Related papers: Solvable model of strings in a time-dependent plan…

Motivated by the search for potentially exactly solvable time-dependent string backgrounds, we determine all homogeneous plane wave (HPW) metrics in any dimension and find one family of HPWs with geodesically complete metrics and another…

We construct cosmological spacetimes with null Kasner-like singularities as purely gravitational solutions with no other background fields turned on. These can be recast as anisotropic plane-wave spacetimes by coordinate transformations. We…

We consider gauged Wess-Zumino models based on the non compact group $SU(2,1)$. It is shown that by vector gauging the maximal compact subgroup $U(2)$ the resulting backgrounds obey the gravity-dilaton one loop string vacuum equations of…

In arXiv:0909.4731 [hep-th], we argued that the free string lightcone Schrodinger wavefunctional in the vicinity of null Kasner-like cosmological singularities has nonsingular time-dependence if the Kasner exponents satisfy certain…

We study string theory in supersymmetric time-dependent backgrounds. In the framework of general relativity, supersymmetry for spacetimes without flux implies the existence of a covariantly constant null vector, and a relatively simple form…

The string theory in the Penrose limit of AdS_2 x S^2 is investigated. The specific Penrose limit is the background known as the Nappi-Witten spacetime, which is a plane-wave background with an axion field. The string theory on it is given…

We consider a new 3-parameter class of exact 4-dimensional solutions in closed string theory and solve the corresponding string model, determining the physical spectrum and the partition function. The background fields (4-metric,…

We study a class of time dependent solutions of the vacuum Einstein equations which are plane waves with weak null singularities. This singularity is weak in the sense that though the tidal forces diverge at the singularity, the rate of…

We investigate (super) string theory on $AdS_3$ background based on an approach of free field realization. We demonstrate that this string theory can be reformulated as a string theory defined on a linear dilaton background along the…

We solve closed string theory in all regular homogeneous plane-wave backgrounds with homogeneous NS three-form field strength and a dilaton. The parameters of the model are constant symmetric and anti-symmetric matrices k_{ij} and f_{ij}…

In this paper, we study an exactly solvable model of IIB superstring in a time-dependent plane-wave backgound with a constant self-dual Ramond-Ramond 5-form field strength and a linear dilaton in the light-like direction. This background…

We show how the Szekeres form of the line element is naturally adapted to study Penrose limits in classical string backgrounds. Relating the "old" colliding wave problem to the Penrose limiting procedure as employed in string theory we…

For a special time-dependent homogeneous plane wave background that includes a null singularity we construct the closed string propagators. We carry out the summation over the oscillator modes and extract the worldsheet spacetime structures…

We construct one dimensional exactly solvable model by choosing a probe fundamental string rotating and pulsating in the planar Lifshitz spacetime that follows nonrelativistic Lifshitz scaling. We present suitable sets of embedding…

We develop an exact functional method applied to the bosonic string on a shperical world sheet, in graviton and dilaton backgrounds, consistent with conformal invariance. In this method, quantum fluctuations are controled by the amplitude…

A homogeneous anisotropic four dimensional spacetime with Lorentzian signature is constructed from an ungauged WZW model based on a non-semisimple Lie group. The associated non-linear $\sigma $-model describes string propagation in an…

Through the AdS/CFT correspondence, Lifshitz spacetimes describe field theories with dynamical scaling ($z \neq 1$). Although curvature invariants are small, the Lifshitz metric exhibits a null singularity in the IR with a large tidal force…

We investigate the SL(2,R)/U(1) WZW model with level 0<k<2 as a solvable time-dependent background in string theory. This model is expected to be dual to the one describing a rolling closed string tachyon with a time-like linear dilaton. We…

A discrete string theory --a theory of embeddings from ${\bf Z}\times {\bf Z}_C\to {\bf R}^D$, where $C$ is the number of components of the string-- is explored. The closure of the algebra of constraints (`${\bf Z}_C$-Virasoro algebra') is…

In the non-critical string framework that we have proposed recently, the time $t$ is identified with a dynamical local renormalization group scale, the Liouville mode, and behaves as a statistical evolution parameter, flowing irreversibly…