Strings on curved space-times: black holes, torsion, and duality

Paul Ginsparg, Fernando Quevedo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We present a general discussion of strings propagating on noncompact coset spaces G/H in terms of gauged WZW models, emphasizing the role played by isometries in the existence of target-space duality. Fixed points of the gauged transformations induce metric singularities and, in the case of abelian subgroups H, become horizons in a dual geometry. We also give a classification of models with a single timelike coordinate together with an explicit list for dimensions D ≤ 10. We study in detail the class of models described by the cosets SL(2, R) ⊗ SO(1, 1)D-2/SO(1, 1). For D ≥ 2 each coset represent space-time geometries: (2d black hole) ⊗ RD-2 and (3d black string) ⊗ RD-3 with nonvanishing torsion. They are shown to be dual in such a way that the singularity of the former geometry (which is not due to a fixed point) is mapped to a regular surface (i.e. not even a horizon) in the latter. These cosets also lead to the conformal field theory description of known and new cosmological string models.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)527-557
Number of pages31
JournalNuclear Physics, Section B
Volume385
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 26 1992

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nuclear and High Energy Physics

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