Abstract:We provide an explicit example of how the string winding modes can be incorporated in double field theory. Our guiding case is the closed bosonic string compactified on a circle of radius close to the self-dual point, where some modes with non-zero winding or discrete momentum number become massless and enhance the U(1) × U(1) symmetry to SU(2) × SU(2). We compute three-point string scattering amplitudes of massless and slightly massive states, and extract the corresponding effective low energy gauge field theory. The enhanced gauge symmetry at the self-dual point and the Higgs-like mechanism arising when changing the compactification radius are examined in detail. The extra massless fields associated to the enhancement are incorporated into a generalized frame withO(d+3)×O(d+3) structure, where d is the number of non-compact dimensions. We devise a consistent double field theory action that reproduces the low energy string effective action with enhanced gauge symmetry. The construction requires a truly non-geometric frame which explicitly depends on both the compact coordinate along the circle and its dual.
Gauge symmetry enhancing, at specific points of the compactification space, is a distinguished feature of string theory. In this work we discuss the breaking of such symmetries with tools provided by Double Field Theory (DFT). As a main guiding example we discuss the bosonic string compactified on a circle where, at the self-dual radio the generic U(1) × U(1) gauge symmetry becomes enhanced to SU(2) × SU(2). We show that the enhancing-breaking of the gauge symmetry can be understood through a dependence of gauge structure constants (fluxes in DFT) on moduli. This dependence, in DFT description, is encoded in the generalized tangent frame of the double space. The explicit T-duality invariant formulation provided by DFT proves to be a helpful ingredient. The link with string theory results is discussed and generalizations to generic tori compactifications are addressed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.