Related papers: Polyakov's formulation of $2d$ bosonic string theo…
Free scalar field theory in the sector with a large number of particles can be interpreted as bosonic string theory on anti-de Sitter space of vanishing radius. Different ways of writing the field theory Hamiltonian translate to different…
In this paper we develop the covariant string field theory approach to open 2d strings. Upon constructing the vertices, we apply the formalism to calculate the lowest order contributions to the 4- and 5- point tachyon--tachyon tree…
We consider a class of conformal models describing closed strings in axially symmetric stationary magnetic flux tube backgrounds. These models are closed string analogs of the Landau model of a particle in a magnetic field or the model of…
We study 3D pure Einstein quantum gravity with negative cosmological constant, in the regime where the AdS radius $l$ is of the order of the Planck scale. Specifically, when the Brown-Henneaux central charge $c=3l/2G_N$ ($G_N$ is the 3D…
Infinite-dimensional Grassmannian manifold contains moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces of all genera. This well known fact leads to a conjecture that non-perturbative string theory can be formulated in terms of Grassmannian. We present new…
I briefly review the present status of bosonic strings and discretized random surfaces in D>1 which seem to be in a polymer rather than stringy phase. As an explicit example of what happens, I consider the Kazakov-Migdal model with a…
We discuss partition functions of N=(4,4) type IIA string theory on the pp-wave background. This theory is shown to be modular invariant. The boundary states are constructed and possible D-brane instantons are classified. Then we calculate…
A covariant calculus for the construction of effective string theories is developed. Effective string theory, describing quantum string-like excitations in arbitrary dimension, has in the past been constructed using the principles of…
We study the Klein-Gordon equation in one spatial and one temporal dimension. Physically, this equation describes the wave function of a relativistic spinless boson with positive rest mass. Mathematically, this is the most elementary…
The divergences that arise in the regularized partition function for closed bosonic string theory in flat space lead to three types of perturbation series expansions, distinguished by their genus dependence. This classification of…
We study the spectrum of BPS D5-D3-F1 states in type IIB theory, which are proposed to be dual to D4-D2-D0 states on the resolved conifold in type IIA theory. We evaluate the BPS partition functions for all values of the moduli parameter in…
The generating functional of two dimensional $BF$ field theories coupled to fermionic fields and conserved currents is computed in the general case when the base manifold is a genus g compact Riemann surface. The lagrangian density…
A very quick introduction to the bosonic string, conformal field theory, the superstring and geometry. No background in quantum field theory is assumed and the omissions are vast. Based on four lectures at the 2024 Physical Mathematics of…
We propose a relation between correlation functions in the 2d A_{N-1} conformal Toda theories and the Nekrasov instanton partition functions in certain conformal N=2 SU(N) 4d quiver gauge theories. Our proposal generalises the recently…
In 1987 Graeme Segal gave a functorial definition of Conformal Field Theory (CFT) that was designed to capture the mathematical essence of the Conformal Bootstrap formalism pioneered in physics by Belavin-Polyakov-Zamolodchikov. In Segal's…
Using recent advances in the understanding of non-critical strings, we construct a unique, conformally invariant continuation to off-shell momenta of Polyakov amplitudes in critical string theory. Three-point amplitudes are explicitly…
A $D>2$ topological string is presented by coupling the $2d$ topological gravity with the twisted version of the $N=2$ superconformal matter with $c=3k/(k-2)$. The latter is shown to admit $k+1$ chiral primary fields from the…
We consider self-avoiding Nambu-Goto open strings on a random surface. We have shown that the partition function of such a string theory can be calculated exactly. The string susceptibility for the disk is evaluated to be $-\frac{1}{2}$. We…
We develop a general technique for computing functional integrals with fixed area and boundary length constraints. The correct quantum dimensions for the vertex functions are recovered by properly regularizing the Green function. Explicit…
In this paper we investigate the relation between conformal blocks of Liouville CFT and the topological string partition functions of the rank one trinion theory $T_2$. The partition functions exhibit jumps when passing from one chamber in…