Two-loop string theory on null compactifications

2006/01/30 by Henry C. D. Cove, Henry C.D. Cove, Richard J. Szabo
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2006.02.028

published as Nucl.Phys.B741:313-352,2006 · 41 pages, 1 figure

arxiv created 2006/01/30 · openalex publication_date 2006/03/07 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We compute the two-loop contributions to the free energy in the null compactification of perturbative string theory at finite temperature. The cases of bosonic, Type II and heterotic strings are all treated. The calculation exploits an explicit reductive parametrization of the moduli space of infinite-momentum frame string worldsheets in terms of branched cover instantons. Various arithmetic and physical properties of the instanton sums are described. Applications to symmetric product orbifold conformal field theories and to the matrix string theory conjecture are also briefly discussed.

Citations

• Proposals on nonperturbative superstring interactions
• Worldsheet of the discrete light front string
• String interactions from Matrix string theory
• The geometry of string perturbation theory
• Elliptic Genera of Symmetric Products and Second Quantized Strings
• Two-loop superstrings.