Topic
Topological string theory
About: Topological string theory is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1206 publications have been published within this topic receiving 54758 citations.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider coupling an ordinary quantum field theory with an infinite number of degrees of freedom to a topological field theory, and explore several examples including Dijkgraaf-Witten theories and their generalizations both in the continuum and on the lattice.
Abstract: We consider coupling an ordinary quantum field theory with an infinite number
of degrees of freedom to a topological field theory. On ℝ^d the new theory differs from the
original one by the spectrum of operators. Sometimes the local operators are the same but
there are different line operators, surface operators, etc. The effects of the added topological
degrees of freedom are more dramatic when we compactify ℝ^d, and they are crucial in the
context of electric-magnetic duality. We explore several examples including Dijkgraaf-Witten theories and their generalizations both in the continuum and on the lattice. When
we couple them to ordinary quantum field theories the topological degrees of freedom allow
us to express certain characteristic classes of gauge fields as integrals of local densities, thus
simplifying the analysis of their physical consequences.
393 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, it was proved that the physical states of the open-string sector of the ten-dimensional string theory form supersymmetry multiplets, and the proof was achieved by first constructing a new formulation of the spectrum generating algebra, and then forming the supersymmetric operator (as well as associated operators) and demonstrating that it transforms as a spinor under Lorentz transformations and has the correct anticommutation relations.
383 citations
TL;DR: In this article, linear relations between string scattering amplitudes are derived by means of a recent analysis of the high-energy limit of string scattering, and they are shown to hold order by order in perturbation theory.
Abstract: By means of a recent analysis of the high-energy limit of string scattering, linear relations between string scattering amplitudes are derived. These are shown to hold order by order in perturbation theory. If one assumes that they hold for the full theory, they suggest the existence of an enormous string-broken symmetry which is restored at high energies. Some speculations as to the nature of this symmetry are presented.
377 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a duality between Yang-Mills theory with large R-charge J and string theory in a pp-wave background has been proposed, and the genus counting parameter is shown to be g2(?')1/2 for a wide class of excited string states propagating on the ppwave background.
Abstract: Recently, Berenstein et al. have proposed a duality between a sector of = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory with large R-charge J, and string theory in a pp-wave background. In the limit considered, the effective 't Hooft coupling has been argued to be ?' = gYM2N/J2 = 1/(?p+?')2. We study Yang-Mills theory at small ?' (large ?) with a view to reproducing string interactions. We demonstrate that the effective genus counting parameter of the Yang-Mills theory is g22 = J4/N2 = (4?gs)2(?p+?')4, the effective two-dimensional Newton constant for strings propagating on the pp-wave background. We identify g2(?')1/2 as the effective coupling between a wide class of excited string states on the pp-wave background. We compute the anomalous dimensions of BMN operators at first order in g22 and ?' and interpret our result as the genus one mass renormalization of the corresponding string state. We postulate a relation between the three-string vertex function and the gauge theory three-point function and compare our proposal to string field theory. We utilize this proposal, together with quantum mechanical perturbation theory, to recompute the genus one energy shift of string states, and find precise agreement with our gauge theory computation.
366 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a topological string theory starting from an N = 4 superconformal theory was proposed, and the critical dimension for this theory is c = 2 (c = 6).
363 citations