Related papers: Restoring Lorentz Invariance in Classical N=2 Stri…

We give an introduction to a new approach to the covariant quantization of superstrings. After a brief review of the classical Green--Schwarz superstring and Berkovits' approach to its quantization based on pure spinors, we discuss our…

In this paper we considered the bosonic string action in the presence of metric $G_{\mu\nu}$, Kalb-Ramond field $B_{\mu\nu}$ and dilaton field $\Phi$. The quantum conformal invariance is achieved if all three one-loop $\beta$-functions are…

We show that almost all string theories, including the bosonic string, the superstring and $W$-string theories, possess a twisted N=2 superconformal symmetry. This enables us to establish a connection between topological gravity and the…

We find further evidence for the conjecture relating large N Chern-Simons theory on S^3 with topological string on the resolved conifold geometry by showing that the Wilson loop observable of a simple knot on S^3 (for any representation)…

In this paper we revisit Berkovits' pure spinor formalism in lower dimensions. We are particularly interested in relating a six-dimensional pure spinor action previously constructed in the literature to other superstring formalisms. In…

At low energies, interactions of massless particles in type II strings compactified on a torus $T^d$ are described by an effective Wilsonian action $\mathcal{S}(\Lambda)$, consisting of the usual supergravity Lagrangian supplemented by an…

We write the IIB Green-Schwarz action in certain general classes of curved backgrounds threaded with Ramond-Ramond fluxes. The fixing of the kappa symmetry in the light-cone gauge and the use of supergravity Bianchi identities simplify the…

We investigate Landau-Ginzburg string theory with the singular superpotential X^{-1} on arbitrary Riemann surfaces. This theory, which is a topological version of the c=1 string at the self-dual radius, is solved using results from…

A `novel' pure theory of Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity in four-spacetime dimensions can be constructed by rescaling the Gauss-Bonnet coupling constant, seemingly eluding Lovelock's theorem. Recently, however, the well-posedness of this…

I give an overview of open, closed and heterotic N=2 strings. At the tree level I derive the effective field theories of all the strings, and discuss the group theory of the N=2 open string and the interaction between its open and closed…

A relativistic 4D string is described in the framework of the covariant quantum theory first introduced by Stueckelberg (1941) [1], and further developed by Horwitz and Piron (1973) [2], and discussed at length in the book of Horwitz (2015)…

An important element in a model of non-singular string cosmology is a phase in which classical corrections saturate the growth of curvature in a deSitter-like phase with a linearly growing dilaton (an `algebraic fixed point'). As the form…

We present the first formulation of linearised gravity in four dimensions which is manifestly Lorentz covariant and democratic, i.e. treats the two frames related by electric-magnetic duality on equal footing. It is well-known that…

We continue the study of 2D gravity -- ``matrix model'' duality on the example of $(2,2p+1)$ minimal string. We propose a reformulation of the duality, related to a more conventional one by ``$x-y$ swap'' in the language of topological…

We dimensionally reduce the spacetime action of bosonic string theory, and that of the bosonic sector of heterotic string theory after truncating the Yang-Mills gauge fields, on a $d$-dimensional torus including all higher-derivative…

We derive a Kontsevich-type matrix model for the c=1 string directly from the W-infinity solution of the theory. The model that we obtain is different from previous proposals, which are proven to be incorrect. Our matrix model contains the…

This TASI lecture covers the material in hep-th/9205026. It reviewed the theory of effective strings, with particular emphasis on the manner in which Lorentz invariance is represented. The quantum properties of an example of an effective…

We consider the sl(2) current algebra at level k=-4 when the sl(2) BRST operator is nilpotent. We formulate a spectral sequence converging to the cohomology of this BRST operator. At the second term of the spectral sequence, we observe an…

We perform an su(2) Hamiltonian reduction of the general su(2)-invariant action for a self-coupled (4,4,0) supermultiplet. As a result, we elegantly recover the N=4 supersymmetric mechanics with spin degrees of freedom which was recently…

A worldsheet realization of the refined topological string is proposed in terms of physical string amplitudes that compute generalized N=2 F-terms of the form F_{g,n} W^{2g}Y^{2n} in the effective supergravity action. These terms involve…