Reply to ``Proof of the Gauge Independence of the Conformal Anomaly of Bosonic String in the Sense of Kraemmer and Rebhan''

TL;DR

This paper defends the authors' 1988 proof of gauge independence of the conformal anomaly in bosonic string theory against recent criticisms, clarifying the logic and addressing misunderstandings in the critique.

Contribution

It provides a detailed rebuttal to claims that the authors' previous proof was incorrect, reaffirming the validity of their original arguments.

Findings

The authors' original proof remains valid and correct.

Misunderstandings in the criticism are clarified and addressed.

The logic of gauge independence proofs in string theory is reinforced.

Abstract

In two recent preprints (hep-th/9710131 and hep-th/9710132), Abe and Nakanishi have claimed that the proof of the gauge independence of the conformal anomaly of the bosonic string as given by us in 1988 was wrong. A similar allegation has been made concerning our proof of the gauge independence of the sum of the ghost number and Lagrange multiplier anomalies in non-conformal gauges. In this short note we refute their criticism by explaining the simple logic of our proofs and emphasizing the points that have been missed by Abe and Nakanishi.