Asymmetric Cosets

The aim of this work is to present a general theory of coset models G/H in which different left and right actions of H on G are gauged. Our main results include a formula for their modular invariant partition function, the construction of a large set of boundary states and a general description of the corresponding brane geometries. The paper concludes with some explicit applications to the base of the conifold and to the time-dependent Nappi-Witten background.Comment: 34 pages, LaTeX, 8 figures, 1 table, v2: references added, v3: typos correcte

Boundary Liouville theory at c=1

The c=1 Liouville theory has received some attention recently as the Euclidean version of an exact rolling tachyon background. In an earlier paper it was shown that the bulk theory can be identified with the interacting c=1 limit of unitary minimal models. Here we extend the analysis of the c=1-limit to the boundary problem. Most importantly, we show that the FZZT branes of Liouville theory give rise to a new 1-parameter family of boundary theories at c=1. These models share many features with the boundary Sine-Gordon theory, in particular they possess an open string spectrum with band-gaps of finite width. We propose explicit formulas for the boundary 2-point function and for the bulk-boundary operator product expansion in the c=1 boundary Liouville model. As a by-product of our analysis we also provide a nice geometric interpretation for ZZ branes and their relation with FZZT branes in the c=1 theory.Comment: 37 pages, 1 figure. Minor error corrected, slight change in result (1.6

On Minisuperspace Models of S-branes

In this note we reconsider the minisuperspace toy models for rolling and bouncing tachyons. We show that the theories require to choose boundary conditions at infinity since particles in an exponentially unbounded potential fall to infinity in finite world-sheet time. Using standard techniques from operator theory, we determine the possible boundary conditions and we compute the corresponding energy spectra and minisuperspace 3-point functions. Based on this analysis we argue in particular that world-sheet models of S-branes possess a discrete spectrum of conformal weights containing both positive and negative values. Finally, some suggestions are made for possible relations with previous studies of the minisuperspace theory.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure

Rolling Tachyons from Liouville theory

In this work we propose an exact solution of the c=1 Liouville model, i.e. of the world-sheet theory that describes the homogeneous decay of a closed string tachyon. Our expressions are obtained through careful extrapolation from the correlators of Liouville theory with c > 25. In the c=1 limit, we find two different theories which differ by the signature of Liouville field. The Euclidean limit coincides with the interacting c=1 theory that was constructed by Runkel and Watts as a limit of unitary minimal models. The couplings for the Lorentzian limit are new. In contrast to the behavior at c > 1, amplitudes in both c=1 models are non-analytic in the momenta and consequently they are not related by Wick rotation.Comment: 22 page

Lectures on Branes in Curved Backgrounds

These lectures provide an introduction to the microscopic description of branes in curved backgrounds. After a brief reminder of the flat space theory, the basic principles and techniques of (rational) boundary conformal field theory are presented in the second lecture. The general formalism is then illustrated through a detailed discussion of branes on compact group manifolds. In the final lecture, many more recent developments are reviewed, including some results for non-compact target spaces.Comment: 109 pages, 11 figures, Lectures presented at the third RTN school on `The Quantum Structure of Spacetime and the Geometric Nature of Fundamental Interactions', Utrecht, January 200

Superspace Parafermions

We describe several families of non-unitary coset conformal field theories that possess truly marginal couplings. These generalize the known examples of Wess-Zumino-Witten models on supergroups such as PSU(n|n) or OSP(2n+2|2n). Our extension includes coset space sigma models, affine Toda theories or Gross-Neveu models which are believed to arise in certain limits.Comment: 4 page

N=2 Superconformal Symmetry in Super Coset Models

We extend the Kazama-Suzuki construction of models with N=(2,2) world-sheet supersymmetry to cosets S/K of supergroups. Among the admissible target spaces that allow for an extension to N=2 superconformal algebras are some simple Lie supergroups, including PSL(N|N). Our general analysis is illustrated at the example of the N=1 WZNW model on GL(1|1). After constructing its N=2 superconformal algebra we determine the (anti-)chiral ring of the theory. It exhibits an interesting interplay between world-sheet and target space supersymmetry.Comment: 7 pages; v2: Typos corrected, three references adde

H3+H^+_3 WZNW Model From Liouville Field Theory.

There exists an intriguing relation between genus zero correlation functions in the H^+_3 WZNW model and in Liouville field theory. We provide a path integral derivation of the correspondence and then use our new approach to generalize the relation to surfaces of arbitrary genus g. In particular we determine the correlation functions of N primary fields in the WZNW model explicitly through Liouville correlators with N+2g-2 additional insertions of certain degenerate fields. The paper concludes with a list of interesting further extensions and a few comments on the relation to the geometric Langlands program.Comment: 33 pages, no figure, minor changes, several equations correcte

The FZZ-Duality Conjecture: A Proof

We prove that the cigar conformal field theory is dual to the Sine-Liouville model, as conjectured originally by Fateev, Zamolodchikov and Zamolodchikov. Since both models possess the same chiral algebra, our task is to show that correlations of all tachyon vertex operators agree. We accomplish this goal through an off-critical version of the geometric Langlands duality for sl(2). More explicitly, we combine the well-known self-duality of Liouville theory with an intriguing correspondence between the cigar and Liouville field theory. The latter is derived through a path integral treatment. After a very detailed discussion of genus zero amplitudes, we extend the duality to arbitrary closed surfaces.Comment: 42 page