Neumann Coefficients Research Articles

Three-point functions at strong coupling in the BMN limit

We consider structure constants of single-trace operators at strong coupling in planar mathcal{N} = 4 SYM theory using the hexagon formalism. We concentrate on heavy-heavy- light correlators where the heavy operators are BMN operators, with large R-charges and finite anomalous dimensions, and the light one is a finite-charge chiral primary operator. They describe the couplings between two highly boosted strings and a supergravity mode in the bulk dual. In the hexagon framework, two sums over virtual magnons are needed to bind the hexagons together around the light operator. We evaluate these sums explicitly at strong coupling, for a certain choice of BMN operators, and show that they factorise into a ratio of Gamma functions and a simple stringy prefactor. The former originates from giant mirror magnons scanning the AdS geometry while the latter stems from small fluctuations around the BMN vacuum. The resulting structure constants have poles at positions where an enhanced mixing with double-trace operators is expected and zeros whenever the process is forbidden by supersymmetry. We also discuss the transition to the classical regime, when the length of the light operator scales like the string tension, where we observe similitudes with the Neumann coefficients of the pp-wave String Field Theory vertex.

From the octagon to the SFT vertex \u2014 gluing and multiple wrapping

We compare various ways of decomposing and decompactifying the string field theory vertex and analyze the relations between them. We formulate axioms for the octagon and show how it can be glued to reproduce the decompactified pp-wave SFT vertex which in turn can be glued to recover the exact finite volume pp-wave Neumann coefficients. The gluing is performed by resumming multiple wrapping corrections. We observe important nontrivial contributions at the multiple wrapping level which are crucial for obtaining the exact results.

Growth Estimates of Entire Function Solutions of Generalized Bi-Axially Symmetric Helmholtz Equation

Growth estimates for entire function solutions of the generalized bi-axially symmetric Helmholtz equation ∂2u/∂x2 + ∂2u/∂y2 + (2µ/x)·(∂u/∂x) + (2ν/y)·(∂u/∂y) +k2u = 0, (µ,ν Є R+), in terms of their Jacobi Bessel coefficients and ratio of these coefficients have been studied. Some relations for order and type also have been obtained in terms of Taylor and Neumann coefficients. Our results generalize and extend some results of Gilbert and Howard, McCoy, Kumar and Singh.

From spin vertex to string vertex

In the recent publication [1] the spin vertex was introduced as a new approach for computing three-point functions in $$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$ SYM. In this note we consider the BMN limit of the spin vertex for scalar excitations and show that it reproduces the string vertex in the light-cone string field theory which describes the string interactions in the pp-wave background at the leading order of λ ′ expansion. This is achieved by introducing a polynomial representation for the spin vertex. We derive the Neumann coefficients from the spin vertex at weak coupling and show they match with the Neumann coefficients from the string field theory.

On the strong coupling expansion in the 𝔰𝔲(1|1) sector of 𝒩 = 4 SYM

We consider the anomalous dimension of the fermionic highest states Tr(psi^L) in the su(1|1) sector of N=4 SYM at strong coupling. In the thermodynamical L->OO limit it is described by a BES-like integral equation recently proposed by Rej, Staudacher and Zieme. The strong coupling regime of this equation is analyzed numerically and analytically by Neumann expansion methods which have been developed for the sl(2) sector. We compute analytically the first two terms of the strong coupling expansion and present numerical results for the next correction. We illustrate various specific features valid for the su(1|1) sector. In particular, at next-to-leading order, we find and solve a singular integral equation describing the scaling continuum limit of the Neumann coefficients.

Spectral properties of ghost Neumann matrices

We continue the analysis of the ghost wedge states in the oscillator formalism by studying the spectral properties of the ghost matrices of Neumann coefficients. We show that the traditional spectral representation is not valid for these matrices and propose a new heuristic formula that allows one to reconstruct them from the knowledge of their eigenvalues and eigenvectors. It turns out that additional data, which we call boundary data, are needed in order to actually implement the reconstruction. In particular our result lends support to the conjecture that there exists a ghost three strings vertex with properties parallel to those of the matter three strings vertex.

Integrable structure of the field theory of open superstrings

We find asymptotic expansions in the “string mass” μ for μ-deformed Γ-functions and Neumann coefficients characterizing the three-string vertex in the light-cone gauge of the field theory of open superstrings on a maximally supersymmetric pp-wave background.

Light-cone superstring field theory, pp-wave background and integrability properties

We show that the three-string vertex coefficients in light-cone open string field theory satisfy the Hirota equations for the dispersionless Toda lattice hierarchy. We show that Hirota equations allow us to calculate the correlators of an associated quantum system where the Neumann coefficients represent the two-point functions. We consider next the three-string vertex coefficients of the light-cone string field theory on a maximally supersymmetric pp-wave background. Using the previous results, we are able to show that these Neumann coefficients satisfy the Hirota equations for the full Toda lattice hierarchy at least up to second order in the ‘string mass’ μ.

String field theory vertices, integrability and boundary states

We study Neumann coefficients of the various vertices in the Witten's open string field theory (SFT). We show that they are not independent, but satisfy an infinite set of algebraic relations. These relations are identified as so-called Hirota identities. Therefore, Neumann coefficients are equal to the second derivatives of tau-function of dispersionless Toda Lattice hierarchy (this tau-function is just the partition sum of normal matrix model). As a result, certain two-vertices of SFT are identified with the boundary states, corresponding to boundary conditions on an arbitrary curve. Such two-vertices can be obtained by the contraction of special surface states with Witten's three vertex. We analyze a class of SFT surface states,which give rise to boundary states under this procedure. We conjecture that these special states can be considered as describing D-branes and other non-perturbative objects as "solitons" in SFT. We consider some explicit examples, one of them is a surface states corresponding to orientifold.

Star democracy in open string field theory

We study three types of star products in SFT: the ghosts, the twisted ghosts and the matter. We find that their Neumann coefficients are related to each other in a compact way which includes the Gross-Jevicki relation between matter and ghost sector: we explicitly show that the same relation, with a minus sign, holds for the twisted and nontwisted ghost (which are different but define the same solution). In agreement with this, we prove that matter and twisted ghost coefficients just differ by a minus sign. As a consistency check, we also compute the spectrum of the twisted ghost vertices from conformal field theory and, using equality of twisted and reduced slivers, we derive the spectrum of the non twisted ghost star.

String field theory vertices for fermions of integral weight

We construct Witten-type string field theory vertices for a fermionic first order system with conformal weights (0,1) in the operator formulation using delta-function overlap conditions as well as the Neumann function method. The identity, the reflector and the interaction vertex are treated in detail paying attention to the zero mode conditions and the U(1) charge anomaly. The Neumann coefficients for the interaction vertex are shown to be intimately connected with the coefficients for bosons allowing a simple proof that the reparametrization anomaly of the fermionic first order system cancels the contribution of two real bosons. This agrees with their contribution c=-2 to the central charge. The overlap equations for the interaction vertex are shown to hold. Our results have applications in N=2 string field theory, Berkovits' hybrid formalism for superstring field theory, the \eta\xi-system and the twisted bc-system used in bosonic vacuum string field theory.

Fermionic ghosts in Moyal string field theory

We complete the construction of the Moyal star formulation of bosonic open string field theory (MSFT) by providing a detailed study of the fermionic ghost sector. In particular, as in the case of the matter sector, (1) we construct a map from Witten's star product to the Moyal product, (2) we propose a regularization scheme which is consistent with the matter sector and (3) as a check of the formalism, we derive the ghost Neumann coefficients algebraically directly from the Moyal product. The latter satisfy the Gross-Jevicki nonlinear relations even in the presence of the regulator, and when the regulator is removed they coincide numerically with the expression derived from conformal field theory. After this basic construction, we derive a regularized action of string field theory in the Siegel gauge and define the Feynman rules. We give explicitly the analytic expression of the off-shell four point function for tachyons, including the ghost contribution. Some of the results in this paper have already been used in our previous publications. This paper provides the technical details of the computations which were omitted there.

Explicit formulas for Neumann coefficients in the plane-wave geometry

We obtain explicit formulas for the Neumann coefficients and associated quantities that appear in the three-string vertex for type IIB string theory in a plane-wave background, for any value of the mass parameter mu. The derivation involves constructing the inverse of a certain infinite-dimensional matrix, in terms of which the Neumann coefficients previously had been written only implicitly. We derive asymptotic expansions for large mu and find unexpectedly simple results, which are valid to all orders in 1/mu. Using BMN duality, these give predictions for certain gauge theory quantities to all orders in the modified 't Hooft coupling lambda'. A specific example is presented.

Note on cubic interactions inpp-wave light cone string field theory

We study the string modes in the pp-wave light-cone string field theory. First, we clarify the discrepancy between the Neumann coefficients for the supergravity vertex and the zero mode of the full string one. We also repeat our previous manipulation of the prefactor for the string modes and find that the prefactor reduces to the energy difference of the cos modes minus that of the sin modes. Finally, we discuss off-shell three-string processes.

Integrability in SFT and new representation of dispersionless KP tau-function

We are investigating the properties of vacuum and boundary states in the CFT of free bosons under the conformal transformation. We show that transformed vacuum (boundary state) is given in terms of tau-functions of dispersionless KP (Toda) hierarchies. Applications of this approach to string field theory is considered. We recognize in Neumann coefficients the matrix of second derivatives of tau-function of dispersionless KP and identify surface states with the conformally transformed vacuum of free field theory.

Integrable structures in string field theory

We give a simple proof that the Neumann coefficients of surface states in Witten's SFT satisfy the Hirota equations for dispersionless KP hierarchy. In a similar way we show that the Neumann coefficients for the three string vertex in the same theory obey the Hirota equations of the dispersionless Toda Lattice hierarchy. We conjecture that the full (dispersive) Toda Lattice hierachy and, even more attractively a two–matrix model, may underlie open SFT.

Towards vacuum superstring field theory: The supersliver

We extend some aspects of vacuum string field theory to superstring field theory in Berkovits’ formulation, and we study the star algebra in the fermionic matter sector. After clarifying the structure of the interaction vertex in the operator formalism of Gross and Jevicki, we provide an algebraic construction of the supersliver state in terms of infinite–dimensional matrices. This state is an idempotent string field and solves the matter part of the equation of motion of superstring field theory with a pure ghost BRST operator. We determine the spectrum of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the infinite–dimensional matrices of Neumann coefficients in the fermionic matter sector. We then analyze coherent states based on the supersliver and use them in order to construct higher–rank projector solutions, as well as to construct closed subalgebras of the star algebra in the fermionic matter sector. Finally, we show that the geometric supersliver is a solution to the superstring field theory equations of motion, including the (super)ghost sector, with the canonical choice of vacuum BRST operator recently proposed by Gaiotto, Rastelli, Sen and Zwiebach.

Comments on Superstring Interactions in a Plane-Wave Background

The three string vertex for Type IIB superstrings in a maximally supersymmetric plane-wave background is investigated. Specifically, we derive a factorization theorem for the Neumann coefficients that generalizes a flat-space result that was obtained some 20 years ago. The resulting formula is used to explore the leading large mu asymptotic behavior, which is relevant for comparison with dual gauge theory results.

Computing in string field theory using the Moyal star product

Using the Moyal star product, we define open bosonic string field theory carefully, with a cutoff, for any number of string oscillators and any oscillator frequencies. Through detailed computations, such as Neumann coefficients for all string vertices, we show that the Moyal star product is all that is needed to give a precise definition of string field theory. The formulation of the theory as well as the computation techniques are considerably simpler in the Moyal formulation. After identifying a monoid algebra as a fundamental mathematical structure in string field theory, we use it as a tool to compute with ease the field configurations for wedge, sliver, and generalized projectors, as well as all the string interaction vertices for perturbative as well as monoid-type nonperturbative states. Finally, in the context of VSFT we analyze the small fluctuations around any D-brane vacuum. We show quite generally that to obtain nontrivial mass and coupling, as well as a closed strings, there must be an associativity anomaly. We identify the detailed source of the anomaly, but leave its study for future work.

The Spectrum of the Neumann Matrix with Zero Modes

We calculate the spectrum of the matrix M' of Neumann coefficients of the Witten vertex, expressed in the oscillator basis including the zero-mode a_0. We find that in addition to the known continuous spectrum inside [-1/3,0) of the matrix M without the zero-modes, there is also an additional eigenvalue inside (0,1). For every eigenvalue, there is a pair of eigenvectors, a twist-even and a twist-odd. We give analytically these eigenvectors as well as the generating function for their components. Also, we have found an interesting critical parameter b_0 = 8 ln 2 on which the forms of the eigenvectors depend.