English

Discrete Torsion and Symmetric Products

High Energy Physics - Theory 2007-05-23 v1

Abstract

In this note we point out that a symmetric product orbifold CFT can be twisted by a unique nontrivial two-cocycle of the permutation group. This discrete torsion changes the spins and statistics of corresponding second-quantized string theory making it essentially ``supersymmetric.'' The long strings of even length become fermionic (or ghosts), those of odd length bosonic. The partition function and elliptic genus can be described by a sum over stringy spin structures. The usual cubic interaction vertex is odd and nilpotent, so this construction gives rise to a DLCQ string theory with a leading quartic interaction.

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/9912101,
  title  = {Discrete Torsion and Symmetric Products},
  author = {R. Dijkgraaf},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/9912101},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

latex, 18 pages