Type II superstring field theory with cyclic L-infinity structure

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive type II superstring field theory incorporating all sectors with a cyclic L-infinity algebra structure, ensuring gauge invariance and matching first-quantized amplitude results.

Contribution

It constructs a complete type II superstring field theory with a cyclic L-infinity structure, including novel non-local operators and amplitude consistency checks.

Findings

Successfully incorporates all sectors of type II superstring theory.

Constructs a cyclic L-infinity algebra for gauge-invariant action.

Demonstrates agreement of four-string amplitudes with first-quantized results.

Abstract

We construct a complete type II superstring field theory that includes all the NS-NS, R-NS, NS-R and R-R sectors. As in the open and heterotic superstring cases, the R-NS, NS-R and R-R string fields are constrained by using the picture-changing operators. In particular, we use a non-local inverse picture-changing operator for the constraint on the R-R string field, which seems to be inevitable due to the compatibility of the extra constraint with the closed string constraints. The natural symplectic form in the restricted Hilbert space gives a non-local kinetic action for the R-R sector, but it correctly provides the propagator expected from the first-quantized formulation. Extending the prescription previously obtained for the heterotic string field theory, we give a construction of general type II superstring products, which realizes a cyclic L-infinity structure, and thus provides a gauge-invariant action based on the homotopy algebraic formulation. Three typical four-string amplitudes derived from the constructed string field theory are demonstrated to agree with those in the first-quantized formulation. We also give the half-Wess-Zumino-Witten action defined in the medium Hilbert space whose left-moving sector is still restricted to the small Hilbert space.