Normalization anomalies in level truncation calculations

Abstract

We test oscillator level truncation regularization in string field theory by calculating descent relations among vertices, or equivalently, the overlap of wedge states. We repeat the calculation using bosonic, as well as fermionic ghosts, where in the bosonic case we do the calculation both in the discrete and in the continuous basis. We also calculate analogous expressions in field level truncation. Each calculation gives a different result. We point out to the source of these differences and in the bosonic ghost case we pinpoint the origin of the difference between the discrete and continuous basis calculations. The conclusion is that level truncation regularization cannot be trusted in calculations involving normalization of singular states, such as wedge states, rank-one squeezed state projectors and string vertices.

1+20 pages, 6 figures. v2: Ref. added, typos corrected

References in corpus (9)

• Topics in String Field Theory
• Diagonal Representation of Open String Star and Moyal Product
• Perturbative diagrams in string field theory
• Virasoro operators in the continuous basis of string field theory
• Squeezed State Projectors in String Field Theory
• Continuous Half-String Representation of String Field Theory
• Moyal Formulation of Witten's Star Product in the Fermionic Ghost Sector
• A Note on kappa-Diagonal Surface States
• On surface states and star-subalgebras in string field theory

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Analytical Solutions of Open String Field Theory
• On the validity of the solution of string field theory
• Schnabl's L_0 Operator in the Continuous Basis
• Universal regularization for string field theory
• Ghost story. III. Back to ghost number zero
• Descent Relations and Oscillator Level Truncation Method
• On string fields and superstring field theories
• Descent Relations in Cubic Superstring Field Theory