English

New-born strings are tensionless

High Energy Physics - Theory 2026-04-08 v1

Abstract

We report a physical origin of tensionless strings, obtained by formulating string dynamics in finite-lifetime settings for the first time. Departing from the conventional paradigm of eternal strings, we construct an inertial worldsheet confined to a finite region of two-dimensional Minkowski spacetime, known as a causal diamond. This reveals a striking result: tensionless strings arise only at the moment of their birth. The ultra-shrinking limit of the diamond worldsheet realizes this birth configuration, thereby uncovering a new tensionless string phase characterized by a global, ultra-local Carrollian structure.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.05173,
  title  = {New-born strings are tensionless},
  author = {Sudip Karan and Bibhas Ranjan Majhi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.05173},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

11 pages, 1 figure

R2 v1 2026-07-01T11:56:09.625Z