Longitudinal vibrations of the relativistic string

Journal Article · Sun Oct 15 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · Phys. Rev., D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.18.2967· OSTI ID:6877365

Andreo, R H; Rohrlich, F

The question of the existence of longitudinal solutions to the massless relativistic string is addressed. In one space and one time dimension, M/sub 1//sub +/1, the classical string solutions are obtained by explicit construction in terms of step functions. No classical solutions exist with only a finite number of modes. The propagation of the discontinuities in the solutions requires additional boundary conditions whose form can be determined from a modified action principle. The quantization can be carried through in a canonical manner and longitudinal states involving only a finite number of modes are found in M/sub 1//sub +/1. But in higher dimensions one finds that no such solutions can exist. Longitudinal states involving an infinite number of modes, however, may exist in higher dimensions. Some low-lying physical states in M/sub 1//sub +/1 are exhibited explicitly and are compared with semiclassical spectral estimates reported previously by other authors. Finally, the gauge group of the system is discussed in considerable detail, and the relation of the manifestly covariant gauge, employed here to the more familiar null-plane gauge, is closely examined.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y. 13210
• OSTI ID: 6877365
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev., D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev., D; (United States) Vol. 18:8; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BANACH SPACE
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
COMPOSITE MODELS
ELECTRODYNAMICS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
EXTENDED PARTICLE MODEL
FIELD THEORIES
GAUGE INVARIANCE
HAMILTONIANS
HILBERT SPACE
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LIE GROUPS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MINKOWSKI SPACE
PARTICLE MODELS
POINCARE GROUPS
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM OPERATORS
QUARK MODEL
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SPACE
STRING MODELS
SYMMETRY GROUPS