Related papers: Conformal invariant strings with extrinsic curvatu…
A criterion to be satisfied by a string theory of QCD is formulated in the ultraviolet regime. It arises from the trace anomaly of the QCD stress tensor computed using instantons. It is sensitive to asymptotic freedom. It appears to be…
A candidate for the confining string of gauge theories is constructed via a representation of the ultraviolet divergences of quantum field theory by a closed string dilaton insertion, computed through the soft dilaton theorem. The resulting…
We study field theoretical models for cosmic strings with flat directions in curved space-time. More precisely, we consider minimal models with semilocal, axionic and tachyonic strings, respectively. In flat space-time, the string solutions…
Using conformal field theory (CFT) arguments we derive an infinite number of constraints on the large spin expansion of the anomalous dimensions and structure constants of higher spin operators. These arguments rely only on analiticity,…
Nonrelativistic string theory in flat spacetime is described by a two-dimensional quantum field theory with a nonrelativistic global symmetry acting on the worldsheet fields. Nonrelativistic string theory is unitary, ultraviolet complete…
This is a set of lectures on the gauge/string duality and non-critical strings, with a particular emphasis on the discretized, or matrix model, approach. After a general discussion of various points of view, I describe the recent…
We generalize, to any space-time dimension, the unitarity bounds of highest weight UIR's of the conformal groups with Lie algebras $so(2,d)$. We classify gauge theories invariant under $so(2,d)$, both integral and half-integral spins. A…
It was recently found that, when linearised in the absence of matter, 58 cases of the general gravitational theory with quadratic curvature and torsion are (i) free from ghosts and tachyons and (ii) power-counting renormalisable. We inspect…
Recently, a potential for string backgrounds is obtained from string geometry theory, which is a candidate for the non-perturbative formulation of string theory. By substituting a string phenomenological model with free parameters to the…
We report the existence of unstable, s-wave modes, for black strings in Gauss-Bonnet theory (which is quadratic in the curvature) in seven dimensions. This theory admits analytic uniform black strings that in the transverse section are…
We propose a novel string theory propagating in a non-commutative deformation of the four dimensional space T* T^2 whose scattering states correspond to superconformal theories in 5 dimensions and the scattering amplitudes compute…
We study nonchiral wave functions for systems with continuous spins obtained from the conformal field theory (CFT) of a free, massless boson. In contrast to the case of discrete spins, these can be treated as bosonic Gaussian states, which…
We consider several aspects of `confining strings', recently proposed to describe the confining phase of gauge field theories. We perform the exact duality transformation that leads to the confining string action and show that it reduces to…
It is well-known that a (point-localized) free quantum field for massive particles with spin $s$ acting in a Hilbert space has at best scaling dimension $s+1$, which excludes its use in the perturbative construction of renormalizable…
This essay presents a critical evaluation of the concepts of string theory and its impact on particle physics. The point of departure is a historical review of four decades of ST within the broader context of six decades of failed attempts…
We demonstrate in detail how the space of two-dimensional quantum field theories can be parametrized by off-shell closed string states. The dynamic equation corresponding to the condition of conformal invariance includes an infinite number…
We introduce a new two-dimensional string theory defined by coupling two copies of Liouville CFT with complex central charge $c=13\pm i \lambda$ on the worldsheet. This string theory defines a novel, consistent and controllable model of…
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…
We argue that the light particles in string theory obey an effective quantum mechanics modified by the inclusion of a quantum-gravitational friction term, induced by unavoidable couplings to unobserved massive string states in the…
Aspects of string cosmology for critical and non-critical strings are discussed emphasizing the necessity to account for the dilaton dynamics for a proper incorporation of ``large - small" duality. This drastically modifies the intuition…