Related papers: String loop correction and the condensation of tac…
Quantum Mechanics of photons leads to a theory of Quantum Gravity that nicely matches the experimental results of varying fine structure constant,obtained from many-multiplet Quaser absorption systems and atomic clocks.The variation of that…
The cosmological constant problem and the compatibility of gravity with quantum mechanics are the two most pressing problems in all of gravitational theory. While string theory nicely addresses the latter, it has so far failed to provide…
Conformal theories in a d dimensional spacetime may be expressed as manifestly conformal theories in a d+2 dimensional conformal space as first proposed by Dirac. The reduction to d dimensions goes via the d+1 dimensional hypercone in the…
It is generally accepted that the double-scaled 1D matrix model is equivalent to the $c=1$ string theory with tachyon condensation. There remain however puzzles that are to be clarified in order to utilize this connection for our quest…
We formulate quantum gravity in $2+\epsilon$ dimensions in such a way that the conformal mode is explicitly separated. The dynamics of the conformal mode is understood in terms of the oversubtraction due to the one loop counter term. The…
String theory, if it describes nature, is probably strongly coupled. As a result, one might despair of making any statements about the theory. In the framework of a set of clearly spelled out assumptions, we show that this is not…
The string corrections to the Riemann Curvature tensor are found to first order in the string slope parameter, here proportional to $\g$. This is done for D=10 supergravity, the presumed low energy limit of string theory. We follow the…
This is a broad-brush review of how string theory addresses several important questions of gravitational physics. The problem of non-renormalizability is first reviewed, followed by introduction of string theory as an ultraviolet-finite…
Closed string tachyons have long been somewhat mysterious. We note that there is often a regime in the classical moduli space in which one can systematically compute the effective action for such fields. In this regime, the tachyon is…
A classical two dimensional theory of gravity which has a number of interesting features (including a Newtonian limit, black holes and gravitational collapse) is quantized using conformal field theoretic techniques. The critical dimension…
We show that the existence of a tachyon vacuum puts tight restrictions on the form of solutions to the equations of motion of string field theory. In particular, we demonstrate that every solution can be written as a - formal - gauge…
It has recently been argued that D-branes in bosonic string theory can be described as noncommutative solitons, outside whose core the tachyon is condensed to its ground state. We conjecture that, in addition, the local U(1) gauge symmetry…
When quantizing Conformal Dilaton Gravity there is a conformal anomaly which starts at two loop order. This anomaly stems from evanescent operators on the divergent parts of the effective action. The general form of the finite counterterm…
We propose an exotic geometric M-theory dual for the weak coupling Type 0A string: compactification on a sub-Planckian $S^1\vee S^1$ (two circles connected at a point), where strong quantum effects lead to fields living on distinct…
Intersecting D-brane models and their T-dual magnetic compactifications yield attractive models of particle physics where magnetic flux plays a twofold role, being the source of fermion chirality as well as supersymmetry breaking. A…
Using an exact supergravity solution representing the Dp-\bar{Dp} system, it is demonstrated that one can construct a supergravity analogue of the tachyon potential. Remarkably, the (regularized) minimum value of the potential turns out to…
We derive curvature counterterms in two-dimensional gravity coupled to conformal matter up to infinite order. By construction the higher-order action is equivalent to a finite first-order theory with auxiliary scalar. Due to this…
We check some consistency conditions for the D9-anti-D9 system in type I string theory. The gravitational anomaly and gauge anomaly for SO(n) x SO(m) gauge symmetry are shown to be cancelled when n-m=32. In addition, we find that a string…
The theory of p-adic strings is reviewed along with some of their applications, foremost among them to the tachyon condensation problem in string theory. Some open problems are discussed, in particular that of the superstring in 10…
The duality-invariant gaugino condensation with or without massive matter fields is re-analysed, taking into account the dependence of the string threshold corrections on the moduli fields and recent results concerning one-loop corrected…