Doubled Sigma Model Research Articles

Born sigma-models for para-Hermitian manifolds and generalized T-duality

We give a covariant realization of the doubled sigma-model formulation of duality-symmetric string theory within the general framework of para-Hermitian geometry. We define a notion of generalized metric on a para-Hermitian manifold and discuss its relation to Born geometry. We show that a Born geometry uniquely defines a worldsheet sigma-model with a para-Hermitian target space, and we describe its Lie algebroid gauging as a means of recovering the conventional sigma-model description of a physical string background as the leaf space of a foliated para-Hermitian manifold. Applying the Kotov–Strobl gauging leads to a generalized notion of T-duality when combined with transformations that act on Born geometries. We obtain a geometric interpretation of the self-duality constraint that halves the degrees of freedom in doubled sigma-models, and we give geometric characterizations of non-geometric string backgrounds in this setting. We illustrate our formalism with detailed worldsheet descriptions of closed string phase spaces, of doubled groups where our notion of generalized T-duality includes non-abelian T-duality, and of doubled nilmanifolds.

Double field theory and membrane sigma-models

We investigate geometric aspects of double field theory (DFT) and its formulation as a doubled membrane sigma-model. Starting from the standard Courant algebroid over the phase space of an open membrane, we determine a splitting and a projection to a subbundle that sends the Courant algebroid operations to the corresponding operations in DFT. This describes precisely how the geometric structure of DFT lies in between two Courant algebroids and is reconciled with generalized geometry. We construct the membrane sigma-model that corresponds to DFT, and demonstrate how the standard T-duality orbit of geometric and non-geometric flux backgrounds is captured by its action functional in a unified way. This also clarifies the appearence of noncommutative and nonassociative deformations of geometry in non-geometric closed string theory. Gauge invariance of the DFT membrane sigma-model is compatible with the flux formulation of DFT and its strong constraint, whose geometric origin is explained. Our approach leads to a new generalization of a Courant algebroid, that we call a DFT algebroid and relate to other known generalizations, such as pre-Courant algebroids and symplectic nearly Lie 2-algebroids. We also describe the construction of a gauge-invariant doubled membrane sigma-model that does not require imposing the strong constraint.

The exceptional sigma model

We detail the construction of the exceptional sigma model, which describes a string propagating in the “extended spacetime” of exceptional field theory. This is to U-duality as the doubled sigma model is to T-duality. Symmetry specifies the Weylinvariant Lagrangian uniquely and we show how it reduces to the correct 10-dimensional string Lagrangians. We also consider the inclusion of a Fradkin-Tseytlin (or generalised dilaton) coupling as well as a reformulation with dynamical tension.

Doubled strings, negative strings and null waves

We revisit the fundamental string (F1) solution in the doubled formalism. We show that the wave-like solution of double field theory (DFT) corresponding to the F1/pp-wave duality pair is more properly a solution of the DFT action coupled to a doubled sigma model action. The doubled string configuration which sources the pp-wave can be thought of as static gauge with the string oriented in a dual direction. We also discuss the DFT solution corresponding to a vibrating string, carrying both winding and momentum. We further show that the solution dual to the F1 in both time and space can be viewed as a "negative string" solution. Negative branes are closely connected to certain exotic string theories which involve unusual signatures for both spacetime and brane worldvolumes. In order to better understand this from the doubled point of view, we construct a variant of DFT suitable for describing theories in which the fundamental string has a Euclidean worldsheet, for which T-dualities appear to change the spacetime signature.

Semi-doubled sigma models for five-branes

We study two-dimensional ${\cal N}=(2,2)$ gauge theory and its dualized system in terms of complex (linear) superfields and their alternatives. Although this technique itself is not new, we can obtain a new model, the so-called "semi-doubled" GLSM. Similar to doubled sigma model, this involves both the original and dual degrees of freedom simultaneously, whilst the latter only contribute to the system via topological interactions. Applying this to the ${\cal N}=(4,4)$ GLSM for H-monopoles, i.e., smeared NS5-branes, we obtain its T-dualized systems in quite an easy way. As a bonus, we also obtain the semi-doubled GLSM for an exotic $5^3_2$-brane whose background is locally nongeometric. In the low energy limit, we construct the semi-doubled NLSM which also generates the conventional string worldsheet sigma models. In the case of the NLSM for $5^3_2$-brane, however, we find that the Dirac monopole equation does not make sense any more because the physical information is absorbed into the divergent part via the smearing procedure. This is nothing but the signal which indicates that the nongeometric feature emerges in the considering model.

Closed string partition functions in toroidal compactifications of doubled geometries

We revisit partition functions of closed strings on toroidal backgrounds, including their $\mathbb{Z}_N$ shift orbifolds in the formalism where the dimension of the target space is doubled to make T-duality manifest. In such a T-duality covariant formalism, the constraint equation imposes a form of chiral factorization. Our computation furnishes a non-trivial consistency check for the quantum worldsheet theory of the doubled sigma model, when strings are placed on general toroidal backgrounds. The topological term that mixes the physical space and its T-dual is crucial in demonstrating that chiral factorization works, and that we obtain the correct partition function after imposing the constraints. Finally, we discuss how our results extend to $\mathcal{N}=1$ worldsheet supersymmetry and string worldsheets of higher genus.