Related papers: Exact Duality Symmetries in CFT and String Theory
The problem of duality symmetry in free field models is examined in details by performing a mode expansion of these fields which provides a mapping with the purely quantum mechanical example of a harmonic oscillator. By analysing the…
String backgrounds associated with gauged $G/H$ WZNW models in general depend non-trivially on $\alpha'$. We note, however, that there exists a local covariant $\a'$-dependent field redefinition that relates the exact metric-dilaton…
String backgrounds associated with gauged $G/H$ WZNW models generically depend on $\alpha'$ or $1/k$. The exact expressions for the corresponding metric $G_{\m\n}$, antisymmetric tensor $B_{\m\n}$, and dilaton $\phi$ can be obtained by…
Feigin-Frenkel duality is the isomorphism between the principal $\mathcal{W}$-algebras of a simple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ and its Langlands dual Lie algebra ${}^L\mathfrak{g}$. A generalization of this duality to a larger family of…
We study two-dimensional WZW models with target space a nonreductive Lie group. Such models exist whenever the Lie group possesses a bi-invariant metric. We show that such WZW models provide a lagrangian description of the nonreductive…
It is shown that in string theory mirror duality is a gauge symmetry (a Weyl transformation) in the moduli space of $N=2$ backgrounds on group manifolds, and we conjecture on the possible generalization to other backgrounds, such as…
String theory appears to admit a group of discrete field transformations -- called $S$ dualities -- as exact non-perturbative quantum symmetries. Mathematically, they are rather analogous to the better-known $T$ duality symmetries, which…
We review the status of duality symmetries in superstring theories. These discrete symmetries mark the striking differences between theories of pointlike objects and theories of extended objects. They prove to be very helpful in…
We present a general discussion of strings propagating on noncompact coset spaces $G/H$ in terms of gauged WZW models, emphasizing the role played by isometries in the existence of target space duality. Fixed points of the gauged…
This thesis is almost entirely devoted to studying string theory backgrounds characterized by simple geometrical and integrability properties. The archetype of this type of system is given by Wess-Zumino-Witten models, describing string…
We study Poisson-Lie T-duality of the Wess-Zumino-Novikov-Witten (WZNW) models which are obtained from a class of Drinfel'd doubles and its generalization. In this case, the resultant WZNW models are known to be classically self-dual under…
We consider an extension of a special class of conformal sigma models (`chiral null models') which describe extreme supersymmetric string solutions. The new models contain both `left' and `right' vector couplings and should correspond to…
We discuss the relationship between target space modular invariance and discrete gauge symmetries in four-dimensional orbifold-like strings. First we derive the modular transformation properties of various string vertex operators of the…
Much of modern string theory research concerns AdS/CFT duality, or more generally, gauge/gravity duality. The main subjects are a) Testing and understanding such dualities by exploring how they work for systems with a lot of supersymmetry…
Extending earlier results on the duality symmetries of three-brane probe theories we define the duality subgroup of SL(2,Z) as the symmetry group of the background 7-branes configurations. We establish that the action of Weyl reflections is…
We start by giving a brief introduction to string theory with emphasis on the example of the bosonic string. In order to fully appreciate string theory it is necessary to study the dynamics of the surface that the string traces out when…
Target space duality (T duality), which interchanges Kaluza--Klein and winding-mode excitations of the compactified heterotic string, is realized as a symmetry of a world-sheet action. Axion-dilaton duality (S duality), a conjectured…
We find the symmetry algebras of cosets which are generalizations of the minimal-model cosets, of the specific form $\frac{SU(N)_{k} \times SU(N)_{\ell}}{SU(N)_{k+\ell}}$. We study this coset in its free field limit, with $k,\ell…
We study theories with W-algebra symmetries and their relation to WZNW models on (super-)groups. Correlation functions of the WZNW models are expressed in terms of correlators of CFTs with W-algebra symmetry. The symmetries of the theories…
The Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) theory has a global symmetry denoted by $G_L\otimes G_R$. In the standard gauged WZW theory, vector gauge fields (\ie\ with vector gauge couplings) are in the adjoint representation of the subgroup $H \subset…