DOE OSTI · 1839902
The disk partition function in string theory
Abstract
We investigate the disk partition function for the open string. This is a subtle problem because of the presence of a residual gauge group PSL(2, R) on the worldsheet even after fixing the conformal gauge. It naively has infinite volume and leads to a vanishing answer. We use different methods that all demonstrate that PSL(2, R) effectively behaves like a group with finite negative volume in the path integral, which leads to a simple prescription for the computation of the disk partition function. We apply our findings to give a simple rederivation of the D-brane tensions.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Eberhardt, Lorenz, Pal, Sridip. 2021-08-06. The disk partition function in string theory. https://doi.org/10.1007/jhep08(2021)026
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.