pith. sign in

arxiv: hep-th/9201050 · v1 · submitted 1992-01-24 · ✦ hep-th

The Complete Spectrum of the W_N String

classification ✦ hep-th
keywords stringspectrumcompletecoordinatesphysicalstatesappeararbitrary
0
0 comments X
read the original abstract

We obtain the complete physical spectrum of the $W_N$ string, for arbitrary $N$. The $W_N$ constraints freeze $N-2$ coordinates, while the remaining coordinates appear in the currents only {\it via} their energy-momentum tensor. The spectrum is then effectively described by a set of ordinary Virasoro-like string theories, but with a non-critical value for the central charge and a discrete set of non-standard values for the spin-2 intercepts. In particular, the physical spectrum of the $W_N$ string includes the usual massless states of the Virasoro string. By looking at the norms of low-lying states, we find strong indications that all the $W_N$ strings are unitary.

This paper has not been read by Pith yet.

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.