1
vote
0answers
38 views

A three string tree diagram evaluated in CFT is different from string field theory evaluation

Hi Guys generally when you evaluate the 3 open string tachyon tree level amplitude in CFT, you do a conformal transformation mapping the worldsheet to the upper half of the complex plane and the ...
1
vote
0answers
59 views

What's the significance between a closed and open string? And how do strings interact with one another?

I'm somewhat familiar with standard model physics but completely clueless about string theory. If a string is a vibrating strand of energy, then what is the significance of a closed loop of string? ...
12
votes
7answers
939 views

What are the strings in string theory made of?

This is a follow-up to an intriguing question last year about tension in string theory. What are the strings in string theory composed of? I am serious. Strings made of matter are complex objects ...
3
votes
1answer
183 views

Why do strings split in string theory?

In string theory, we are told strings can split and merge if the string coupling is nonzero, even while the worldsheet action remains Nambu-Goto or Polyakov plus a topological term. However, a ...
9
votes
1answer
89 views

Is there a background independent closed string field theory?

Analogous to the background independent open string field theory by Witten. If there isn't, what are the main stumbling blocks preventing its construction?
14
votes
1answer
165 views

Is string theory local?

By locality I mean something like the Atiyah-Segal axioms for Riemannian cobordisms (see e.g. http://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/FQFT). I.e. to any (spacelike) hypersurface in the target we associate a ...
7
votes
2answers
555 views

What does second quantization mean in the context of string theory?

String field theory (in which string theory undergoes "second quantization") seems to reside in the backwaters of discussions of string theory. What does second quantization mean in the context of a ...