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The complex scalar combines the IIB axion and dilaton. Its imaginary part is $1/g_s$ for a constant background. S-duality acts by fractional linear transformations, corresponding to changes of torus basis in the M-theory torus duality.

To first order in ${\alpha }^{\prime }$, the conventional Euclidean dilaton coupling gives ${\overline{\beta }}_{\mu \nu }^G={\alpha }^{\prime }[R_{\mu \nu }-H_{\mu \rho \sigma }{H}_{\nu }{}^{\rho \sigma }/4+2{\nabla }_{\mu }{\nabla }_{\nu }\Phi ]$ and ${\overline{\beta }}_{\mu \nu }^B={\alpha }^{\prime }[-{\nabla }^{\rho }{H}_{\rho \mu \nu }/2+({\nabla }^{\rho }\Phi )H_{\rho \mu \nu }]$. The scalar coefficient is $(d-26)/6+{\alpha }^{\prime }[(\nabla \Phi {)}^2-{\nabla }^2\Phi /2-H^2/24]$. Here $H$ is the Kalb-Ramond field strength. Vanishing of these coefficients, including higher-order corrections, is the background-field condition for quantum Weyl transformations to remain a gauge symmetry. The scalar coefficient includes the central charge deficit and is not implied by the metric equation alone.

The quantum measure in abelian T-duality changes the conventional dilaton by ${\phi }^{\prime }=\phi -\frac{1}{2}\log g_{yy}$ in alpha-prime-one units for a spacelike isometry. The regulated Gaussian integration over the auxiliary gauge field produces this curvature coupling. It is consistent with invariance of the string-frame density $e^{-2\phi }\sqrt{\det g}$ under the local Buscher rules.

For circle-independent fields, the metric gives the type-IIA string-frame metric, dilaton and RR one-form. Decomposing $A_3=C_3+B_2\wedge dy$ gives the RR three-form and Kalb–Ramond field. With $H_3=d{B}_2$, $F_2=d{C}_1$, the horizontal four-form is ${\tilde{F}}_4=d{C}_3-C_1\wedge H_3$. The Einstein term reduces, modulo a total derivative, to $\sqrt{-g}[e^{-2\Phi }(R+4(\nabla \Phi {)}^2)-\frac{1}{4}{F}_{2,\mu \nu }{F}_2^{\mu \nu }]$. The eleven-dimensional form norm gives $\sqrt{-g}[e^{-2\Phi }|H_3{|}^2+|{\tilde{F}}_4{|}^2]$, where $|F_k{|}^2=F^2/k!$. Ordinary reduction generates massless type IIA supergravity, not Romans mass.

The brane embedding pulls the spacetime metric and two-form back to the worldvolume. The dilaton is evaluated at that embedding. If the quoted tension includes the constant-background factor $e^{-{\Phi }_0}$, use $\tilde{\Phi }=\Phi (X)-{\Phi }_0$; otherwise use $\tilde{\Phi }=\Phi (X)$ and a tension coefficient independent of that factor. These are normalization conventions for the same Dirac-Born-Infeld action.

A dilatino is a spin-one-half fermionic partner in a supergravity theory containing a dilaton. Type IIA and type IIB theories each contain two Majorana-Weyl dilatini with eight physical polarizations apiece. Their chirality assignments differ between the two theories.

A constant dilaton contributes ${\Phi }_0\chi (\Sigma )$ to the Euclidean worldsheet action by the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. With string coupling $g_s=e^{{\Phi }_0}$ and Euler characteristic $\chi =2-2g$, the path-integral weight is $g_s^{2g-2}$. Canonically normalized external closed-string vertices add one power of $g_s$ each.

With Euclidean curvature coupling $(4\pi {)}^{-1}\int \sqrt{h}\phi R$, a constant dilaton contributes ${\phi }_0\chi$ by the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. The genus-$g$ closed-string weight is $e^{-{\phi }_0\chi }=g_s^{2g-2}$ with $g_s=e^{{\phi }_0}$. If the coefficient is instead written as $\int \sqrt{h}\Phi R$, then in the same convention $\phi =4\pi \Phi$. The field normalization must be fixed before reading off the coupling.

The Dirac-Born-Infeld action describes the leading derivative dynamics of one D-brane, including nonlinear dependence on slowly varying worldvolume field strengths. Its induced tensors are D-brane worldvolume pullbacks. The combination $P[B]+2\pi {\alpha }^{\prime }F$ is invariant under the combined two-form and boundary gauge transformation. The dilaton factor reflects a disk's Euler characteristic. Expanding about flat space with small field strengths and embedding gradients gives the worldvolume gauge and scalar kinetic terms. A coincident stack has a non-Abelian low-energy Yang-Mills action; this does not imply that a naive traced determinant is exact at every order.

For $D>2$, rescale the string-frame metric by $g^{(E)}=e^{-4\phi /(D-2)}{g}^{(s)}$. The Weyl transformation of the Ricci scalar makes the coefficient of the Einstein-frame Ricci term independent of the dilaton. Indeed $g^{(s)}=e^{4\phi /(D-2)}{g}^{(E)}$ contributes factors $e^{2D\phi /(D-2)}$ from the volume, $e^{-2\phi }$ from the original coupling and $e^{-4\phi /(D-2)}$ from the Ricci term; their product is one. Derivative terms supply the transformed dilaton kinetic term. The two-dimensional case is excluded from this particular rescaling.

In the critical closed bosonic string, compactification of one coordinate gives $M^2=n^2/R^2+w^2{R}^2/{\alpha }^{\prime 2}+2(N+\tilde{N}-2)/{\alpha }^{\prime }$ and $\tilde{N}-N+nw=0$. At oscillator level zero, level matching forces $nw=0$. Thus a pure momentum ground state becomes a massless scalar field at $R=|n|\sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}/2$, while a pure winding ground state does so at $R=2\sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}/|w|$. These are threshold states descended from the bosonic tachyon; they are additional to the neutral graviton, two-form, vectors, dilaton and radius modulus. At the self-dual circle, the four charges $(\pm 2,0),(0,\pm 2)$ contribute to the enhanced massless scalar field spectrum.

For the dilaton equation from contracted Bianchi identity, put $F=e^{-2\phi }$. The chain rule gives ${\square }_{g}F=F(-2{\square }_g\phi +4|\nabla \phi {|}^2)=-2CF$. Thus the exponential obeys a linear Klein-Gordon equation on the given background, although the original dilaton equation is nonlinear and the string-frame metric remains coupled to the dilaton. With the opposite named-field convention $\phi =-\Phi$, this variable is $F=e^{2\Phi }$.

For the conventional positive Euclidean dilaton curvature coupling, with no antisymmetric background field, the leading scalar Weyl coefficient is the displayed expression. The matter/ghost central charge gives $(D-26)/6$. In a geodesic background field expansion of a string sigma model, contracting $\frac{1}{2}{\nabla }_a{\nabla }_b\phi Y^a{Y}^b$ in the curvature coupling produces the counterterm $\delta \phi =-{\alpha }^{\prime }\square \phi /(2\epsilon )$ and hence the Laplacian term. The full embedding equation ${\square }_h{X}^a+{\Gamma }^a{}_{bc}\partial X^b\partial X^c=({\alpha }^{\prime }/2)R^{(2)}{\nabla }^a\phi$ supplies the gradient-square improvement in the dilaton Weyl variation. Setting this coefficient to zero fixes the constant in the dilaton equation from contracted Bianchi identity; the metric equation alone does not. The Lorentzian dilaton coupling sign convention determines the named-field translation.

The noncritical coefficient is also given in Tong's string theory notes, Section 7.4.4.

For the conventional Euclidean dilaton coupling $+(4\pi {)}^{-1}\int \sqrt{h}R\phi$ and no antisymmetric background, the metric worldsheet Weyl anomaly vanishes at first order in ${\alpha }^{\prime }$ when $R_{ab}+2{\nabla }_a{\nabla }_b\phi =0$. The one-loop Ricci term follows from the background field expansion of a string sigma model. Under a Weyl transformation, the dilaton coupling varies as $-(2\pi {)}^{-1}\int \sqrt{h}\omega {\square }_h\phi$; the embedding equations replace this by the target Hessian contribution. Full Weyl invariance also requires the dilaton curvature coefficient, including the central-charge deficit, to vanish. See the Lorentzian dilaton coupling sign convention when translating an action with a specified Lorentzian sign.

The conventional coefficient agrees with the background equations in Tong's string theory notes, Section 7.2.3.

With worldsheet signature $(-,+)$, $e^{i{S}_L}=e^{-S_E}$, and the curvature convention $R[e^{2\omega }h]=e^{-2\omega }(R[h]-2{\square }_h\omega )$, the usual negative Lorentzian kinetic action becomes positive in Euclidean signature. A positive Lorentzian term $(4\pi {)}^{-1}\int \sqrt{-h}R\Phi$ becomes a negative Euclidean curvature coupling. Therefore the conventional Euclidean dilaton with positive curvature coupling is $\phi =-\Phi$. The leading metric-dilaton Weyl condition is $R_{ab}+2{\nabla }_a{\nabla }_b\phi =0$, or $R_{ab}-2{\nabla }_a{\nabla }_b\Phi =0$ with that literal positive Lorentzian coupling. Keeping the same named field and reversing the action's curvature-coupling sign reverses the Hessian term. The continuation follows directly from $d\tau =-id{\tau }_E$ and $S_E=-i{S}_L$; the geometric scalar curvature continues without an extra arbitrary sign.

At the first massless closed-string level, the matter vertex has the form ${ϵ}_{\mu \nu }:\partial X^{\mu }\bar{\partial }{X}^{\nu }{e}^{ik\cdot X}:$, with null momentum and a polarization tensor transverse in both indices. Its symmetric trace-free, antisymmetric and trace sectors describe the graviton, Kalb–Ramond field and dilaton.

In the critical bosonic string theory, the states ${\alpha }_{-1}^i{\tilde{\alpha }}_{-1}^j|0;p⟩$ have $M^2=0$. Their coefficient matrix decomposes into a symmetric trace-free tensor, an antisymmetric tensor, and a scalar trace, representing the graviton, Kalb–Ramond field, and dilaton. Their transverse particle polarization counts add to $(D-2{)}^2$. The normal-ordering constant of a string is one.

The bosons are the metric, two-form, dilaton, RR one-form and RR three-form, with physical dimensions $35+28+1+8+56=128$. Two opposite-chirality gravitinos and two dilatinos supply $2(56+8)=128$ fermionic degrees of freedom. They form the ten-dimensional type IIA supergravity multiplet. Counts refer to on-shell polarizations, not raw field components.

The NS-NS fields are a graviton, Kalb–Ramond field and dilaton, with $35+28+1$ physical polarizations. The RR fields are $C_0,C_2,C_4$, with $1+28+35$ polarizations; the five-form field strength of $C_4$ is self-dual. Two same-chirality Majorana-Weyl gravitini contribute $112$ polarizations, and two Majorana-Weyl dilatini of the opposite chirality contribute $16$. Potential components, dual potentials and physical polarizations are different counts.