Real-time T≠0 computations in string theory

Abstract

Introducing an “improved” integral representation for the real-time T≠0 space-time propagator of string theory, we develop a straightforward computational algorithm enabling us to obtain closed-form expressions for any finite temperature quantities from the knowledge of the zero temperature ones and which are also suitable for regularization. All calculations follow the same series of standard steps. As practical examples, we recalculate the closed bosonic string free energy and obtain a closed-form expression for the massless vector boson self-energy of the bosonic open string in the one-loop approximation.