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The Effective Theory of Strings

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Abstract

We show that the Nambu–Goto string, and its higher dimensional generalizations, can be quantized, in the sense of an effective theory, in any dimension of the target space. The crucial point is to consider expansions around classical string configurations. We are using tools from perturbative algebraic quantum field theory, quantum field theory on curved spacetimes, and the Batalin–Vilkovisky formalism. Our model has some similarities with the Lüscher–Weisz string, but we allow for arbitrary classical background string configurations and keep the diffeomorphism invariance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Courant Research Centre “Higher Order Structures”, University of Göttingen, Bunsenstraße 3–5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    Dorothea Bahns & Jochen Zahn

  2. II. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany

    Katarzyna Rejzner

Authors
  1. Dorothea Bahns
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  2. Katarzyna Rejzner
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  3. Jochen Zahn
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Correspondence to Jochen Zahn.

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Communicated by M. Salmhofer

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Bahns, D., Rejzner, K. & Zahn, J. The Effective Theory of Strings. Commun. Math. Phys. 327, 779–814 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00220-014-1955-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00220-014-1955-7

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