Weyl Invariant Gonihedric Strings

TL;DR

This paper investigates a Weyl invariant string theory with extrinsic curvature, showing that quantum fluctuations induce a nonzero string tension while maintaining Weyl invariance at one-loop level.

Contribution

It demonstrates that quantum corrections in a Weyl invariant extrinsic curvature string theory generate a nonzero string tension, a novel result in this framework.

Findings

Quantum fluctuations induce nonzero string tension.

Weyl invariance is preserved at one-loop level.

Counterterms resemble those in quantum gravity.

Abstract

We study quantum corrections in the earlier proposed string theory, which is based on Weyl invariant purely extrinsic curvature action. At one-loop level it remains Weyl invariant irrespective of the dimension D of the embedding spacetime. To some extent the counterterms are reminiscent of the ones in pure quantum gravity. At classical level the string tension is equal to zero and quarks viewed as open ends of the surface are propagating freely without interaction. We demonstrate that quantum fluctuations generate nonzero area term (string tension).