English

Covariant Quantization of the Green-Schwarz Superstring in a Calabi-Yau Background

High Energy Physics - Theory 2010-04-06 v1

Abstract

After adding a scalar chiral boson to the usual superspace variables, the four-dimensional Green-Schwarz superstring is quantized in a manifestly SO(3,1) super-Poincar\'e covariant manner. The constraints are all first-class and form an N=2 superconformal algebra with c=3c=-3. Since the Calabi-Yau degrees of freedom are described by an N=2 superconformal field theory with c=9c=9, the combined Green-Schwarz and Calabi-Yau systems form the c=6c=6 matter sector of a critical N=2 string. Using the standard N=2 super-Virasoro ghosts, a nilpotent BRST charge is defined and vertex operators for the massless supermultiplets are constructed. Four-dimensional superstring amplitudes can be calculated with manifest SO(3,1) super-Poincar\'e invariance by evaluating correlation functions of these BRST-invariant vertex operators on N=2 super-Riemann surfaces.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/9404162,
  title  = {Covariant Quantization of the Green-Schwarz Superstring in a Calabi-Yau Background},
  author = {Nathan Berkovits},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/9404162},
  year   = {2010}
}

Comments

15 pages plain Tex, KCL-TH-94-5