arXiv subjects

Barton Zwiebach

Publications and source records attributed to Barton Zwiebach.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Double Metric, Generalized Metric and $α'$-Geometry

We relate the unconstrained `double metric' of the `$α'$-geometry' formulation of double field theory to the constrained generalized metric encoding the spacetime metric and b-field. This is achieved by integrating out auxiliary field components of the double metric in an iterative procedure that induces an infinite number of higher-derivative corrections. As an application we prove that, to first order in $α'$ and to all orders in fields, the deformed gauge transformations are Green-Schwarz-deformed diffeomorphisms. We also prove that to first order in $α'$ the spacetime action encodes precisely the Green-Schwarz deformation with Chern-Simons forms based on the torsionless gravitational connection. This seems to be in tension with suggestions in the literature that T-duality requires a torsionful connection, but we explain that these assertions are ambiguous since actions that use different connections are related by field redefinitions.

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arXiv2015

Heterotic Effective Action and Duality Symmetries Revisited

The dimensional reduction of heterotic supergravity with gauge fields truncated to the Cartan subalgebra exhibits a continuous O(d,d+16;R) global symmetry, related to the O(d,d+16;Z) T-duality of heterotic strings on a d-torus. The O(d,d+16;R) symmetry is not present, however, if the supergravity reduction is done including the full set of E_8 x E_8 or SO(32) gauge fields. We analyze which duality symmetries are realized to all orders in $α'$ in the proper effective field theories for the massless string states. We find a universal O(d,d;R) symmetry, also predicted by double field theory. We confirm this by giving a novel formulation of the dimensionally reduced supergravity in terms of O(d,d) multiplets, and we discuss cases of symmetry enhancement.

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arXiv2014

The Spacetime of Double Field Theory: Review, Remarks, and Outlook

We review double field theory (DFT) with emphasis on the doubled spacetime and its generalized coordinate transformations, which unify diffeomorphisms and b-field gauge transformations. We illustrate how the composition of generalized coordinate transformations fails to associate. Moreover, in dimensional reduction, the O(d,d) T-duality transformations of fields can be obtained as generalized diffeomorphisms. Restricted to a half-dimensional subspace, DFT includes `generalized geometry', but is more general in that local patches of the doubled space may be glued together with generalized coordinate transformations. Indeed, we show that for certain T-fold backgrounds with non-geometric fluxes, there are generalized coordinate transformations that induce, as gauge symmetries of DFT, the requisite O(d,d;Z) monodromy transformations. Finally we review recent results on the α' extension of DFT which, reduced to the half-dimensional subspace, yields intriguing modifications of the basic structures of generalized geometry.

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arXiv2014

Green-Schwarz mechanism and $α'$-deformed Courant brackets

We establish that the unusual two-form gauge transformations needed in the Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation mechanism fit naturally into an $α'$-deformed generalized geometry. The algebra of gauge transformations is a consistent deformation of the Courant bracket and features a nontrivial modification of the diffeomorphism group. This extension of generalized geometry emerged from a `doubled $α'$-geometry', which provides a construction of exactly gauge and T-duality invariant $α'$ corrections to the effective action.

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arXiv2014

Double Field Theory at Order $α'$

We investigate $α'$ corrections of bosonic strings in the framework of double field theory. The previously introduced "doubled $α'$-geometry" gives $α'$-deformed gauge transformations arising in the Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation mechanism but does not apply to bosonic strings. These require a different deformation of the duality-covariantized Courant bracket which governs the gauge structure. This is revealed by examining the $α'$ corrections in the gauge algebra of closed string field theory. We construct a four-derivative cubic double field theory action invariant under the deformed gauge transformations, giving a first glimpse of the gauge principle underlying bosonic string $α'$ corrections. The usual metric and $b$-field are related to the duality covariant fields by non-covariant field redefinitions.

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arXiv2014

Doubled α'-Geometry

We develop doubled-coordinate field theory to determine the α' corrections to the massless sector of oriented bosonic closed string theory. Our key tool is a string current algebra of free left-handed bosons that makes O(D,D) T-duality manifest. While T-dualities are unchanged, diffeomorphisms and b-field gauge transformations receive corrections, with a gauge algebra given by an α'-deformation of the duality-covariantized Courant bracket. The action is cubic in a double metric field, an unconstrained extension of the generalized metric that encodes the gravitational fields. Our approach provides a consistent truncation of string theory to massless fields with corrections that close at finite order in α'.

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arXiv2013

Towards an invariant geometry of double field theory

We introduce a geometrical framework for double field theory in which generalized Riemann and torsion tensors are defined without reference to a particular basis. This invariant geometry provides a unifying framework for the frame-like and metric-like formulations developed before. We discuss the relation to generalized geometry and give an `index-free' proof of the algebraic Bianchi identity. Finally, we analyze to what extent the generalized Riemann tensor encodes the curvatures of Riemannian geometry. We show that it contains the conventional Ricci tensor and scalar curvature but not the full Riemann tensor, suggesting the possibility of a further extension of this framework.

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arXiv2013

Large Gauge Transformations in Double Field Theory

Finite gauge transformations in double field theory can be defined by the exponential of generalized Lie derivatives. We interpret these transformations as `generalized coordinate transformations' in the doubled space by proposing and testing a formula that writes large transformations in terms of derivatives of the coordinate maps. Successive generalized coordinate transformations give a generalized coordinate transformation that differs from the direct composition of the original two. Instead, it is constructed using the Courant bracket. These transformations form a group when acting on fields but, intriguingly, do not associate when acting on coordinates.

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arXiv2012

On the Riemann Tensor in Double Field Theory

Double field theory provides T-duality covariant generalized tensors that are natural extensions of the scalar and Ricci curvatures of Riemannian geometry. We search for a similar extension of the Riemann curvature tensor by developing a geometry based on the generalized metric and the dilaton. We find a duality covariant Riemann tensor whose contractions give the Ricci and scalar curvatures, but that is not fully determined in terms of the physical fields. This suggests that α' corrections to the effective action require α' corrections to T-duality transformations and/or generalized diffeomorphisms. Further evidence to this effect is found by an additional computation that shows that there is no T-duality invariant four-derivative object built from the generalized metric and the dilaton that reduces to the square of the Riemann tensor.

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arXiv2012

Open superstring field theory I: gauge fixing, ghost structure, and propagator

The WZW form of open superstring field theory has linearized gauge invariances associated with the BRST operator Q and the zero mode eta_0 of the picture minus-one fermionic superconformal ghost. We discuss gauge fixing of the free theory in a simple class of gauges using the Faddeev-Popov method. We find that the world-sheet ghost number of ghost and antighost string fields ranges over all integers, except one, and at any fixed ghost number, only a finite number of picture numbers appear. We calculate the propagators in a variety of gauges and determine the field-antifield content and the free master action in the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. Unlike the case of bosonic string field theory, the resulting master action is not simply related to the original gauge-invariant action by relaxing the constraint on the ghost and picture numbers.

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arXiv2011

Unification of Type II Strings and T-duality

We present a unified description of the low-energy limits of type II string theories. This is achieved by a formulation that doubles the space-time coordinates in order to realize the T-duality group O(10,10) geometrically. The Ramond-Ramond fields are described by a spinor of O(10,10), which couples to the gravitational fields via the Spin(10,10) representative of the so-called generalized metric. This theory, which is supplemented by a T-duality covariant self-duality constraint, unifies the type II theories in that each of them is obtained for a particular subspace of the doubled space.

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arXiv2011

Double Field Theory, T-Duality, and Courant Brackets

These lecture notes are based on three lectures, each ninety minutes long, given by the author at the "International School on Strings and Fundamental Physics" which took place in Garching/Munich from July 25 to August 6, 2010. These lectures, aimed at graduate students, require only a basic knowledge of string theory and give a simple introduction to double field theory. These notes were prepared by Marco Baumgartl and Nicolas Moeller.

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arXiv2011

Double Field Theory of Type II Strings

We use double field theory to give a unified description of the low energy limits of type IIA and type IIB superstrings. The Ramond-Ramond potentials fit into spinor representations of the duality group O(D,D) and field-strengths are obtained by acting with the Dirac operator on the potentials. The action, supplemented by a Spin^+(D,D)-covariant self-duality condition on field strengths, reduces to the IIA and IIB theories in different frames. As usual, the NS-NS gravitational variables are described through the generalized metric. Our work suggests that the fundamental gravitational variable is a hermitian element of the group Spin(D,D) whose natural projection to O(D,D) gives the generalized metric.

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arXiv2010

Generalized metric formulation of double field theory

The generalized metric is a T-duality covariant symmetric matrix constructed from the metric and two-form gauge field and arises in generalized geometry. We view it here as a metric on the doubled spacetime and use it to give a simple formulation with manifest T-duality of the double field theory that describes the massless sector of closed strings. The gauge transformations are written in terms of a generalized Lie derivative whose commutator algebra is defined by a double field theory extension of the Courant bracket.

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arXiv2010

Background independent action for double field theory

Double field theory describes a massless subsector of closed string theory with both momentum and winding excitations. The gauge algebra is governed by the Courant bracket in certain subsectors of this double field theory. We construct the associated nonlinear background-independent action that is T-duality invariant and realizes the Courant gauge algebra. The action is the sum of a standard action for gravity, antisymmetric tensor, and dilaton fields written with ordinary derivatives, a similar action for dual fields with dual derivatives, and a mixed term that is needed for gauge invariance.

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arXiv2009

The gauge algebra of double field theory and Courant brackets

We investigate the symmetry algebra of the recently proposed field theory on a doubled torus that describes closed string modes on a torus with both momentum and winding. The gauge parameters are constrained fields on the doubled space and transform as vectors under T-duality. The gauge algebra defines a T-duality covariant bracket. For the case in which the parameters and fields are T-dual to ones that have momentum but no winding, we find the gauge transformations to all orders and show that the gauge algebra reduces to one obtained by Siegel. We show that the bracket for such restricted parameters is the Courant bracket. We explain how these algebras are realised as symmetries despite the failure of the Jacobi identity.

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arXiv2009

Double Field Theory

The zero modes of closed strings on a torus --the torus coordinates plus dual coordinates conjugate to winding number-- parameterize a doubled torus. In closed string field theory, the string field depends on all zero-modes and so can be expanded to give an infinite set of fields on the doubled torus. We use the string field theory to construct a theory of massless fields on the doubled torus. Key to the consistency is a constraint on fields and gauge parameters that arises from the L_0 - \bar L_0=0 condition in closed string theory. The symmetry of this double field theory includes usual and 'dual diffeomorphisms', together with a T-duality acting on fields that have explicit dependence on the torus coordinates and the dual coordinates. We find that, along with gravity, a Kalb-Ramond field and a dilaton must be added to support both usual and dual diffeomorphisms. We construct a fully consistent and gauge invariant action on the doubled torus to cubic order in the fields. We discuss the challenges involved in the construction of the full nonlinear theory. We emphasize that the doubled geometry is physical and the dual dimensions should not be viewed as an auxiliary structure or a gauge artifact.

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arXiv2008

The boundary state from open string fields

We construct a class of BRST-invariant closed string states for any classical solution of open string field theory. The closed string state is a nonlinear functional of the open string field and changes by a BRST-exact term under a gauge transformation of the solution. As a result, its contraction with an on-shell closed string state provides a gauge-invariant observable of open string field theory. Unlike previously known observables, however, the contraction with off-shell closed string states in the Fock space is well defined and regular. Moreover, we claim that the BRST-invariant closed string state coincides, up to a possible BRST-exact term, with the boundary state of the boundary conformal field theory which the solution is expected to describe. Our construction requires a choice of a propagator strip. If we choose the Schnabl propagator strip, the BRST-invariant state becomes explicitly calculable. We calculate it for various known analytic solutions of open string field theory and, remarkably, we find that it precisely coincides with the boundary state without any additional BRST-exact term. Our results imply, in particular, that the wildly oscillatory rolling tachyon solution of open string field theory actually describes the regular closed string physics studied by Sen using the boundary state.

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