A T-duality of non-supersymmetric heterotic strings and an implication for Topological Modular Forms

Abstract Motivated by recent developments connecting non-supersymmetric heterotic string theory to the theory of Topological Modular Forms (TMF), we show that the worldsheet theory with central charge (17, 3 2 $$ \frac{3}{2} $$ ) obtained by fibering the (E 8)1 × (E 8)1 current algebra over the two...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vivek Saxena
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-09-01
Series:Journal of High Energy Physics
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2024)056
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Summary:Abstract Motivated by recent developments connecting non-supersymmetric heterotic string theory to the theory of Topological Modular Forms (TMF), we show that the worldsheet theory with central charge (17, 3 2 $$ \frac{3}{2} $$ ) obtained by fibering the (E 8)1 × (E 8)1 current algebra over the two N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = (0, 1) sigma model on S 1 with antiperiodic spin structure (such that the E 8 factors are exchanged as we go around the circle), is continuously connected to the (E 8)2 theory in the Gaiotto Johnson-Freyd Witten sense of going “up and down the RG trajectories”. Combined with the work of Tachikawa and Yamashita, this furnishes a physical derivation of the fact that the (E 8)2 theory corresponds to the unique nontrivial torsion element [(E 8)2] of TMF31 with zero mod-2 elliptic genus.
ISSN:1029-8479