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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

A T-duality of non-supersymmetric heterotic strings and an implication for Topological Modular Forms

Abstract Motivated by recent developments connecting non-supersymmetric heterotic string theory to the theory of Topological Modular Forms (TMF), we show that the worldsheet theory with central charge (17,$$ \frac{3}{2} $$ 3 2 ) obtained by fibering the (E 8 ) 1 × (E 8 ) 1 current algebra over the two$$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = (0, 1) sigma model onS 1 with antiperiodic spin structure (such that theE 8 factors are exchanged as we go around the circle), is continuously connected to the (E 8 ) 2 theory in the Gaiotto Johnson-Freyd Witten sense of going “up and down the RG trajectories”. Combined with the work of Tachikawa and Yamashita, this furnishes a physical derivation of the fact that the (E 8 ) 2 theory corresponds to the unique nontrivial torsion element [(E 8 ) 2 ] of TMF 31 with zero mod-2 elliptic genus.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2016

T-duality constraints on higher derivatives revisited

Here, we ask to what extent are the higher-derivative corrections of string theory constrained by T-duality. The seminal early work by Meissner tests T-duality by reduction to one dimension using a distinguished choice of field variables in which the bosonic string action takes a Gauss-Bonnet-type form. By analyzing all field redefinitions that may or may not be duality covariant and may or may not be gauge covariant we extend the procedure to test T-duality starting from an action expressed in arbitrary field variables. We illustrate the method by showing that it determines uniquely the first-order α' corrections of the bosonic string, up to terms that vanish in one dimension. We also use the method to glean information about the O(α'2) corrections in the double field theory with Green-Schwarz deformation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Manifest non-locality in quantum mechanics, quantum field theory and quantum gravity

We summarize our recent work on the foundational aspects of string theory as a quantum theory of gravity. We emphasize the hidden quantum geometry (modular spacetime) behind the generic representation of quantum theory and then stress that the same geometric structure underlies a manifestly T-duality covariant formulation of string theory, that we call metastring theory. We also discuss an effective non-commutative description of closed strings implied by intrinsic non-commutativity of closed string theory. This fundamental non-commutativity is explicit in the metastring formulation of quantum gravity. Finally we comment on the new concept of metaparticles inherent to such an effective non-commutative description in terms of bi-local quantum fields.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Swampland cobordism conjecture and non-Abelian duality groups

We study the cobordism conjecture of McNamara and Vafa which asserts that the bordism group of quantum gravity is trivial. In the context of type IIB string theory compactified on a circle, this predicts the presence of D7-branes. On the other hand, the non-Abelian structure of the IIB duality group SL (2, Z) implies the existence of additional [p, q] 7-branes. We find that this additional information is instead captured by the space of closed paths on the moduli space of elliptic curves parameterizing distinct values of the type IIB axio-dilaton. This description allows to recover the full structure of non-Abelian braid statistics for 7-branes. Combining the cobordism conjecture with an earlier Swampland conjecture by Ooguri and Vafa, we argue that only certain congruence subgroups $\Gamma\subset$ SL(2, Z) specifying genus zero modular curves can appear in 8D F-theory vacua. This leads to a successful prediction for the allowed Mordell–Weil torsion groups for 8D F-theory vacua.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Gopakumar-Vafa invariants and the Emergent String Conjecture

Abstract The Emergent String Conjecture of Lee, Lerche, and Weigand holds that every infinite-distance limit in the moduli space of a quantum gravity represents either a decompactification limit or an emergent string limit in some duality frame. Within the context of 5d supergravities coming from M-theory compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds, we find evidence for this conjecture by studying (a) the gauge couplings and (b) the BPS spectrum, which is encoded in the Gopakumar-Vafa invariants of the threefold. In the process, we disuss a testable geometric consequence of the Emergent String Conjecture, and we verify that it is satisfied in all complete intersection Calabi-Yau threefolds in products of projective spaces (CICYs).

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Asymptotically Free AdS 3 /CFT 2

We propose a new AdS 3 /CFT 2 duality, in which the bulk string theory has a target spacetime AdS 3 times a squashed three-sphere $S$$^{3}_{b}$, and the dual CFT 2 is a symmetric product of sigma models on R Φ × $S$$^{3}_{b}$, deformed by a Φ-dependent Z 2 twist operator. The duality maps the asymptotic region of AdS 3 to the region Φ → ∞, where the twist interaction in the CFT 2 turns off. The AdS 3 backgrounds in question have R AdS < ℓ s , and so lie on the string side of the string/black hole correspondence transition. As a consequence, the high energy density of states consists of a string gas in AdS 3 rather than an ensemble of BTZ black holes. Furthermore, this property allows us to derive the dual CFT 2 by a systematic analysis of the worldsheet string theory on AdS 3 .

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Universal rapidity scaling of entanglement entropy inside hadrons from conformal invariance

When a hadron is probed at high energy, a nontrivial quantum entanglement entropy inside the hadron emerges due to the lack of complete information about the hadron wave function extracted from this measurement. In the high-energy limit, the hadron becomes a maximally entangled state, with a linear dependence of entanglement entropy on rapidity, as has been found in a recent analysis based on parton description. In this paper, we use an effective conformal field theoretic description of hadrons on the light cone to show that the linear dependence of the entanglement entropy on rapidity found in parton description is a general consequence of approximate conformal invariance and does not depend on the assumption of weak coupling. Our result also provides further evidence for a duality between the parton and string descriptions of hadrons. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A perturbative CFT dual for pure NS–NS AdS 3 strings

We construct a conformal field theory dual to string theory on AdS 3 with pure NS–NS flux. It is given by a symmetric orbifold of a linear dilaton theory deformed by a marginal operator from the twist-2 sector. We compute two- and three-point functions on the CFT side to 4th order in conformal perturbation theory at large N. They agree with the string computation at genus 0, thus providing ample evidence for a duality. We also show that the full spectra of both short and long strings on the CFT and the string side match. Furthermore, the duality should be understood as perturbative in N –1 .

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

S-duality in $ T\overline{T} $-deformed CFT

$ T\overline{T} $ deformed conformal field theories can be reformulated as worldsheet theories of non-critical strings. We use this correspondence to compute and study the $ T\overline{T} $ deformed partition sum of a symmetric product CFT. We find that it takes the form of a partition sum of a second quantized string theory with a worldsheet given by the product of the seed CFT and a gaussian sigma model with the two-torus as target space. We show that deformed symmetric product theory admits a natural UV completion that exhibits a strong weak coupling Z 2 duality that interchanges the momentum and winding numbers and maps the $ T\overline{T} $-coupling λ to its inverse 1/λ. The Z 2 duality is part of a full O(2, 2, Z)-duality group that includes a PSL(2, Z) acting on the complexified $ T\overline{T} $ coupling. The duality symmetry eliminates the appearance of complex energies at strong coupling for all seed CFTs with central charge c ≤ 6.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

R7-branes as charge conjugation operators

R7-branes are a class of recently discovered nonsupersymmetric real codimension-two duality defects in type IIB string theory predicted by the swampland cobordism conjecture. For type IIB realizations of 6D SCFTs with N = ( 2 , 0 ) supersymmetry, wrapping an R7-brane “at infinity” leads to a topological operator associated with a zero-form charge conjugation symmetry that squares to the identity. Similar considerations hold for those theories obtained from further toroidal compactification, but this can be obstructed by bundle curvature effects. Using some minimal data on the topological sector of the R7-branes, we extract the associated fusion rules for these charge conjugation operators. More broadly, we sketch a top down realization of various topological operators/interfaces associated with C , R , and T transformations. We also use holography to provide strong evidence for the existence of the R7-brane which is complementary to the cobordism conjecture. Similar considerations apply to other string-realized QFTs with symmetry operators constructed via nonsupersymmetric branes which carry a conserved charge. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Twisted Supergravity and Koszul Duality: A Case Study in AdS 3

In this note, we study a simplified variant of the familiar holographic duality between supergravity on AdS 3 × S 3 × T 4 and the SCFT (on the moduli space of) the symmetric orbifold theory Sym N (T 4 ) as N → ∞. This variant arises conjecturally from a twist proposed by the first author and Si Li. We recover a number of results concerning protected subsectors of the original duality working directly in the twisted bulk theory. Moreover, we identify the symmetry algebra arising in the N → ∞ limit of the twisted gravitational theory. Further, we emphasize the role of Koszul duality—a ubiquitous mathematical notion to which we provide a friendly introduction—in field theory and string theory. After illustrating the appearance of Koszul duality in the “toy” example of holomorphic Chern-Simons theory, we describe how (a deformation of) Koszul duality relates bulk and boundary operators in our twisted setup, and explain how one can compute algebra OPEs diagrammatically using this notion. Further details, results, and computations will appear in a companion paper.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

BPS fivebrane stars. Part I. Expectation values of observables

We study ensembles of 1/2-BPS bound states of fundamental strings and NS-fivebranes (NS5-F1 states) in the AdS decoupling limit. We revisit a solution corresponding to an ensemble average of these bound states, and find that the appropriate duality frame for describing the near-source structure is the T-dual NS5-P frame, where the bound state is a collection of momentum waves on the fivebranes. We find that the fivebranes are generically well-separated; this property results in the applicability of perturbative string theory. The geometry sourced by the typical microstate is not close to that of an extremal non-rotating black hole; instead the fivebranes occupy a ball whose radius is parametrically much larger than the “stretched horizon” scale of the corresponding black hole. These microstates are thus better characterized as BPS fivebrane stars than as small black holes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Metastring theory and modular space-time

String theory is canonically accompanied with a space-time interpretation which determines S-matrix-like observables, and connects to the standard physics at low energies in the guise of local effective field theory. Recently, we have introduced a reformulation of string theory which does not rely on an a priori space-time interpretation or a pre-assumption of locality. This metastring theory is formulated in such a way that stringy symmetries (such as T-duality) are realized linearly. In this paper, we study metastring theory on a flat background and develop a variety of technical and interpretational ideas. These include a formulation of the moduli space of Lorentzian worldsheets, a careful study of the symplectic structure and consequently consistent closed and open boundary conditions, and the string spectrum and operator algebra. What emerges from these studies is a new quantum notion of space-time that we refer to as a quantum Lagrangian or equivalently a modular space-time. This concept embodies the standard tenets of quantum theory and implements in a precise way a notion of relative locality. The usual string backgrounds (non-compact space-time along with some toroidally compactified spatial directions) are obtained from modular space-time by a limiting procedure that can be thought of as a correspondence limit.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fricke S-duality in CHL models

In this study, we consider four dimensional CHL models with sixteen spacetime supersymmetries obtained from orbifolds of type IIA superstring on K3×T 2 by a Z N symmetry acting (possibly) non-geometrically on K3. We show that most of these models (in particular, for geometric symmetries) are self-dual under a weak-strong duality acting on the heterotic axio-dilaton modulus S by a “Fricke involution” S → -1/NS. This is a novel symmetry of CHL models that lies outside of the standard SL(2,Z)-symmetry of the parent theory, heterotic strings on T 6 . For self-dual models this implies that the lattice of purely electric charges is N-modular, i.e. isometric to its dual up to a rescaling of its quadratic form by N. We verify this prediction by determining the lattices of electric and magnetic charges in all relevant examples. We also calculate certain BPS-saturated couplings and verify that they are invariant under the Fricke S-duality. For CHL models that are not self-dual, the strong coupling limit is dual to type IIA compactified on T 6 /Z N , for some Z N -symmetry preserving half of the spacetime supersymmetries.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

On de Sitter spacetime and string theory

We review various aspects of de Sitter spacetime in string theory: its status as an Effective Field Theory spacetime solution, its relation to the vacuum energy problem in string theory, its (global) holographic definition in terms of two entangled and noncanonical conformal field theories as well as a realization of a realistic de Sitter universe endowed with the observed visible matter and the necessary dark sector in order to reproduce the realistic cosmological structure. In particular, based on the new insight regarding the cosmological constant problem in string theory, we argue that in a doubled, [Formula: see text]-duality-symmetric, phase-space-like and noncommutative generalized-geometric formulation, string theory can naturally lead to a small and positive cosmological constant that is radiatively stable and technically natural. Such a formulation is fundamentally based on a quantum spacetime, but in an effective spacetime description of this general formulation of string theory, the curvature of the dual spacetime is the cosmological constant of the observed spacetime, while the size of the dual spacetime is the gravitational constant of the same observed spacetime. Also, the three scales associated with intrinsic noncommutativity of string theory, the cosmological constant scale, the Planck scale as well as the Higgs scale, can be arranged to satisfy various seesaw-like formulae. Along the way, we show that these new features of string theory can be implemented in a particular deformation of cosmic-string-like models.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2023

The S-matrix of 2D type 0B string theory. Part I. Perturbation theory revisited

We study the perturbative S-matrix of closed strings in the two-dimensional type 0B string theory from the worldsheet perspective, by directly integrating correlation functions of N = 1 Liouville theory. The latter is computed numerically using recurrence relations for super-Virasoro conformal blocks. We show that the tree level 3- and 4-point amplitudes are in agreement with the proposed dual matrix quantum mechanics. The non-perturbative aspects of the duality will be analyzed in a companion paper.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Self-dual connections and the equations of fundamental fields in a Weyl-Cartan space

Spaces with a Weyl-type connection and torsion of a special type that are determined by the structure of the differentiability conditions in the algebra of complex quaternions are considered. These conditions are consistent only if the curvature of the connection is self-dual. The Maxwell and SL (2,ℂ) Yang-Mills fields associated with the irreducible components of the connection also turn out to be self-dual, so that the corresponding equations are fulfilled on the solutions of the generating system. Using the twistor structure of the latter, its general solution is obtained. The singular locus has a string-like (particle-like) structure generating the self-consistent algebraic dynamics of the string system.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗