Radiative corrections in high-dimensional physics: topics in string theory and Kaluza-Klein theory

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6987701

Gilbert, G N

The partition function for closed bosonic strings propagation on a flat background geometry in the critical dimension is evaluated directly as a perturbation expansion in accessible topological configurations. This work develops the general method necessary for the direct evaluation of probability amplitudes for the scattering of string. The mathematics of surfaces required for these computations has not been widely used in elementary particle physics prior to the recent advent of interest in fundamental string theories and thus is presented in a pedagogical manner. In addition a stability analysis of self-consistent Candelas-Weinberg-type Kaluza-Kelin models incorporating a space-time-dependent background geometry is performed. It is found that quantum-mechanical corrections to the effective action may change the overall sign of the kinetic energy term. In this case the solutions of the equations of motion are unstable against perturbations in the radius of the internal space. This result motivates the investigation of the stability of Kaluza-Klein models involving arbitrary numbers of scalar and spinor fields. To one-loop order it is found that the internal space is stable only if the ratio of the number of scalar fields to the number of spinor fields lies within a certain bound which is computed for several values of the dimension of the internal space.

• Research Organization: Texas Univ., Austin (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6987701
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ACTION INTEGRAL
COMPOSITE MODELS
CORRECTIONS
EXTENDED PARTICLE MODEL
FIELD THEORIES
INTEGRALS
KALUZA-KLEIN THEORY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARTICLE MODELS
PERTURBATION THEORY
QUARK MODEL
RADIATIVE CORRECTIONS
SCALAR FIELDS
SPINORS
STRING MODELS
UNIFIED-FIELD THEORIES