Daily Archives: December 29, 2018

Problem 14.5c8

Posted on by

Counting states in heterotic SO(32) string theory | A First Course in String Theory

.

At any mass level \displaystyle{\alpha' M^2 = 4k} of the heterotic string, the spacetime bosons are obtained by “tensoring” all the left states (NS’+ and R’+) with \displaystyle{\alpha' M_L^2 = k} with the right-moving NS+ states with \displaystyle{\alpha' M_R^2 = k}.

Similarly, the spacetime fermions are obtained by tensoring all the left states (NS’+ and R’+) with \displaystyle{\alpha' M_L^2 = 4k} with the right-moving R- states with \displaystyle{\alpha' M_R^2 = k}.

c) Calculate the total number of states in heterotic string theory (bosons plus fermions) at \displaystyle{\alpha' M^2 =4}.

~~~

.

— This answer is my guess. —

.

When \displaystyle{\alpha' M^2 =4},

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \alpha' M_L^2 &= 1 \\ \alpha' M_R^2 &= 1 \end{aligned}}

~~~

The left NS’+ sector:

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \alpha'M^2=1,~~~&N^\perp = 2:~~~~~&\{ \bar \alpha_{-1}^I \bar \alpha_{-1}^J, \bar \alpha_{-1}^I \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B, \lambda_{\frac{-3}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B, \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^C \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^D \} |NS' \rangle_L \\ \end{aligned}}

The left R’+ sector:

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} (-1)^{F_L} |R_\alpha \rangle_L &= + |R_\alpha \rangle_L \\ (-1)^{F_L} |R_\alpha \rangle_R &= - |R_\alpha \rangle_L \\ \end{aligned}}

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \alpha'M^2=1,~~~&N^\perp = 0:~~~~~&|R_\alpha \rangle_L \\ \end{aligned}}

.

The right-moving NS+ states:

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \alpha'M^2=1, ~~~&N^\perp = \frac{3}{2}: &\{ \alpha_{-1}^I b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^J, b_{\frac{-3}{2}}^I, b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^I b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^J b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^K \}~&|NS \rangle \otimes |p^+, \vec p_T \rangle, \\ \end{aligned}}

The R- states (that used as right-moving states):

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \alpha'M^2=1,~~~&N^\perp = 1:~~~~&\alpha_{-1}^I |R_{a} \rangle,~d_{-1}^I |R_{\bar a} \rangle ~~&||~~ ... \\ \end{aligned}}

~~~

spacetime bosons:

\displaystyle{NS'+ \otimes NS+}

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \left( \{ \bar \alpha_{-1}^I \bar \alpha_{-1}^J, \bar \alpha_{-1}^I \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B, \lambda_{\frac{-3}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B, \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^C \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^D \} |NS' \rangle_L \right) \otimes \left( \{ \alpha_{-1}^{I'} b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^J, b_{\frac{-3}{2}}^{I'}, b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^{I'} b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^J b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^K \}~|NS \rangle \otimes |p^+, \vec p_T \rangle \right) \end{aligned}}

\displaystyle{R'+ \otimes NS+}

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \left( |R_\alpha \rangle_L \right) \otimes \left( \{ \alpha_{-1}^I b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^J, b_{\frac{-3}{2}}^I, b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^I b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^J b_{\frac{-1}{2}}^K \}~|NS \rangle \otimes |p^+, \vec p_T \rangle \right) \end{aligned}}

.

spacetime fermions:

\displaystyle{NS'+ \otimes R-}

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \left( \{ \bar \alpha_{-1}^I \bar \alpha_{-1}^J, \bar \alpha_{-1}^I \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B, \lambda_{\frac{-3}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B, \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^A \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^B \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^C \lambda_{\frac{-1}{2}}^D \} |NS' \rangle_L \right) \otimes \left( \alpha_{-1}^{I'} |R_{a} \rangle,~d_{-1}^{I'} |R_{\bar a} \rangle \right) \\ \end{aligned}}

\displaystyle{R'+ \otimes R-}

\displaystyle{\begin{aligned} \left( |R_\alpha \rangle_L \right) \otimes \left( \alpha_{-1}^{I} |R_{a} \rangle,~d_{-1}^{I} |R_{\bar a} \rangle \right) \\ \end{aligned}}

.

— This answer is my guess. —

— Me@2018-12-28 11:12:59 PM

.

.

2018.12.29 Saturday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK