Covariant Closed String Coherent States

Abstract

We give the first construction of covariant coherent closed string states, which may be identified with fundamental cosmic strings. We outline the requirements for a string state to describe a cosmic string, and using DDF operators provide an explicit and simple map that relates three different descriptions: classical strings, lightcone gauge quantum states and covariant vertex operators. The naive construction leads to covariant vertex operators whose existence requires a lightlike compactification of spacetime. When the lightlike compactified states in the underlying Hilbert space are projected out the resulting coherent states have a classical interpretation and are in one-to-one correspondence with arbitrary classical closed string loops.