Topics in superstring theory
199381 pages
Thesis: PhD - UC, Berkeley
Report number:
- UMI-94-30756
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Abstract:
In Chapter 1, we express the superstring measure on an open or unoriented surface in terms of the integrand on the closed oriented double of that surface. This analysis is performed in both the Polyakov and light-cone formulations of string theory, and the equivalence of the two formulations is shown to be a consequence of their equivalence in the closed oriented case. We can then write down an expression for the measure and show cancellation of divergences in the Type I SO(32) superstring theory in D = 10 flat spacetime. In Chapter 2, we construct a covariant closed superstring field theory based upon the formulation of closed bosonic string field theory. String vertices consist of super Riemann surfaces endowed with minimal area metrics, and contain surfaces of all genus and number of external legs. A product of string fields is defined which yields integral forms over the supermoduli space. The integration over the modular parameters enforces a truncation of the full Hilbert space which is consistent with factorization and which implements the picture-changing operation in the Ramond sector. This truncation also determines the form of the free action, and the complete nonpolynomial quantum action is shown to obey the Batalin-Vilkovisky master equation.- THESIS
References(77)
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