A New Proposal for the Picture Changing Operators in the Minimal Pure Spinor Formalism

Using a new proposal for the "picture lowering" operators, we compute the tree level scattering amplitude in the minimal pure spinor formalism by performing the integration over the pure spinor space as a multidimensional Cauchy-type integral. The amplitude will be written in terms of the projective pure spinor variables, which turns out to be useful to relate rigorously the minimal and non-minimal versions of the pure spinor formalism. The natural language for relating these formalisms is the Cech-Dolbeault isomorphism. Moreover, the Dolbeault cocycle corresponding to the tree-level scattering amplitude must be evaluated in SO(10)/SU(5) instead of the whole pure spinor space, which means that the origin is removed from this space. Also, the Cech-Dolbeault language plays a key role for proving the invariance of the scattering amplitude under BRST, Lorentz and supersymmetry transformations, as well as the decoupling of unphysical states. We also relate the Green's function for the massless scalar field in ten dimensions to the tree-level scattering amplitude and comment about the scattering amplitude at higher orders. In contrast with the traditional picture lowering operators, with our new proposal the tree level scattering amplitude is independent of the constant spinors introduced to define them and the BRST exact terms decouple without integrating over these constant spinors.Comment: 56 pages, typos correcte

Cornering the unphysical vertex

In the classical pure spinor worldsheet theory of AdS5xS5 there are some vertex operators which do not correspond to any physical excitations. We study their flat space limit. We find that the BRST operator of the worldsheet theory in flat space-time can be nontrivially deformed without deforming the worldsheet action. Some of these deformations describe the linear dilaton background. But the deformation corresponding to the nonphysical vertex differs from the linear dilaton in not being worldsheet parity even. The nonphysically deformed worldsheet theory has nonzero beta-function at one loop. This means that the classical Type IIB SUGRA backgrounds are not completely characterized by requiring the BRST symmetry of the classical worldsheet theory; it is also necessary to require the vanishing of the one-loop beta-function.Comment: LaTeX 40pp; v2: explained the relation to the linear dilaton background (Section 6), changes in Introduction and Abstrac

BRST Invariance of Non-local Charges and Monodromy Matrix of Bosonic String on AdS(5)xS(5)

Using the generalized Hamiltonian method of Batalin, Fradkin and Vilkovsky we develop the BRST formalism for the bosonic string on AdS(5)xS(5) formulated as principal chiral model. Then we show that the monodromy matrix and non-local charges are BRST invariant.Comment: 26. page

The One-loop Open Superstring Massless Five-point Amplitude with the Non-Minimal Pure Spinor Formalism

We compute the massless five-point amplitude of open superstrings using the non-minimal pure spinor formalism and obtain a simple kinematic factor in pure spinor superspace, which can be viewed as the natural extension of the kinematic factor of the massless four-point amplitude. It encodes bosonic and fermionic external states in supersymmetric form and reduces to existing bosonic amplitudes when expanded in components, therefore proving their equivalence. We also show how to compute the kinematic structures involving fermionic states.Comment: 38 pages, harvmac TeX, v2: fix typo in (4.2) and add referenc

Pure spinor computation towards open string three-loop

Using the recent results in the pure spinor formulation, we lay out a ground-work towards the full momentum space amplitudes of open superstrings at three-loop. After briefly reviewing the one-loop amplitude, we directly work out the two-loop and reproduce the result that was obtained by a symmetry argument. For the three-loop, first we use the two-loop regulator as a warm-up exercise. The result vanishes. We then employ the regulator that has been recently proposed by Aisaka and Berkovits (AB). It is noted that the terms in higher power in $\frac{1}{\lambda\bar{\lambda}}$ that render the two-loop regulator disqualified for the three-loop do not contribute. This with a few other indications suggests a possibility that the AB regulator might also lead to a vanishing result. Nevertheless, we argue that it is possible to acquire the three-loop amplitude, and present a result that we anticipate to be the three-loop amplitude.Comment: 41 pages, latex, cosmetic change

Integrability of Type II Superstrings on Ramond-Ramond Backgrounds in Various Dimensions

We consider type II superstrings on AdS backgrounds with Ramond-Ramond flux in various dimensions. We realize the backgrounds as supercosets and analyze explicitly two classes of models: non-critical superstrings on AdS_{2d} and critical superstrings on AdS_p\times S^p\times CY. We work both in the Green--Schwarz and in the pure spinor formalisms. We construct a one-parameter family of flat currents (a Lax connection) leading to an infinite number of conserved non-local charges, which imply the classical integrability of both sigma-models. In the pure spinor formulation, we use the BRST symmetry to prove the quantum integrability of the sigma-model. We discuss how classical \kappa-symmetry implies one-loop conformal invariance. We consider the addition of space-filling D-branes to the pure spinor formalism.Comment: LaTeX2e, 56 pages, 1 figure, JHEP style; v2: references added, typos fixed in some equations; v3: typos fixed to match the published versio

Towards Vacuum Superstring Field Theory: The Supersliver

We extend some aspects of vacuum string field theory to superstring field theory in Berkovits' formulation, and we study the star algebra in the fermionic matter sector. After clarifying the structure of the interaction vertex in the operator formalism of Gross and Jevicki, we provide an algebraic construction of the supersliver state in terms of infinite-dimensional matrices. This state is an idempotent string field and solves the matter part of the equation of motion of superstring field theory with a pure ghost BRST operator. We determine the spectrum of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the infinite-dimensional matrices of Neumann coefficients in the fermionic matter sector. We then analyze coherent states based on the supersliver and use them in order to construct higher-rank projector solutions, as well as to construct closed subalgebras of the star algebra in the fermionic matter sector. Finally, we show that the geometric supersliver is a solution to the superstring field theory equations of motion, including the (super)ghost sector, with the canonical choice of vacuum BRST operator recently proposed by Gaiotto, Rastelli, Sen and Zwiebach.Comment: 45 pages, JHEP styl

Non-Critical Pure Spinor Superstrings

We construct non-critical pure spinor superstrings in two, four and six dimensions. We find explicitly the map between the RNS variables and the pure spinor ones in the linear dilaton background. The RNS variables map onto a patch of the pure spinor space and the holomorphic top form on the pure spinor space is an essential ingredient of the mapping. A basic feature of the map is the requirement of doubling the superspace, which we analyze in detail. We study the structure of the non-critical pure spinor space, which is different from the ten-dimensional one, and its quantum anomalies. We compute the pure spinor lowest lying BRST cohomology and find an agreement with the RNS spectra. The analysis is generalized to curved backgrounds and we construct as an example the non-critical pure spinor type IIA superstring on AdS_4 with RR 4-form flux.Comment: LaTeX2e, 76 pages, no figures, JHEP style; v2: references and acknowledgments added, typos corrected; v3: typos corrected and minor changes to match published versio

Hybrid Formalism, Supersymmetry Reduction, and Ramond-Ramond Fluxes

The supersymmetric hybrid formalism for Type II strings is used to study partial supersymmetry breaking in four and three dimensions. We use worldsheet techniques to derive effects of internal Ramond-Ramond fluxes such as torsions, superpotentials and warping.Comment: Harvmac. No figure

Superstrings and Topological Strings at Large N

We embed the large N Chern-Simons/topological string duality in ordinary superstrings. This corresponds to a large $N$ duality between generalized gauge systems with N=1 supersymmetry in 4 dimensions and superstrings propagating on non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds with certain fluxes turned on. We also show that in a particular limit of the N=1 gauge theory system, certain superpotential terms in the N=1 system (including deformations if spacetime is non-commutative) are captured to all orders in 1/N by the amplitudes of non-critical bosonic strings propagating on a circle with self-dual radius. We also consider D-brane/anti-D-brane system wrapped over vanishing cycles of compact Calabi-Yau manifolds and argue that at large $N$ they induce a shift in the background to a topologically distinct Calabi-Yau, which we identify as the ground state system of the Brane/anti-Brane system.Comment: 30 pages, some minor clarifications adde