Spectral flow and string correlators in AdS$_3\times S^3 \times T^4$

TL;DR

This paper develops new techniques to compute three-point correlators in superstring theory on AdS3×S3×T4, matching holographic predictions and analyzing string emission/absorption processes.

Contribution

It introduces novel methods for calculating spectral flow correlators in the superstring model, enabling new holographic three-point functions to be derived and compared with dual CFT predictions.

Findings

Derived new three-point functions involving spectral flow sectors.

Matched holographic correlators with symmetric product orbifold predictions.

Computed emission/absorption amplitudes for fundamental strings.

Abstract

We consider three-point correlation functions for superstrings propagating in AdS$_3\times S^3 \times T^4$. In the RNS formalism, these generically involve correlators with current insertions. When vertex operators with non-trivial spectral flow charges are present, their complicated OPEs with the currents imply that standard methods can not be used to compute such correlators. Here we develop novel techniques for computing all $m$-basis correlators of the supersymmetric model. We then show how, in some cases, these results can be translated to the $x$-basis. We obtain a new family of holographic three-point functions involving spacetime chiral primaries living in spectrally flowed sectors of the worldsheet CFT. These match precisely the predictions from the holographic dual at the symmetric product orbifold point. Finally, we also consider long strings and compute the probability amplitude associated with the process describing the emission/absorption of fundamental string quanta.