Building string field theory around non-conformal backgrounds

The main limitations of string field theory arise because its present formulation requires a background representing a classical solution, a background defined by a strictly conformally invariant theory. Here we sketch a construction for a gauge-invariant string field action around non-conformal backgrounds. The construction makes no reference to any conformal theory. Its two-dimensional field-theoretic aspect is based on a generalized BRST operator satisfying a set of Weyl descent equations. Its geometric aspect uses a complex of moduli spaces of two-dimensional Riemannian manifolds having ordinary punctures, and organized by the number of special punctures which goes from zero to infinity. In this complex there is a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra that includes naturally the operator which adds one special puncture. We obtain a classical field equation that appears to relax the condition of conformal invariance usually taken to define classical string backgrounds.Comment: 38 pages, 4 figures, phyzzx and BoxedEPS include

Sub-Critical Closed String Field Theory in D Less Than 26

We construct the second quantized action for sub-critical closed string field theory with zero cosmological constant in dimensions $2 \leq D < 26$, generalizing the non-polynomial closed string field theory action proposed by the author and the Kyoto and MIT groups for $D = 26$. The proof of gauge invariance is considerably complicated by the presence of the Liouville field $\phi$ and the non-polynomial nature of the action. However, we explicitly show that the polyhedral vertex functions obey BRST invariance to all orders. By point splitting methods, we calculate the anomaly contribution due to the Liouville field, and show in detail that it cancels only if $D - 26 + 1 + 3 Q ^ 2 = 0$, in both the bosonized and unbosonized polyhedral vertex functions. We also show explicitly that the four point function generated by this action reproduces the shifted Shapiro-Virasoro amplitude found from $c=1$ matrix models and Liouville theory in two dimensions. LATEX file.Comment: 28 pages, CCNY-HEP-93-

Causality in Covariant String Field Theory

Causality is studied in the covariant formulation of free string field theory (SFT). We find that, though the string field in the covariant formulation is a functional of the ghost coordinates as well as the space-time coordinate and the latter contains the time-like oscillators with negative norm, the condition for the commutator of two open string fields to vanish is simply given by $\int_0^\pi d\sigma\left(\Delta X^\mu(\sigma)\right)^2 >0$, which is the same condition as in the light-cone gauge SFT. For closed SFT, the corresponding condition is given in a form which is manifestly invariant under the rigid shifts of the $\sigma$ parameters of the two string fields.Comment: 11 pages + 1 eps figure, LaTe

Effective Tachyonic Potential in Closed String Field Theory

We calculate the effective tachyonic potential in closed string field theory up to the quartic term in the tree approximation. This involves an elementary four-tachyon vertex and a sum over the infinite number of Feynman graphs with an intermediate massive state. We show that both the elementary term and the sum can be evaluated as integrals of some measure over different regions in the moduli space of four-punctured spheres. We show that both elementary and effective coupling give negative contributions to the quartic term in the tachyon potential. Numerical calculations show that the fourth order term is big enough to destroy a local minimum which exists in the third order approximation.Comment: 41 pages, LaTeX + psfig macro package, 15 uuencoded tar-compressed postscript figures include

Information Spreading in Interacting String Field Theory

The commutator of string fields is considered in the context of light cone string field theory. It is shown that the commutator is in general non--vanishing outside the string light cone. This could have profound implications for our understanding of the localization of information in quantum gravity.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, harvmac and epsf, UCSBTH-94-07, SU-ITP-94-