Related papers: From String Backgrounds to Topological Field Theor…
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…
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…
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…
The main limitations of string field theory arise because its present formulation requires a background representing a classical solution, a background defined by a strictly conformally invariant theory. Here we sketch a construction for a…
A framework for background independent open-string field theory is proposed. The approach involves using the BV formalism -- in a way suggested by recent developments in closed-string field theory -- to implicitly define a gauge invariant…
We show that almost all string theories, including the bosonic string, the superstring and $W$-string theories, possess a twisted N=2 superconformal symmetry. This enables us to establish a connection between topological gravity and the…
Several examples of similarity transformations connecting two string theories with different backgrounds are reviewed. We also discuss general structure behind the similarity transformations from the point of view of the topological…
Toroidal backgrounds for bosonic strings are used to understand target space duality as a symmetry of string field theory and to study explicitly issues in background independence. Our starting point is the notion that the string field…
This is a review. Comments are welcome. The observation that the structure of string theory is rich enough to include the standard model in rough outline is an old one, starting with the early constructions of free field constructions,…
It has been realised recently that there is no unique way to describe the physical states of a given string theory. In particular, it has been shown that any bosonic string theory can be embedded in a particular $N{=}1$ string background in…
These lectures are devoted to introducing some of the basic features of quantum geometry that have been emerging from compactified string theory over the last couple of years. The developments discussed include new geometric features of…
In some string theories, e.g. SO(32) heterotic string theory on Calabi-Yau manifolds, a massless field with a tree level potential can acquire a tachyonic mass at the one loop level, forcing us to quantize the theory around a new background…
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 consider the first order formalism in string theory, providing a new off-shell description of the nontrivial backgrounds around an "infinite metric". The OPE of the vertex operators, corresponding to the background fields in some…
We study the role of closed string backgrounds in boundary string field theory. Background independence requires the introduction of dual boundary fields, which are reminiscent of the doubled field formalism. We find a correspondence…
We display properties of the general formalism which associates to any given gauge symmetry a topological action and a system of topological BRST and anti-BRST equations. We emphasize the distinction between the antighosts of the…
As of today there exist consistent, gauge-invariant string field theories describing all string theories: bosonic open and closed strings, open superstrings, heterotic strings and type II strings. The construction of these theories require…
We study a Lie algebra of formal vector fields $W_n$ with its application to the perturbative deformed holomorphic symplectic structure in the A-model, and a Calabi-Yau manifold with boundaries in the B-model. A relevant concept in the…
We show that closed string states in bosonic string field theory are encoded in the cyclic cohomology of cubic open string field theory (OSFT) which, in turn, classifies the deformations of OSFT. This cohomology is then shown to be…
We prove local background independence of the complete quantum closed string field theory using the recursion relations for string vertices and the existence of connections in CFT theory space. Indeed, with this data we construct an…