Superstring Perturbation Theory and Ramond-Ramond Backgrounds

We review a formalism of superstring quantization with manifest six-dimensional spacetime supersymmetry, and apply it to AdS_3 x S^3 backgrounds with Ramond-Ramond flux. The resulting description is a conformal field theory based on a sigma model whose target space is a certain supergroup SU'(2|2).

We obtain a family of type IIB superstring backgrounds involving Ramond-Ramond fields in ten dimensions starting from a heterotic string background with vanishing gauge fields. To this end the global $SL(2,R)$ symmetry of the type IIB equations of motion is implemented as a solution generating transformation. Using a geometrical analysis we show that the type IIB backgrounds obtained are solutions to all orders in $\alpha^{\prime}$.

Using the U(4) hybrid formalism, manifestly N=(2,2) worldsheet supersymmetric sigma models are constructed for the Type IIB superstring in Ramond-Ramond backgrounds. The Kahler potential in these N=2 sigma models depends on four chiral and antichiral bosonic superfields and two chiral and antichiral fermionic superfields. When the Kahler potential is quadratic, the model is a free conformal field theory which describes a flat ten-dimensional target space with Ramond-Ramond fl...

We propose a pregeometrical formulation of Berkovits' open Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz (RNS) superstring field theories. We show that Berkovits' open RNS superstring field theories arise by expanding around particular solutions of the classical equations of motion for this theory. Our action contains pure ghost operators only and so is formally background independent.

We study the physics of D-branes in the presence of constant Ramond-Ramond potentials. In the string field theory context, we first develop a general formalism to analyze open strings in gauge trivial closed string backgrounds, and then apply it both to the RNS string and within Berkovits' covariant formalism, where the results have the most natural interpretation. The most remarkable finding is that, in the presence of a Dp-brane, both a constant parallel NS-NS B-field and R...

This review gives results on vertex operators for the Type IIB superstring in an AdS3 x S3 background with Ramond-Ramond flux, which were presented at Strings 2000. Constraint equations for these vertex operators are derived, and their components are shown to satisfy the supergravity linearized equations of motion for the six-dimensional (2,0) theory of a supergravity and tensor multiplet expanded around AdS3 x S3 spacetime.

We quantize the superstring on the AdS_2 x S^2 background with Ramond-Ramond flux using a PSU(1,1|2)/U(1) x U(1) sigma model with a WZ term. One-loop conformal invariance of the model is guaranteed by a general mechanism which holds for coset spaces G/H where G is Ricci-flat and H is the invariant locus of a Z_4 automorphism of G. This mechanism gives conformal theories for the PSU(1,1|2) x PSU(2|2)/SU(2) x SU(2) and PSU(2,2|4)/SO(4,1) x SO(5) coset spaces, suggesting our res...

String theory on AdS3 space-times with boundary conditions that allow for black hole states has global asymptotic symmetries which include an infinite dimensional conformal algebra. Using the conformal current algebra for sigma-models on PSU(1,1|2), we explicitly construct the R-symmetry and Virasoro charges in the worldsheet theory describing string theory on AdS3 X S3 with Ramond-Ramond fluxes. We also indicate how to construct the full boundary superconformal algebra. The ...

A geometrical approach in the non-symmetric connection framework is employed to examine the issue of higher order $\alpha'$ corrections to D=10 type IIB superstring backgrounds with a covariantly constant null Killing isometry and non-zero Ramond-Ramond field content. These describe generalized supersymmetric string waves and were obtained recently by us through the S-duality transformation of purely NS-NS plane wave backgrounds. We find that the backgrounds are exact subject...

A family of type IIB superstring backgrounds involving Ramond-Ramond fields are obtained in ten dimensions starting from a K-model through a generalization of our recent results. The unbroken global $SL(2,R)$ symmetry of the type IIB equations of motion are implemented in this context as a solution generating transfromation. A geometrical analysis, based on the tensor structure of the higher order $\alpha^{\prime}$ terms in the equations of motion, is employed to show that th...