Related papers: From String Backgrounds to Topological Field Theor…
Over the last few years, string theory has changed profoundly. Most importantly, novel duality relations have emerged which involve gauge theories of brane excitations on one side and various closed string backgrounds on the other. In this…
It has been argued by Ishikawa and Kato that by making use of a specific bosonization, $c_M=1$ string theory can be regarded as a constrained topological sigma model. We generalize their construction for any $(p,q)$ minimal model coupled to…
The BRST quantization of strings is revisited and the derivation of the path integral measure for scattering amplitudes is streamlined. Gauge invariances due to zero modes in the ghost sector are taken into account by using the…
Using a formulation of QCD_2 as a perturbed conformally invariant theory involving fermions, ghosts, as well as positive and negative level Wess-Zumino-Witten fields, we show that the BRST conditions become restrictions on the conformally…
This chapter is an introduction to the Free Fermionic Formulation of String Theory, with emphasis on heterotic model building. After a brief review of bosonization in two dimensional conformal field theories, we discuss how internal bosonic…
This thesis is concerned with a realisation of topological theories in terms of statistical models known as Calabi-Yau crystals. The thesis starts with an introduction and review of topological field and string theories. Subsequently…
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…
The classical pure spinor version of the heterotic superstring in a supergravity and super Yang-Mills background is considered. We obtain the BRST transformations of the world-sheet fields. They are consistent with the constraints obtained…
The conventional quantization of w_3 strings gives theories which are equivalent to special cases of bosonic strings. We explore whether a more general quantization can lead to new generalized W_3 string theories by seeking to construct…
We study Witten's open string field theory in the presence of a constant B field. We construct the string field theory in the operator formalism and find that, compared to the ordinary theory with no B field, the vertices in the resulting…
I review the covariant quantization of the critical $N{=}2$ fermionic string with and without a global ${\bf Z}_2$ twist. The BRST analysis yields massless bosonic and fermionic vertex operators in various ghost and picture number sectors,…
We construct and fully characterize a scalar boundary conformal field theory on a triangulated Riemann surface. The results are analyzed from a string theory perspective as tools to deal with open/closed string dualities.
We briefly review attempts to construct string theories that yield the standard model, concentrating on models with a geometric interpretation. Calabi-Yau compactifications are discussed in the context of both the weakly coupled heterotic…
We propose correspondences between 4d quantum field theories with N=2,1,0 (super)conformal invariance and Type IIB string theory on various orbifolds. We argue using the spacetime string theory, and check using the beta functions (exactly…
We continue the study of nonrelativistic string theory in background fields. Nonrelativistic string theory is described by a nonlinear sigma model that maps a relativistic worldsheet to a non-Lorentzian and non-Riemannian target space…
In this dissertation, we study the generalized symmetries in supergravities and superconformal field theories from the string theory perspective. Part one is devoted to the study of string universality in high spacetime dimensions.…
In a recent paper we developed a string cosmology background from classical string geometry. Here, we show that this background yields a solution to the size and horizon problems of Standard Big Bang cosmology while remaining compatible…
This thesis is concerned with the geometry of toroidal orbifolds and their applications in string theory. By resolving the orbifold singularities via blow-ups, one arrives at a smooth Calabi-Yau manifold. The systematic method to do so is…
It is shown that background fields of a topological character usually introduced as such in compactified string theories correspond to quantum degrees of freedom which parametrise the freedom in choosing a representation of the zero mode…
The B-RNS-GSS formalism containing both RNS and GS worldsheet variables is extended for the description of the Type II superstring in curved backgrounds. The BRST charge of the theory is expressed in terms of $N=(1,1)$ superconformal…