Related papers: Classical string propagation in gravitational fiel…
The elements of $O(d,d,\Z)$ are shown to be discrete symmetries of the space of curved string backgrounds that are independent of $d$ coordinates. The explicit action of the symmetries on the backgrounds is described. Particular attention…
The chiral null model is a generalization of the fundamental string and gravitational wave background. It is an example of a conformally invariant model in all orders in $\alpha'$ and has unbroken supersymmetries. In a Kaluza--Klein…
String theory provides the only consistent framework so far that unifies all interactions including gravity. We discuss gravity and cosmology in string theory. Conventional notions from general relativity like geometry, topology etc. are…
The recently introduced anomaly-free twistor string in four dimensions is shown to be defined not just in flat but also in curved twistor space. Further, arguments are given that the classical limit of the corresponding string field theory,…
We review recent developments on nonrelativistic string theory. In flat spacetime, the theory is defined by a two-dimensional relativistic quantum field theory with nonrelativistic global symmetries acting on the worldsheet fields. This…
We obtain the (super) gravity solution in arbitrary space-time dimension less than ten, that gives a low energy description of a fundamental string embedded in a non critical vacuum, product of $d$-dimensional Minkowski space-time and a…
String theory is accused by some of its critics to be a purely abstract mathematical discipline, having lost the contact to the simple yet deeply rooted questions which physics provided until the beginning of this century. We argue that, in…
Some shortcomings in regard to our lack of conceptual understanding of string theory are displayed and prescription to untangle them is proposed. String theory should be a fundamental dynamics of four dimensional symmetric space-times.…
Boundary equations for the relativistic string with masses at ends are formulated in terms of geometrical invariants of world trajectories of masses at the string ends. In the three--dimensional Minkowski space $E^1_2$, there are two…
Analysis of string interactions indicates a weakening of gravity at the string length scale, thus avoiding black holes and their singularities.
We attempt to understand the fate of spacelike gravitational singularities in string theory via the quantum stress tensor for string matter in a fixed background. We first approximate the singularity with a homogeneous anisotropic…
We discuss string propagation in the near-horizon geometry generated by Neveu-Schwarz fivebranes, Kaluza-Klein monopoles and fundamental strings. When the fivebranes and KK monopoles are wrapped around a compact four-manifold $\MM$, the…
In these introductory lectures we summarize some basic facts and techniques about perturbative string theory (sections 1 to 6). These are further developed (sections 7 and 8) for describing string propagation in the presence of…
A method to study electromagnetic (EM) effects generated by a straight null cosmic string moving in classical EM fields is suggested. The string is shown to induce an additional EM field which can be described as a solution to homogeneous…
In these lectures, we review the physics of time-dependent orbifolds of string theory, with particular attention to orbifolds of three-dimensional Minkowski space. We discuss the propagation of free particles in the orbifold geometries,…
We make an attempt to dynamically study, in four space-time dimensions, the classical gravitational collapse of a macroscopic circular fundamental string, by a truncation of the Einstein equations that suppresses retarded features but keeps…
We derive curvature counterterms in two-dimensional gravity coupled to conformal matter up to infinite order. By construction the higher-order action is equivalent to a finite first-order theory with auxiliary scalar. Due to this…
We review recent progress on the resolution of gravitational singularities in string theory. The main example is the fundamental string in five dimensions which is singular in the standard supergravity description but regular after taking…
In a recent essay, we discussed the possibility of using polymer sizing to model the collapse of a single, long excited string to a black hole. In this letter, we apply this idea to bring further support to string/black hole correspondence.…
We study non-critical superstrings propagating in $d \le 6$ dimensional Minkowski space or equivalently, superstrings propagating on the two-dimensional Euclidean black hole tensored with d-dimensional Minkowski space. We point out a…