Related papers: Background Independent Algebraic Structures in Clo…
We give a conceptual formulation of Kontsevich's `dual construction' producing graph cohomology classes from a differential graded Frobenius algebra with an odd scalar product. Our construction -- whilst equivalent to the original one -- is…
Novikov algebras are algebras whose associators are left-symmetric and right multiplication operators are mutually commutative. A Gel'fand-Dorfman bialgebra is a vector space with a Lie algebra structure and a Novikov algebra structure,…
We analyse higher order background independence conditions arising from multiple commutators of background deformations in quantum closed string field theory. The conditions are shown to amount to a vanishing theorem for $\Delta_S$…
We consider the Lie algebra consisting of all derivations on the free associative algebra, generated by the first homology group of a closed oriented surface, which kill the symplectic class. We find the first non-trivial abelianization of…
We study the Batalin-Vilkovisky master equation for both open and closed string field theory with special attention to anomalies. Open string field theory is anomaly free once the minimal coupling to closed strings induced by loop…
We derive the notions of BV unital infinitesimal bialgebra and BV Frobenius algebra from the topology of suitable compactifications of moduli spaces of decorated genus 0 curves. We construct these structures respectively on reduced…
String backgrounds are described as purely geometric objects related to moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces, in the spirit of Segal's definition of a conformal field theory. Relations with conformal field theory, topological field theory and…
We develop a new background independent Moyal star formalism in bosonic open string field theory. The new star product is formulated in a half-phase-space, and because phase space is independent of any background fields, the interactions…
This is a paper about geometry of (iterated) variations. We explain why no sources of divergence are built into the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) Laplacian, whence there is no need to postulate any ad hoc conventions such as "$\delta(0)=0$" and…
We define the concept of higher order differential operators on a general noncommutative, nonassociative superalgebra A, and show that a vertex operator superalgebra has plenty of them, namely modes of vertex operators. A linear operator…
The BRST cohomology of any topological conformal field theory admits the structure of a Batalin--Vilkovisky algebra, and string theories are no exception. Let us say that two topological conformal field theories are ``cohomologically…
Topological field theories of Schwarz-type generally admit symmetries whose algebra does not close off-shell, e.g. the basic symmetries of BF models or vector supersymmetry of the gauge-fixed action for Chern-Simons theory (this symmetry…
Standard combinatorial construction, due to Kontsevich, associates to any $\ai$-algebra with an invariant inner product, an inhomogeneous class in the cohomology of the moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces with marked points. We propose an…
A garland based on a manifold $P$ is a finite set of manifolds homeomorphic to $P$ with some of them glued together at marked points. Fix a manifold $M$ and consider a space $\NN$ of all smooth mappings of garlands based on $P$ into $M$. We…
In this note, we describe how the study of backgrounds for general quantum systems can be formulated in terms of the representation theory of abstract $C^*$ algebras. We illustrate our general framework through two example systems:…
Closed string field theory leads to a generalization of Lie algebra which arose naturally within mathematics in the study of deformations of algebraic structures. It also appeared in work on higher spin particles \cite{BBvD}. Representation…
We complete the holomorphic anomaly equations for topological strings with their dependence on open moduli. We obtain the complete system by standard path integral arguments generalizing the analysis of BCOV (Commun. Math. Phys. 165 (1994)…
We consider two different constructions of higher brackets. First, based on a Grassmann-odd, nilpotent \Delta operator, we define a non-commutative generalization of the higher Koszul brackets, which are used in a generalized…
A standard combinatorial construction, due to Kontsevich, associates to any A-infinity algebra with an invariant inner product, an inhomogeneous class in the cohomology of the moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces with marked points. We…
In string field theory an infinitesimal background deformation is implemented as a canonical transformation whose hamiltonian function is defined by moduli spaces of punctured Riemann surfaces having one special puncture. We show that the…