Related papers: Embedding of the Bosonic String into the $W_3$ Str…

We present a simple procedure for constructing the complete cohomology of the BRST operator of the two-scalar and multi-scalar $W_3$ strings. The method consists of obtaining two level--15 physical operators in the two-scalar $W_3$ string…

We show how to relate the parafermions that occur in the $W_3$ string to the standard construction of parafermions. This result is then used to show that one of the screening charges that occurs in parafermionic theories is precisely the…

We construct BRST operators for certain higher-spin extensions of the Virasoro algebra, in which there is a spin-$s$ gauge field on the world sheet, as well as the spin-2 gauge field corrresponding to the two-dimensional metric. We use…

In this paper, we construct the nilpotent Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin($BRST$) charges of spinor non-critical $W_{2,s}$ strings. The cases of $s=3,4$ are discussed in detail, and spinor realization for $s=4$ is given explicitly. The $BRST$…

Nilpotent BRST operators for higher-spin $W_{2,s}$ strings, with currents of spins 2 and $s$, have recently been constructed for $s=4$, 5 and 6. In the case of $W_{2,4}$, this operator can be understood as being the BRST operator for the…

We review some of the recent developments in the construction of $W$-string theories. These are generalisations of ordinary strings in which the two-dimensional ``worldsheet'' theory, instead of being a gauging of the Virasoro algebra, is a…

Following suggestions of Nekrasov and Siegel, a non-minimal set of fields are added to the pure spinor formalism for the superstring. Twisted $\hat c$=3 N=2 generators are then constructed where the pure spinor BRST operator is the…

We construct a representation of the zero central charge Virasoro algebra using string fields in Witten's open bosonic string field theory. This construction is used to explore extensions of the KBc algebra and find novel algebraic…

We construct the BRST operator for non-critical $W_3$-strings and discuss the tachyon-like spectrum. For $N$-punctured spheres with $N \leq 5$ we briefly describe a formal definition of the integral over $W_3$-moduli space.

We discuss the N=2 extension of Polyakov-Bershadsky $W_3^{(2)}$ algebra with the generic central charge, $c$, at the quantum level in superspace. It contains, in addition to the spin 1 N=2 stress tensor, the spins $1/2, 2$ bosonic and spins…

The most disappointing aspect of $\W$-strings is probably the fact that at least for the known models one does not recover a physical spectrum that differs much from that of ordinary string theory. It is hoped that this is not an intrinsic…

The grading Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) method gives a way to construct the integer $W_{2,s}$ strings, where the BRST charge is written as $Q_B=Q_0+Q_1$. Using this method, we reconstruct the nilpotent BRST charges $Q_{0}$ for the…

We construct the nonlinear $W(sl(N+3),sl(3))$ algebras and find the spectrum of values of the central charge that gives rise, by contracting the $W(sl(N+3),sl(3))$ algebras, to a $W_3$ algebra belonging to the coset…

We discuss the conditions under which the BRST operator of a $W$-string can be written as the sum of two operators that are separately nilpotent and anticommute with each other. We illustrate our results with the example of the non-critical…

The quantization of a free boson whose momentum satisfies a cubic constraint leads to a $c=\ha$ conformal field theory with a BRST symmetry. The theory also has a $W_\infty $ symmetry in which all the generators except the stress-tensor are…

We write down a general geometric action principle for spinning strings in $d$-dimensional Minkowski space, which is formulated without the use of Grassmann coordinates. Instead, it is constructed in terms of the pull-back of a left…

We present a new and asymmetric N=4 superconformal algebra for arbitrary central charge, thus completing our recent work on its classical analogue with vanishing central charge. Besides the Virasoro generator and 4 supercurrents, the…

We construct a covariant quantum superstring, extending Berkovits' approach by introducing new ghosts to relax the pure spinor constraints. The central charge of the underlying Kac-Moody algebra, which would lead to an anomaly in the BRST…

BRST operators for two-dimensional theories with spin-2 and spin-$s$ currents, generalising the $W_3$ BRST operator of Thierry-Mieg, have previously been obtained. The construction was based on demanding nilpotence of the BRST operators,…

We obtain the complete physical spectrum of the $W_N$ string, for arbitrary $N$. The $W_N$ constraints freeze $N-2$ coordinates, while the remaining coordinates appear in the currents only {\it via} their energy-momentum tensor. The…