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Worldsheet Instanton
In string theory, a worldsheet is a two-dimensional manifold which describes the embedding of a string in spacetime. The term was coined by Leonard Susskind as a direct generalization of the world line concept for a point particle in special and general relativity. The type of string, the geometry of the spacetime in which it propagates, and the presence of long-range background fields (such as gauge fields) are encoded in a two-dimensional conformal field theory defined on the worldsheet. For example, the bosonic string in 26 dimensions has a worldsheet conformal field theory consisting of 26 free scalar bosons. Meanwhile, a superstring worldsheet theory in 10 dimensions consists of 10 free scalar fields and their fermionic superpartners. Mathematical formulation Bosonic string We begin with the classical formulation of the bosonic string. First fix a d-dimensional flat spacetime (d-dimensional Minkowski space), M, which serves as the ambient space for the string. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
String Theory
In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and interact with each other. On distance scales larger than the string scale, a string acts like a particle, with its mass, charge, and other properties determined by the vibrational state of the string. In string theory, one of the many vibrational states of the string corresponds to the graviton, a quantum mechanical particle that carries the gravitational force. Thus, string theory is a theory of quantum gravity. String theory is a broad and varied subject that attempts to address a number of deep questions of fundamental physics. String theory has contributed a number of advances to mathematical physics, which have been applied to a variety of problems in black hole physics, early universe cosmology, nuclear physics, and condensed matter ph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flat (geometry)
In geometry, a flat is an affine subspace, i.e. a subset of an affine space that is itself an affine space. Particularly, in the case the parent space is Euclidean, a flat is a Euclidean subspace which inherits the notion of distance from its parent space. In an -dimensional space, there are -flats of every dimension from 0 to ; flats one dimension lower than the parent space, -flats, are called '' hyperplanes''. The flats in a plane (two-dimensional space) are points, lines, and the plane itself; the flats in three-dimensional space are points, lines, planes, and the space itself. The definition of flat excludes non-straight curves and non-planar surfaces, which are subspaces having different notions of distance: arc length and geodesic length, respectively. Flats occur in linear algebra, as geometric realizations of solution sets of systems of linear equations. A flat is a manifold and an algebraic variety, and is sometimes called a ''linear manifold'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conformal Manifold
In mathematics, conformal geometry is the study of the set of angle-preserving ( conformal) transformations on a space. In a real two dimensional space, conformal geometry is precisely the geometry of Riemann surfaces. In space higher than two dimensions, conformal geometry may refer either to the study of conformal transformations of what are called "flat spaces" (such as Euclidean spaces or spheres), or to the study of conformal manifolds which are Riemannian or pseudo-Riemannian manifolds with a class of metrics that are defined up to scale. Study of the flat structures is sometimes termed Möbius geometry, and is a type of Klein geometry. Conformal manifolds A conformal manifold is a Riemannian manifold (or pseudo-Riemannian manifold) equipped with an equivalence class of metric tensors, in which two metrics ''g'' and ''h'' are equivalent if and only if :h = \lambda^2 g , where ''λ'' is a real-valued smooth function defined on the manifold and is called the conformal facto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weyl Transformation
In theoretical physics, the Weyl transformation, named after German mathematician Hermann Weyl, is a local rescaling of the metric tensor: g_ \rightarrow e^ g_ which produces another metric in the same conformal class. A theory or an expression invariant under this transformation is called conformally invariant, or is said to possess Weyl invariance or Weyl symmetry. The Weyl symmetry is an important symmetry in conformal field theory. It is, for example, a symmetry of the Polyakov action. When quantum mechanical effects break the conformal invariance of a theory, it is said to exhibit a conformal anomaly or Weyl anomaly. The ordinary Levi-Civita connection and associated spin connections are not invariant under Weyl transformations. Weyl connections are a class of affine connections that is invariant, although no Weyl connection is individual invariant under Weyl transformations. Conformal weight A quantity \varphi has conformal weight k if, under the Weyl transforma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polyakov Action
In physics, the Polyakov action is an action of the two-dimensional conformal field theory describing the worldsheet of a string in string theory. It was introduced by Stanley Deser and Bruno Zumino and independently by L. Brink, P. Di Vecchia and P. S. Howe in 1976, and has become associated with Alexander Polyakov after he made use of it in quantizing the string in 1981. The action reads: : \mathcal = \frac \int\mathrm^2\sigma\, \sqrt\,h^ g_(X) \partial_a X^\mu(\sigma) \partial_b X^\nu(\sigma), where T is the string tension, g_ is the metric of the target manifold, h_ is the worldsheet metric, h^ its inverse, and h is the determinant of h_. The metric signature is chosen such that timelike directions are + and the spacelike directions are −. The spacelike worldsheet coordinate is called \sigma, whereas the timelike worldsheet coordinate is called \tau. This is also known as the nonlinear sigma model. The Polyakov action must be supplemented by the Liouville action to d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space-like
In mathematical physics, the causal structure of a Lorentzian manifold describes the possible causal relationships between points in the manifold. Lorentzian manifolds can be classified according to the types of causal structures they admit (''causality conditions''). Introduction In modern physics (especially general relativity) spacetime is represented by a Lorentzian manifold. The causal relations between points in the manifold are interpreted as describing which events in spacetime can influence which other events. The causal structure of an arbitrary (possibly curved) Lorentzian manifold is made more complicated by the presence of curvature. Discussions of the causal structure for such manifolds must be phrased in terms of smooth curves joining pairs of points. Conditions on the tangent vectors of the curves then define the causal relationships. Tangent vectors If \,(M,g) is a Lorentzian manifold (for metric g on manifold M) then the nonzero tangent vectors at each p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Time-like
In mathematical physics, the causal structure of a Lorentzian manifold describes the possible Causality (physics), causal relationships between points in the manifold. Lorentzian manifolds can be classified according to the types of causal structures they admit (''causality conditions''). Introduction In modern physics (especially general relativity) spacetime is represented by a Lorentzian manifold. The causal relations between points in the manifold are interpreted as describing which events in spacetime can influence which other events. The causal structure of an arbitrary (possibly curved) Lorentzian manifold is made more complicated by the presence of curvature. Discussions of the causal structure for such manifolds must be phrased in terms of smooth function, smooth curves joining pairs of points. Conditions on the tangent vectors of the curves then define the causal relationships. Tangent vectors If \,(M,g) is a Lorentzian manifold (for metric tensor, metric g on man ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Induced Metric
Induce may refer to: * Induced consumption * Induced innovation * Induced character * Induced coma * Induced menopause * Induced metric * Induced path * Induced topology * Induce (musician), American musician * Labor induction, stimulation of childbirth See also * Inducement (other) * Induction (other) * * {{disambiguation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surface (topology)
In the part of mathematics referred to as topology, a surface is a two-dimensional manifold. Some surfaces arise as the boundaries of three-dimensional solid figures; for example, the sphere is the boundary of the solid ball. Other surfaces arise as graphs of functions of two variables; see the figure at right. However, surfaces can also be defined abstractly, without reference to any ambient space. For example, the Klein bottle is a surface that cannot be embedded in three-dimensional Euclidean space. Topological surfaces are sometimes equipped with additional information, such as a Riemannian metric or a complex structure, that connects them to other disciplines within mathematics, such as differential geometry and complex analysis. The various mathematical notions of surface can be used to model surfaces in the physical world. In general In mathematics, a surface is a geometrical shape that resembles a deformed plane. The most familiar examples arise as boundaries ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Embedding
In mathematics, an embedding (or imbedding) is one instance of some mathematical structure contained within another instance, such as a group (mathematics), group that is a subgroup. When some object X is said to be embedded in another object Y, the embedding is given by some Injective function, injective and structure-preserving map f:X\rightarrow Y. The precise meaning of "structure-preserving" depends on the kind of mathematical structure of which X and Y are instances. In the terminology of category theory, a structure-preserving map is called a morphism. The fact that a map f:X\rightarrow Y is an embedding is often indicated by the use of a "hooked arrow" (); thus: f : X \hookrightarrow Y. (On the other hand, this notation is sometimes reserved for inclusion maps.) Given X and Y, several different embeddings of X in Y may be possible. In many cases of interest there is a standard (or "canonical") embedding, like those of the natural numbers in the integers, the integers i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambient Space
In mathematics, especially in geometry and topology, an ambient space is the space surrounding a mathematical object along with the object itself. For example, a 1-dimensional line (l) may be studied in isolation —in which case the ambient space of l is l, or it may be studied as an object embedded in 2-dimensional Euclidean space (\mathbb^2)—in which case the ambient space of l is \mathbb^2, or as an object embedded in 2-dimensional hyperbolic space (\mathbb^2)—in which case the ambient space of l is \mathbb^2. To see why this makes a difference, consider the statement " Parallel lines never intersect." This is true if the ambient space is \mathbb^2, but false if the ambient space is \mathbb^2, because the geometric properties of \mathbb^2 are different from the geometric properties of \mathbb^2. All spaces are subsets of their ambient space. See also * Configuration space * Geometric space * Manifold and ambient manifold * Submanifolds and Hypersurfaces * R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
