Related papers: Polyakov's formulation of $2d$ bosonic string theo…
Study of the matrix-level affine algebra $U_{m,K}$ is motivated by conformal field theory and the fractional quantum Hall effect. Gannon completed the classification of $U_{m,K}$ modular-invariant partition functions. Here we connect the…
We study two-dimensional Liouville gravity and minimal string theory on spaces with fixed length boundaries. We find explicit formulas describing the gravitational dressing of bulk and boundary correlators in the disk. Their structure has a…
Important illustration to the principle ``partition functions in string theory are $\tau$-functions of integrable equations'' is the fact that the (dual) partition functions of $4d$ $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theories solve Painlev\'e equations.…
This is mainly a brief review of some key achievements in a `hot'' area of theoretical and mathematical physics. The principal aim is to outline the basic structures underlying {\em integrable} quantum field theory models with {\em…
We study two-dimensional string theory on a time-dependent background, whose worldsheet description consists of Liouville theory at central charge c = 1 and Liouville theory at central charge c = 25, together with the conformal ghosts. We…
We investigate the variation of the string field action under changes of the string field vertices giving rise to different decompositions of the moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces. We establish that any such change in the string action…
In this note, we explore the relation between crossing symmetry and modular invariance in conformal field theory and S-duality in gauge theory. It is shown that partition functions of different S dual theories of N=2 SU(2) gauge theory with…
Conformal blocks of Liouville theory have a Coulomb-gas representation as Dotsenko-Fateev (DF) integrals over the positions of screening charges. For q-deformed Liouville, the conformal blocks on a sphere with an arbitrary number of…
Liouville field theory is considered with boundary conditions corresponding to a quantization of the classical Lobachevskiy plane (i.e. euclidean version of $AdS_2$). We solve the bootstrap equations for the out-vacuum wave function and…
The Polyakov bosonic string is quantised in Euclidean Anti-de Sitter space-time using functional methods. Regularisation of the functional determinants using both heat-kernel and zeta function techniques shows that the AdS_{D+1} string…
In critical as well as in non-critical string theory the partition function reduces to an integral over moduli space after integration over matter fields. For non-critical string theory this moduli integrand is known for genus one surfaces.…
Using gauge theory and functional integral methods, we derive concrete expressions for the partition functions of BF theory and the U(1|1) model of Rozansky and Saleur on $\Sigma x S^{1}$, both directly and using equivalent two-dimensional…
The partition function of two dimensional QCD on a Riemann surface of area $A$ is expanded as a power series in $1/N$ and $A$. It is shown that the coefficients of this expansion are precisely determined by a sum over maps from a two…
The continuation of the Liouville conformal field theory to c<=1 is considered. The viability of an interpretation involving a timelike boson which is the conformal factor for two-dimensional asymptotically de Sitter geometries is examined.…
It was suggested in hep-th/0002106, that semiclassically, a partition function of a string theory in the 5 dimensional constant negative curvature space with a boundary condition at the absolute satisfy the loop equation with respect to…
We extend the modular orbits method of constructing a two-dimensional orbifold conformal field theory to higher genus Riemann surfaces. We find that partition functions on surfaces of arbitrary genus can be constructed by a straightforward…
The computation of the partition function in certain quantum field theories, such as those of the Argyres-Douglas or Minahan-Nemeschansky type, is problematic due to the lack of a Lagrangian description. In this paper, we use the…
An effective action is obtained for the $N=1$, $2D-$induced supergravity on a compact super Riemann surface (without boundary) $\hat\Sigma$ of genus $g>1$, as the general solution of the corresponding superconformal Ward identity. This is…
We present a generalization of the string's Polyakov action that describes a conformally invariant four dimensional brane. The new extended object is very different from the traditional D-branes of string theory, but, nevertheless, shares…
A systematic analysis of the genus two vacuum amplitudes of chiral self-dual conformal field theories is performed. It is explained that the existence of a modular invariant genus two partition function implies infinitely many relations…