Scribd
Upload
25 views3 pages

Gauge Fixing

This document describes the bosonic string action in Minkowski space with an Euclidean world-sheet. It introduces zweibeins to relate the world-sheet metric to a flat metric and rewrites the action in terms of zweibeins. It then derives the constraints of the system using Dirac's procedure and shows the action is equivalent to one imposing Virasoro constraints.

Uploaded by

Luis Alberto Ypanaqué Rocha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
25 views3 pages

Gauge Fixing

This document describes the bosonic string action in Minkowski space with an Euclidean world-sheet. It introduces zweibeins to relate the world-sheet metric to a flat metric and rewrites the action in terms of zweibeins. It then derives the constraints of the system using Dirac's procedure and shows the action is equivalent to one imposing Virasoro constraints.

Uploaded by

Luis Alberto Ypanaqué Rocha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

We start with the following bosonic string action in Minkowski space and with

an Euclidean world-sheet
√
Z
1
S= dτ dσ gg ab ∂a xm ∂b xm (1)
2
where a, b = σ, τ and m = 0, ..., D − 1, an we introduce the zweibein EIa , such
that
g ab = EIa EJb η IJ (2)
where η IJ is the flat Euclidean two-dimensional metric. I, J take values on {1, 2}.
Notice that the zweibein can be seen as 2 × 2 matrices and we could take deter-
minants on the previous equation obtaining

g −1 = detg ab = (detEIa )2 ≡ E −2 (3)

In terms of the zweibein the action reads


Z
1
S= dτ dσEη IJ EIa ∂a xm EJb ∂b xm (4)
2
Z
1   
= dτ dσEη IJ EIσ ∂σ xm + EIτ ∂τ xm EJσ ∂σ xm + EJτ ∂τ xm (5)
2
Z
1  
= dτ dσEη IJ EIσ EJσ ∂σ xm ∂σ xm + EIτ EJτ ∂τ xm ∂τ xm + 2EIσ EJτ ∂σ xm ∂τ xm (6)
2
Evaluating the momentum conjugate to xm ,
δL
Pm (σ) = (7)
δ(δτ xm (σ))
 
Pm = E EIτ E τ I ∂τ xm + EIσ E τ I ∂σ xm (8)

We can solve for ∂τ xm , (assuming the metric is non-degenerate)

1 EIσ E τ I
∂τ xm = P m − ∂σ xm (9)
EEIτ E τ I EIτ E τ I

So the action with the kinetic term in the linear form is

Z h 1   EσEτ I i
m m m I m
S= dτ dσ Pm ∂τ x − Pm P +∂σ xm ∂σ x − τ τ I Pm ∂σ x (10)
2EEIτ E τ I EI E

Notice that
E −1 = E1σ E2τ − E1τ E2σ (11)
Then we can write our action as

1
Z h i
S= dτ dσ Pm ∂τ xm − H (12)

where
" #
1
H=  τ 2 τ 2
 (E1σ E2τ − E1τ E2σ )G − (E1σ E1τ + E2σ E2τ )F (13)
2 (E1 ) + (E2 )
G and F being defined by

G = Pm P m + ∂σ xm ∂σ xm (14)

F = 2Pm ∂σ xm (15)
Denoting the momenta conjugate to the zweibein EIa as πaI , we write the following
primary constraints for the system

πaI ≈ 0 (16)
Following the Dirac procedure we
R can obtain further constraints of the system.
From {πaI , H} ≈ 0, where H = dσH(σ) we get, for example

{πσ1 , H} = −E2τ G + E1τ F ≈ 0 (17)


{πσ2 , H} = E1τ G + E2τ F ≈ 0 (18)
For a non-degenerate metric these constraints are equivalent to

G ≈ 0, F ≈0 (19)

which are in turn equivalent to


1 1
T ≡ (G + F ) ≈ 0, T̄ ≡ (G − F ) ≈ 0 (20)
2 2
T and T̄ are known as the Virasoro constraints
1
T = (P + ∂σ x)2 (21)
2
1
T̄ = (P − ∂σ x)2 (22)
2
The constraints coming from {πτI , H} ≈ 0 turn out to be redundant with respect
to the previous ones.
So, an equivalent action would be
Z  
m 1 2 1 2
S = dτ dσ Pm ẋ + e(P + ∂σ x) + ē(P − ∂σ x) (23)
2 2
where e and ē are Lagrange multipliers imposing the Virasoro constraints.

2
The gauge invariances of this actions are

δxm = −c(P m + ∂σ xm ) − c̄(P m − ∂σ xm ) (24)


 
δPm = −∂σ c(Pm + ∂σ xm ) + ∂σ [c̄(Pm − ∂σ xm )] (25)
δe = ċ + 2(e∂σ c − c∂σ e) (26)
δē = c̄˙ − 2(ē∂σ c̄ − c̄∂σ ē) (27)
The variation of S under this transformations is
Z i Z
1 h h  i
δS = − dτ dσ∂τ (c + c̄)P − dτ dσ∂σ c(Pm + ∂σ xm ) ẋm + e(P m + ∂σ xm )
2
2
Z h  i
+ dτ dσ∂σ c̄(Pm − ∂σ xm ) ẋm + ē(P m − ∂σ xm )
(28)
which vanishes under suitable boundary conditions.
The gauge algebra reads

[δ(c1 ), δ(c2 )] = δ c = 2c[1 ∂σ c2] (29)

[δ(c̄1 ), δ(c̄2 )] = δ c̄ = −2c̄[1 ∂σ c̄2] (30)
[δ(c), δ(c̄)] = 0 (31)

0.1 Twistor-like superstring

You might also like