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Where the sign of the metric makes a difference

1988/04/18 by Steven Carlip, Cécile DeWitt-Morette · 31 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Mathematics · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Mathematical Dynamics and Fractals #Geometric and Algebraic Topology #Sign (mathematics) #Superstring theory #Metric (unit) #Mathematics #Path (computing) #Pure mathematics #Physics #Metric space #Combinatorics #Product metric #Discrete mathematics #Mathematical physics #Mathematical analysis #Computer science #Supersymmetry

paper · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.60.1599

published in Physical Review Letters 60(16), 1599-1601 (American Physical Society)

openalex publication_date 1988/04/18 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26

Abstract

The groups Pin(n,m) and Pin(m,n) are not isomorphic, and the obstruction classes to their respective bundles are different. It follows that for nonorientable superstring theories the contributions to a Polyakov path integral from surfaces with positive metric are different from the contributions from those with negative metrics.

Citations

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