English

Extra Dimensions in Superstring Theory

High Energy Physics - Theory 2009-10-30 v2

Abstract

It was earlier shown that an SO(9,1) θ\a\theta^\a spinor variable can be constructed from RNS matter and ghost fields. θ\a\theta^\a has a bosonic worldsheet super-partner λ\a\lambda^\a which plays the role of a twistor variable, satisfying λΓμλ=xμ+iθΓμθ\lambda\Gamma^\mu\lambda = \partial x^\mu +i\theta\Gamma^\mu \partial\theta. For Type IIA superstrings, the left-moving [θL\a,λL\a][\theta_L^\a,\lambda_L^\a] and right-moving [θR\a,λR\a][\theta_{R\a},\lambda_{R\a}] can be combined into 32-component SO(10,1) spinors [θA,λA][\theta^A,\lambda^A]. This suggests that λAΓAB11λB=2λL\aλR\a\lambda^A \Gamma^{11}_{AB}\lambda^B= 2\lambda_L^\a \lambda_{R\a} can be interpreted as momentum in the eleventh direction. Evidence for this interpretation comes from the zero-momentum vertex operators of the Type IIA superstring and from consideration of D0D_0-branes. As in the work of Bars, one finds an SO(10,2) structure for the Type IIA superstring and an SO(9,1) x SO(2,1) structure for the Type IIB superstring.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/9704109,
  title  = {Extra Dimensions in Superstring Theory},
  author = {Nathan Berkovits},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/9704109},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

18 pages harvmac tex (references added and paragraph corrected concerning central charges in the SUSY algebra)