N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 heterotic strings revisited

Abstract We show that 1 + 1 dimensional vacua of the (0, 2) heterotic string have many properties in common with more recently studied physical systems. The free theory exhibits a symmetric product CFT structure. The single-string Hilbert space splits into sectors labeled by the string winding, w, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amit Giveon, Akikazu Hashimoto, David Kutasov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of High Energy Physics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2025)006
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Summary:Abstract We show that 1 + 1 dimensional vacua of the (0, 2) heterotic string have many properties in common with more recently studied physical systems. The free theory exhibits a symmetric product CFT structure. The single-string Hilbert space splits into sectors labeled by the string winding, w, that contain purely left-moving (for w > 0) and right-moving (for w < 0) excitations. These sectors exhibit infinite-dimensional left and right-moving symmetry algebras, respectively, with central extensions that depend on w. String interactions between left and right-movers appear to lead to a T T ¯ $$ T\overline{T} $$ deformation of the free theory.
ISSN:1029-8479