All Questions
Tagged with quantum-anomalies string-theory
58 questions
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How many dimensions are in string theory? [duplicate]
How many dimensions are in string theroy? I heard that there are 11 but to my understanding, there is an infinite, also can strings be on a 2D plane?
3
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1
answer
137
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How is the dimensionful renornalization scale $\mu$ related to break of scale invariance in String Theory?
In the $7.1.1$ of David Tong's String Theory notes it is said the following about regularization of Polyakov action in a curved target manifold:
$$\tag{7.3} S= \frac{1}{4\pi \alpha'} \int d^2\sigma \ ...
- 1,330
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0
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61
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Unitarity of Effective String Theory away from critical dimesions ($D=26$) , in the static gauge
Starting from compete UV description of QCD (in the confined phase), if we integrate out the quarks and Glueballs, in principle, we will get an effective theory of strings (QCD flux tube and not ...
- 11
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141
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Normalization of zero point energy in string theory
Following Joe Polchinski’s Little Book of String, page 12, he use the sum $$1+2+3+...=-1/12$$ to find the zero point energy of the bosonic string (and later used the result to argue that we must have ...
- 1,774
3
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212
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Light-cone quantization of open string as derived in Polchinski
Polchinski uses the following gauge conditions, but I don't follow this procedure of gauge fixing and quantization:
\begin{align}
X^+ = \tau, \tag{1.3.8a} \\
\partial_\sigma \gamma_{\sigma \sigma} = 0,...
- 453
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0
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33
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Why M-theory has eleven dimensions? [duplicate]
Why M-theory has exactly 10+1 dimensions?
Some combinatorics with tensor indices will do.
- 11
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1
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165
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Weyl Anomaly for Old Covariant Quantization in String Theory?
In the context of quantization in string theory, the modern approach is the path integral/modern covariant quantization approach. As known from QFT, we fix our gauge and represent the arising Fadeev-...
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How did the two copies of the Witt algebra become two copies of the Virasoro algebra in the CFT?
The Virasoro algebra
\begin{equation}
[L_m,L_n]=(m-n) L_{m+n} +\frac{c}{12} (m^3-m) \delta_{m+n,0}
\end{equation}
of the stress energy tensor $T$ was said to follow from the witt algebra of the local ...
- 3,306
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0
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75
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How does one arrive at the relation of commutator $\left[M^{-i}, M^{-j}\right]$ of Lorentz generators $M^i$ in terms of the string modes $\alpha_n^i$?
I am reading the book "String theory demystified" by David McMahon.
On page 149, the author discusses the "critical dimension" for superstrings.
the number of spacetime dimensions ...
- 251
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0
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132
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How do I understand this conformal transformation?
I am learning conformal transformation, and this is by far the most confusing transformation for me.
For the 2D bc system
$$S=\frac{1}{2\pi}\int d^2 z b\overline{\partial}c,$$
we have the ghost ...
- 236
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answer
506
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Polchinski's first derivation of the Weyl anomaly
So, i've been reading volume 1 of Polchinski's String Theory text book and have a doubt.
His first derivation of the Weyl anomaly goes as follows:
From dimensional analysis, we know that:
$$\begin{...
- 73
1
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0
answers
52
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Existence of Weyl invariant regulator for bosonic string theory
In sec $(3.4)$ Polchinksi says
It is easy to preserve the diff- and Poincare invariances in the quantum theory. For example, one may define the gauge fixed path integral using a Pauli-Villars ...
- 3,073
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Why are there only two 496-dim. gauge groups $E_8\times E_8$ and $SO(32)$ allowed in string theory? Why not $E_8\times U(1)^{248}$ or $U(1)^{496}$?
While constructing anomaly-free string theories with $\mathcal N=1$ supersymmetry (16 supercharges constituting a Majorana-Weyl spinor), we learn that the gauge group must be 496-dimensional in order ...
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1
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235
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Is Weyl transformation part of diffeomorphism? Does a gravitational anomaly capture also the anomaly due to Weyl transformation? [duplicate]
Weyl transformation is a local rescaling of the metric tensor
$$
g_{ab}\rightarrow e^{-2\omega(x)}g_{ab}
$$
Diffeomorphism maps to a theory under arbitrary differentiable coordinate transformations
(...
- 4,376
4
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1
answer
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Critical dimension of ${\cal N}=2$ strings
In "A tour through ${\cal N}=2$ strings" by Neil Marcus (https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/9211059) the following problem - among others - is noted:
The critical dimension of the ${\cal N}=2$ ...
- 232
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0
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301
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Holomorphic instantons in target torus
For computing instantons contributions from worldsheet torus to target torus, one can evaluate zero modes contribution of genus 1 partition function given by following expression:
$$Tr(-1)^FF_LF_Rq^{...
- 672
5
votes
2
answers
811
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Inconsistency in the normal ordered Virasoro algebra
I seem to have found a basic contradiction when it comes to the commutation relations of the Virasoro algebra with normal ordered operators and I am not sure what the resolution is.
If we have a ...
- 11.8k
5
votes
1
answer
172
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Holomorphic anomaly at genus 1
Partition function on torus can be defined using a generalized Witten like index as given below:
$$F_1=\int_\mathbb{T}\frac{d^2\tau}{\tau_2} Tr(-1)^F F_LF_R \;q^{L_0} \bar{q}^{\bar{L_0}},$$
where $\...
- 672
5
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1
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258
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Anomalies in the self-dual Yang-Mills theory and $\mathcal{N}=2$ open-string theory
I am reading a paper, written by G. Chalmers and W. Siegel - https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/9606061, where they discuss the action of self-dual Yang-Mills theory, which in light-cone formalism is ...
- 4,893
3
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1
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How do we know there doesn't exist an anomaly that implies that there is no good choice of dimension for the bosonic string?
By considering $\langle T^\alpha_\alpha\rangle$, the Weyl anomaly, we can show that the critical dimension, $D=26$ is the only possible choice of dimension for the bosonic string.
However, how do we ...
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272
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Weyl Anomaly Derivation in Polchinski Eq (3.4.21)
In Polchinski's longer derivation of the Weyl anomaly, he arrives at the result (equation 3.4.19):
$$ \ln{\frac{Z[g]}{Z[\delta]}} = \frac{a_1}{8\pi} \int d^2\sigma \int d^2\sigma' g^{1/2} R(\sigma) G(\...
- 41
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2
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238
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Are there versions of String Theory formulated in $D$ spacetime dimensions or even in infinitely many dimensions?
There are a lot of different versions of string theory, and almost all of them differ in the number of dimensions. The most famous ones are formulated in 10, 11 or 26 dimensions.
But are there any ...
- 2,878
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344
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Polchinski Weyl Anomaly from perturbing the flat background. Eq (3.4.22)
In deriving the Weyl anomaly for the bosonic string using a perturbation around a flat background, Polchinksi uses Eq. (3.4.22), i.e.
$$
\ln \frac{ Z[\delta+h] }{Z[\delta]} \approx\, \frac{1}{8\pi^2}\...
- 3,165
3
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1
answer
544
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OPE of stress tensor in CFT
I come aross an OPE between stress tensor components in CFT which is
\begin{equation}
T(z)\bar{T}(\bar{w})\sim -\frac{\pi c}{12}\partial_{z}\partial_{\bar{w}}\delta^{(2)}(z-w)+...
\end{equation}
I am ...
- 679
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1
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Casimir Force and bosonic String Theory dimensions
I was reading the lecture notes on Quantum field theory by David Tong. In the section on Casimir force he derived the force of attraction felt by the plates due to the field vacuum energy in $1+1$ ...
- 1,530
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67
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Critical dimension from the symmetries of the string action
(Related: This post and this post.)
In this thesis it is said (on page 13) that just by assuming that we have some general action with the same symmetries as the Polyakov action (Poincare invariance, ...
- 817
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0
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341
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Is there a way to make this simple "derivation" of the Trace Anomaly correct?
I think I came up with a simple yet sketchy almost-proof of the trace anomaly (A.K.A. Weyl anomaly) in 2D CFT, but it has the wrong prefactor. I was wondering if anyone could assess whether this "...
- 11.8k
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1
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293
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Gauge anomaly in Polyakov string and Faddeev-Popov method
I am currently trying to gain a better understanding of the gauge fixing procedure used in chapter 5 of David Tong's notes.
Since the central charge of the Polyakov action for, say, the bosonic ...
- 261
1
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1
answer
281
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Is string theory self-consistent? (Conformal anomaly)
Recently I attended a very short course on string theory. We went through the standard presentation in light-cone gauge for brevity. We ‘derived’ the Einstein field equation in the following manner. ...
- 526
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0
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312
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How does the Weyl anomaly imply $\langle T^{\mu}_{\mu} \rangle \neq 0$?
I want to consider the case of euclidean field theory in 2 dimensions with the action
$$S[\phi]=\int \! d^2\!x \sqrt{\det(g)}g^{\mu\nu}\partial_\mu\phi\partial_\nu\phi$$
which leads to a partition ...
- 261
8
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2
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Weyl anomaly in 2d CFT (string theory lectures by D.Tong)
In his lectures on String Theory (http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/string.html), Tong gives a proof of the Weyl anomaly, using equation $(4.37)$. It seems wrong to me.
Here he uses the OPE between ...
- 116
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1
answer
117
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Proposal of the Virasoro modes and algebra
Hi I am wondering what the first published paper on Virasoro modes was? And what about Virasoro algebra?
- 93
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1
answer
1k
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Why are critical dimensions and central charge linkable?
From wikipedia:
"In order for a string theory to be consistent, the worldsheet theory must be conformally invariant. The obstruction to conformal symmetry is known as the Weyl anomaly and is ...
2
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1
answer
735
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Why must the conformal anomaly on string worldsheet be cancelled?
Viewing the coordinates of spacetime as fields on string worldsheet, the strings are described by the Polyakov action which presents conformal symmetry (including others) at the claasical level.
Now ...
- 3,741
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1
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139
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How to derive an $E_8$ algebra?
What is the simplest way to derive an $E_8$ algebra? I am not interested in $E_8$ itself but what would compel one to think about it. I know for example why you would want to think about $SU(2)$ and ...
user151266
2
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0
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244
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Faddeev-Popov-Determinant of Polyakov Path Integral
I'm currently trying to understand the paper "Quantum Geometry of bosonic Strings" by Polyakov. I think I roughly understand the X integration, but when it comes to the integration over the metric ...
- 21
5
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0
answers
236
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Where does chiral matter at conical singularities "come from" in M-theory?
It seems to be accepted that to produce chiral fermionic matter in a compactification $\mathbb{R}^4\times X$ of M-theory/11d SUGRA to four dimensions, we need the seven-manifold $X$ to have isolated (...
- 129k
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1
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Why are there specifically 10, 11, or 26 dimensions in string theory? [duplicate]
I know that current string theories state that there are 10, 11, or 26 spacetime dimensions in superstring theory, M-theory, and bosonic string theory, respectively. But when I looked up why those ...
5
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2
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585
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Kaluza-Klein in superstring theory
In superstring theory, it says that they wrap 16 dimensions on a torus given by $\mathbb{R}^{16}$ divided by a SO(32) or $E_8 \times E_8$ lattice and this gives a gauge group of the same name.
But in ...
user84158
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0
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99
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How to visualize a sphere bundle?
In the paper ``Gravitational Anomaly Cancellation for M Theory Fivebranes", the authors consider removing a tubular region of radius $\epsilon$ around the M5 brane (in order to make sense of the three ...
- 2,105
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1
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499
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Target Space Lorentz Invariance vs. World Sheet Weyl Invariance
The Polyakov action, $S\sim \int d^2\sigma\sqrt{\gamma}\, \gamma_{ab}\partial^a X^\mu \partial ^b X_\mu$, has the well known classical symmetries of world sheet diffeomorphism invariance, world ...
- 3,532
1
vote
1
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272
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Polyakov equation in the strings theory
In the equation of Polyakov there wouldn't be in our universe 10 or 11 dimensions but more (26) because it is referred to the bosonic theory. Are there any connections between this equation and the ...
- 43
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1
answer
123
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What are the two dimensions of relativity that are added to string theory?
Based on the Ramanujam's modular functions, somehow these magic numbers 10 and 26 spacetime dimensions appear in string theory. The dimensions can be viewed as 8 + 2 and 24 + 2. The number 2 is added ...
- 13
10
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1
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698
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Confusion about two definitions of anomalies
As I am currently studying for an exam about quantum field theory and string theory, I got confused about the notion of "anomalies" and how they are actually defined. Similar questions have already ...
- 7,403
4
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2
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1k
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Traces in different representation
I am actually working with Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation mechanism in which I have came across a strange formula which relates trace in the adjoint representation (Tr) to trace in fundamental ...
- 672
2
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0
answers
144
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Anomalies from a Renormaization Group Equation (RGE)
This is an approach to anomalies which seems unfamiliar to me..
Firstly what is this function $W$ which seems to satisfy the equation, $\frac{\partial W }{\partial g^{\mu \nu} } = \langle T_{\mu \nu}...
- 4,581
4
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1
answer
298
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Regularization and renomalization in the lightcone quantization of bosonic string
This question relates to this link. But I still don't understand it >_<
In Polchinski's string theory vol I, p. 22, there is a divergence term (when $\epsilon \rightarrow 0$) in the zero point ...
- 6,451
8
votes
1
answer
842
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About the general expression of trace anomaly and CFT partition functions
I have put up a question here,
https://mathoverflow.net/questions/139685/proof-of-the-general-expression-for-anomaly-in-a-cft-and-its-partition-function
Here I am putting up a slightly different ...
- 4,709
10
votes
1
answer
2k
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Why does tachyon arise in bosonic string theory?
I am looking for precise mathematical and physical reasons which cause the presence of tachyon in bosonic string theory(specially closed bosonic string theory). Has it to do with the specific form of ...
- 2,087
5
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1
answer
646
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Is this explanation of "Why nine space dimensions?" correct?
In Gordon Kane's Supersymmetry and Beyond (p. 118), he states:
String theory has to be formulated in nine space dimensions or it is not a consistent mathematical theory. There doesn't seem to be a ...
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