TY - JOUR
T1 - Algebraic structures and differential geometry in two-dimensional string theory
AU - Witten, Edward
AU - Zwiebach, Barton
N1 - Funding Information:
*Suppofled in part by NSF grant PHY9I-06210. **Permanent address: Center for Theoretical Physics, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Sup-ported in part by D.O.E. contract DE-ACO2-76ER03069 and NSF grant PHY9I-06210.
PY - 1992/6/22
Y1 - 1992/6/22
N2 - A careful treatment of closed string BRST cohomology shows that there are more discrete states and associated symmetries in D = 2 string theory than has been recognized hitherto. The full structure, at the SU (2) radius, has a natural description in terms of abelian gauge theory on a certain three-dimensional cone Q. We describe precisely how symmetry currents are constructed from the discrete states, explaining the role of the "descent equations". In the uncompactified theory, we compute the action of the symmetries on the tachyon field, and isolate the features that lead to nonlinear terms in this action. The resulting symmetry structure is interpreted in terms of a homotopy Lie algebra.
AB - A careful treatment of closed string BRST cohomology shows that there are more discrete states and associated symmetries in D = 2 string theory than has been recognized hitherto. The full structure, at the SU (2) radius, has a natural description in terms of abelian gauge theory on a certain three-dimensional cone Q. We describe precisely how symmetry currents are constructed from the discrete states, explaining the role of the "descent equations". In the uncompactified theory, we compute the action of the symmetries on the tachyon field, and isolate the features that lead to nonlinear terms in this action. The resulting symmetry structure is interpreted in terms of a homotopy Lie algebra.
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U2 - 10.1016/0550-3213(92)90018-7
DO - 10.1016/0550-3213(92)90018-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0000043351
SN - 0550-3213
VL - 377
SP - 55
EP - 112
JO - Nuclear Physics, Section B
JF - Nuclear Physics, Section B
IS - 1-2
ER -