On the trivalent junction of three non-tachyonic heterotic string theories

A

bstract

Recently, Altavista, Anastasi, Angius and Uranga discussed a method to construct junctions and bouquets of different perturbative string theories. Following this analysis, we here argue that three non-tachyonic ten-dimensional heterotic string theories can be joined together at a nine-dimensional junction.

This is done by creating a two-dimensional non-conformal 𝒩 = (0 , 1) supersymmetric quantum field theory with three asymptotic ends, each equipped with one of the worldsheet theories of the supersymmetric E ₈ × E ₈ theory, the supersymmetric SO(32) theory, and the non-supersymmetric SO(16) × SO(16) theory, respectively. It is actually a special case of a more general construction involving an arbitrary ℤ ₂ -symmetric theory T , its ℤ ₂ -orbifold T/ ℤ ₂ , and the modified ℤ ₂ -orbifold ( T × q ) / ℤ ₂ , where q is a certain ℤ ₂ -symmetric spin invertible theory.