Questions tagged [string-theory]
A class of theories that attempt to explain all existing particles (including force carriers) as vibrational modes of extended objects, such as the 1-dimensional fundamental string.
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p-Adic String Theory and the String-orientation of Topological Modular Forms (tmf)
I am going to ask a question, at the end below, on whether anyone has tried to make more explicit what should be, it seems to me, a close relation between p-adic string theory and the refinement of ...
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Interpreting the CS/WZW correspondence
It is understood that there is a correspondence between the 3d Chern-Simons topological quantum field theory (TQFT) and the 2d Wess-Zumino-Witten conformal quantum field theory (CQFT). A good summary ...
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monodromy defects and Chern-Simons
In the context of string theory I recently read "The formulation of Chern-Simons theory in terms of monodromy defects can be carried through all the dualities of the present paper, leading to ...
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How can the interersection number of $2$ $D6$ branes wrapping around a CY manifold be derived?
For two intersecting $D6$ branes $a$ and $b$ wrapped around a $6$ dimensional torus $T^6 = T^2 \times T^2 \times T^2$ specified by
$$
\textrm{D6-brane a:}\, (l_1^a,l_2^a,l_3^a)
$$
$$
\textrm{D6-...
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Physical relevance of either fundamental identity generalizing Jacobi [closed]
There are two fundamental identities for n-ary generalizations of the Jacobi identity.
One fundamental identity is right for Nambu mechanics and such, the other for L_\infty algebras as in CSFT.
Which ...
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CFTs corresponding to affine Lie algebras
I want to know how one can write down a CFT such that its conserved currents will satisfy some chosen (affine) Lie algebra $G$.
On the few pages leading up to page 192 in here one can see see the ...
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Where is there a treatment of double field theory other than in local coordinates?
The n-lab seems to lack a treatment of double field theory. Where is there a treatment other than in local coordinates? Or at least one which identifies the coordinates as local coordinates for a ...
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The space-time dimension of the N-superstring theory?
Let $\mathfrak{W}$ be the Lie algebra generated by $d_{n} = ie^{in\theta}\frac{d}{d\theta}$ and $\mathfrak{Vir} = \mathfrak{W} \oplus C \mathbb{C}$ its central extension:
$$
[L_m,L_n]=(m-n)L_{m+n}+\...
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String theory "computation" for math undergrad audience
I am giving a talk on String theory to a math undergraduate audience. I am looking for a nice and suprising mathematical computation, maybe just a surprising series expansion, which is motivated by ...
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H-flux by any other name
There are more than a few papers referring to H-flux and/or H-twist etc.
Is there anywhere a survey relating these variants?
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Does fixing the reparameterization invariance of the string action correspond to some kind of orbifolding?
Does fixing the reparameterization invariance of the string action, for example by choosing the light-cone gauge
$$
X^{+} = \beta\alpha' p^{+}\tau
$$
$$
p^{+} = \frac{2\pi}{\beta} P^{\tau +}
$$
...
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Proof of the general expression for anomaly in a CFT and its partition function
I think the statement is that for any dimensional CFT the following is true,
$$\langle T^{\mu}_\mu \rangle = \sum B_n I_n - 2(-1)^{d/2}AE_d,$$
where $E_d$ is the `"Euler density" and $I_n$ are the ...
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What is a branched Riemann surface with cuts?
Edit: Let me restate the main claim being made in these two papers,
Consider the "branched" Riemann surface which has "n" sheets stuck along the intervals, $[z_i, z_{i+1}]$ for $i=1,..,2N$ then it is ...
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Explanations for mathematicians, about the falsifiability (or not) of string theory [closed]
Like many other mathematicians, I think string theory very attractive. This theory has wonderfully influenced many new topics in mathematics (I myself have worked on one of them), but it's not the ...
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What do whitehead towers have to do with physics?
First let me say something that I don't completely understand, since I do not know enough physics. If I say anything wrong, someone please tell me:
For the spinning particle, there is a sigma-model, ...
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Seiberg-Witten curve for product SU(2)^N gauge theories
In equation 2.10 of this article, the author gives the Seiberg-Witten curve for a $U(N)$ gauge theory with $L<2N$ massive flavours with masses given by $m_i$ as:
$y^{2}=\left\langle \mathrm{det}\...
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Are Donaldson-Thomas invariants "A-model" or "B-model" ?
Donaldson-Thomas invariants are the (virtual) Euler characteristics of moduli spaces of elements of the derived category of coherent sheaves (with some fixed Chern class, satisfying some stability ...
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Computing chern classes for products of varieties
I'm currently facing the problem of computing chern classes for Varieties. More precisely the product of such varieties.
Let $C_i$ be a variety in $\mathbb{CP}^2$ given by the Weierstraß $\wp$-map.
I ...
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Advice on doing physics under the umbrella of mathematics and the converse
Note: This is a question directly copied from Theoretical Physics SE primarily to get the advice of people indulged in mathematics.
In the current scenario of research in QFT and string theory (and ...
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Multiple Hodge integrals and integrability
It is known that a generating function of the linear Hodge integrals is a tau function of the KP hierarchy, namely a one-parameter deformation of the Kontsevich-Witten tau-function (see Kazarian). ...
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Physicists Euler number conjecture
Physicist's Euler number conjecture says:
If $G \subset SL(n,\mathbb{C})$ is a finite group, $X=\mathbb{C}^n/G$ is the quotient space and $f:Y \rightarrow X$ a crepant resolution (always exists for $...
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Statistical physics of string theory
Is there any connection between statistical physics and string theory, or a statistical interpretation of string theory, perhaps? I mean, the way electromagnetic forces and thermodynamic laws are ...
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Elliptic genus for manifolds with boundary
Let M be a closed spin manifold of dimension $d$. One form of the elliptic genus of $M$ is
$$ F(q)=q^{-d/8} \hat A(M) {\rm ch} \otimes_{k=1/2,3/2,\cdots} \Lambda_{q^k}T \otimes_{\ell=1}^\infty S_{q^\...
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Virasoro constraints for the generating function of Hurwitz numbers.
Generating function of the simple Hurwitz numbers is known to be connected with Gromov-Witten potential of the point (Kontsevich $\tau$-function) (see e.g. Ian Goulden, David Jackson and Ravi Vakil). ...
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Donaldson-Thomas Invariants in Physics
First of all, I am sorry for there are a bunch of questions (though all related)and may not be well framed.
What are the DT invariants in physics. When one is computing DT invariants for a Calabi-Yau ...
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vector multiplet/hypermultiplet moduli space of String Theory
What is vector multiplet and hypermultiplet moduli space associated to IIA/B string theory (or in general to a N = 2 Supersymmetric theory) ?
The vector multiplet moduli space is special Kahler while ...
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Why is a 2d TQFT formulated as a functor?
Usual mathematical formulation of a 2d (closed) TQFT is as a functor from the category of 2-dim cobordisms between 1-dim manifolds to the category of vector spaces (satisfying various properties.)
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genus one Gromov-Witten invariants of Calabi-Yau 3-folds
In
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/hep-th/pdf/9302/9302103v1.pdf
physicists calculate (predict) genus one GW invariants of quintic (Table 1) and some other cases (Table 2).
Can any body explain to me (...
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Cartographic group and flat stringy connection
There's a literature about dessins d'enfants (including my previous question here), and one amazing thing about them is that absolute Galois group Gal Q acts on ...
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Outer automorphism for $U_q(\mathfrak{su}(2|2))$
It is known that Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak{su}(2|2)$ (and only this one, not arbitrary $\mathfrak{su}(n|n)$) has the nontrivial central extension which forms an $\mathfrak{sl}_2$ triplet, let's call ...
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triangulated/derived categories in Physics and algebraic geometry
Why do physicists care about the triangulated/derived categories?
I mean what are the problems we want to approach using the machinery of triangulated/derived categories. e.g. in homological mirror ...
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The influence of string theory on mathematics for philosophers.
I've agreed, perhaps unwisely, to give a talk to Philosophers about string theory.
I'd like to give the philosophers an overview of the status and influence of string theory in physics, which I feel ...
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Are there non-supersymmetric and/or non-Calabi-Yau topological sigma models?
I am reading some aspects of Mirror Symmetry and in mirror symmetry the $N=2$ SCFT on a Calabi Yau Manifold can be divided into two sectors each of which is a topological sigma model, A-Model and B-...
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Mirror symmetries for generalized geometries ?
For Calabi-Yau three-folds we have $\mathcal{mirror \ symmetry}$: a map that associates most Calabi-Yau three-folds $M$ another Calabi-Yau three-fold $W$ such that $ h^{1,1}(M) = h^{2,1}(W)$ and $ h^{...
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M24 moonshine for K3
There are recent papers suggesting that the elliptic genus of K3 exhibits moonshine for the Mathieu group $M_{24}$ (http://arXiv.org/pdf/1004.0956). Does anyone know of constructions of $M_{24}$ ...
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q-deformation of the unitary group integral
There is a well-known orthogonality property of $U(N)$ group characters
$$
\int d U \chi_{\mu}(U)\chi_\lambda(U^\dagger V)=\delta_{\mu\lambda}\frac{\chi_\mu(V)}{\dim_\mu}
$$
where the integral is ...
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Gromov-Witten and integrability 2.
This is a followup of my previous question Gromov-Witten and integrability. As I have learned from the answer (but guessed before), GW potentials of the point and $P^1$ (with different modifications) ...
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Special Holonomy Groups for Lorentzian Manifolds
Let $X$ be a Riemannian manifold. If $X$ is simply connected, irreducible, and not a symmetric space then we know that the possible holonomy groups of the metric on $X$ are:
1) $O(n)$ General ...
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Topologically distinct Calabi-Yau threefolds
In dimensions 1 and 2 there is only one, respectively 2, compact Kaehler manifolds with zero first Chern class, up to diffeomorphism. However, it is an open problem whether or not the number of ...
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Higher genus closed string B-model
The closed string A-model is mathematically described by Gromov-Witten invariants of a compact symplectic manifold $X$. The genus 0 GW invariants give the structure of quantum cohomology of $X$, which ...
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What are Gromov-Witten invariants in terms of physics?
What do Gromov-Witten invariants (of say a Calabi-Yau 3-fold) represent, or what are they supposed to represent, in terms of string theory? When I compute GW invariants, am I actually computing some ...
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