into representations of the $\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{e}_6$ affine algebra at level $-3$, whose $\mathfrak{so}(10)_{-3}\oplus {\mathfrak u}(1)_{-4}$ subalgebra encodes the rotational and ghost symmetries of the system. As a consequence, the pure spinor partition function decomposes as a sum of affine $\mathfrak{e}_6$ chara…
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.
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…
We present vertex operators for ambitwistor strings around generic Yang-Mills, gravity and NS-NS backgrounds. The requirement that vertex operators lie in the BRST cohomology of the worldsheet theory enforces the appropriate linear equations of motion (as well as gauge fixing conditions) for the respective perturbations in these backgrounds. Due to the nature of ambitwistor strings, no approximation is taken and all calculations around the backgrounds are exact.
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 $AdS_5$.
We study the interaction, in general curved spacetime, between a spinor and a scalar field describing dark energy; the so-called DE$_ν$ model in curved space. The dominant term is the dimension 5 operator, which results in different energy shifts for the neutrino states: an Aharonov-Bohm-like effect. We study the phenomenology of this term and make observational predictions to detect dark energy interactions in the laboratory due to its effect on neutrino oscillation experiments, which opens up the possibility of designing underground experiments to detect dark energy. This dimension 5 operato…
In the pure spinor formalism for the superstring and supermembrane, supersymmetric invariants are constructed by integrating over five $θ$'s in d=10 and over nine $θ$'s in d=11. This pure spinor superspace is easily explained using the superform (or ''ectoplasm'') method developed by Gates and collaborators, and generalizes the standard chiral superspace in d=4. The ectoplasm method is also useful for constructing d=10 and d=11 supersymmetric invariants in curved supergravity backgrounds.
In spinor formalism, since any massless free-field spinor with spin higher than $1/2$ can be constructed with spin-1/2 spinors (Dirac-Weyl spinors) and scalars, we introduce a map between Weyl fields and Dirac-Weyl fields. We determine the corresponding Dirac-Weyl spinors in a given empty spacetime. Regarding them as basic units, other higher spin massless free-field spinors are then identified. Along this way, we find some hidden fundamental features related to these fields. In particular, for non-twisting vacuum Petrov type N solutions, we show that all higher spin massless free-field spinor…
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 consider the one-loop renormalization of a real scalar field interacting with a Dirac spinor field in curved spacetime. A general Yukawa interaction is considered which includes both a scalar and a pseudoscalar coupling. The scalar field is assumed to be non-minimally coupled to the gravitational field and to have a general quartic self-interaction potential. All of the one-loop renormalization group functions are evaluated and in the special case where there is no mass scale present in the classical theory (apart from the fields) we evaluate the one-loop effective action up to and includin…
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.
In the pure spinor formalism for the superstring, the b-ghost is a composite operator satisfying {Q,b}=T where Q is the pure spinor BRST operator and T is the holomorphic stress tensor. The b-ghost is holomorphic in a flat target-space background, but it is not holomorphic in a generic curved target-space background and instead satisfies $\bar\partial b$ = [Q, Ω] for some Ω. In this paper, Ω is explicitly constructed for the case of an open superstring in a super-Maxwell background.
We consider the pure spinor sigma model in an arbitrary curved background. The use of Hamiltonian formalism allows for a uniform description of the worldsheet fields where matter and ghosts enter the action on the same footing. This approach naturally leads to the language of generalized geometry. In fact, to handle the pure spinor case, we need an extension of generalized geometry. In this paper, we describe such an extension. We investigate the conditions for existence of nilpotent holomorphic symmetries. In the case of the pure spinor string in curved background, we translate the existing c…
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…
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…
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…
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.
This article expands for spinor fields the recently developed Dynamical Bridge formalism which relates a linear dynamics in a curved space to a nonlinear dynamics in Minkowski space. Astonishingly, this leads to a new geometrical mechanism to generate a chiral symmetry breaking without mass, providing an alternative explanation for the undetected right-handed neutrinos. We consider a spinor field obeying the Dirac equation in an effective curved space constructed by its own currents. This way, both chiralities of the spinor field satisfy the same dynamics in the curved space. Subsequently, the…
In the Dirac-Weyl equation that describes massless neutrino propagation in the minimal Standard Model, the ($2\times 2$ equivalence of the) gamma matrices convert Weyl spinors into spacetime tensors, and vice versa. They can thus be regarded as amalgamations of three different types of mappings, one that connects particle spinors directly forming representations to internal gauge symmetries to their spacetime counterparts that are embodied by null flags, another that translates the spacetime spinors into their corresponding tensors expressed in an orthonormal tetrad, and finally a purely tenso…
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…
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…
We construct non-critical pure spinor superstrings in two, four and six dimensions. We find explicitly the map between the RNS variables and the pure spinor ones in the linear dilaton background. The RNS variables map onto a patch of the pure spinor space and the holomorphic top form on the pure spinor space is an essential ingredient of the mapping. A basic feature of the map is the requirement of doubling the superspace, which we analyze in detail. We study the structure of the non-critical pure spinor space, which is different from the ten-dimensional one, and its quantum anomalies. We comp…
