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The first massless level of a closed string contains a spin-two field, an antisymmetric two-form and a scalar: the graviton, Kalb–Ramond field and dilaton. The polarization redundancies found in Question 2 become, in position space, the linearized transformations $\delta G_{\mu \nu }={\partial }_{\mu }{\xi }_{\nu }+{\partial }_{\nu }{\xi }_{\mu }$ and $\delta B_{\mu \nu }={\partial }_{\mu }{\Lambda }_{\nu }-{\partial }_{\nu }{\Lambda }_{\mu }$. Thus the massless spin-two field already carries the gauge symmetry of linearized general relativity.

To describe slowly varying backgrounds, promote these polarizations to fields of the embedding coordinates. The Euclidean string nonlinear sigma model isHere ${ϵ}^{ab}$ is the antisymmetric coordinate density. Quantum consistency requires worldsheet Weyl anomaly cancellation, not merely the classical background equations. At first order in ${\alpha }^{\prime }$ the bosonic sigma-model Weyl anomaly coefficients givewhere $H=dB$ is the Kalb-Ramond field strength. The scalar anomaly condition, combined with the trace of the metric condition in the critical dimension, givesThese are the Euler–Lagrange equations of the leading string-frame massless effective actionFor example, variation of $B$ gives the divergence equation above. Varying $\Phi$ and integrating its kinetic variation by parts gives $R+4{\nabla }^2\Phi -4(\nabla \Phi {)}^2-H^2/12=0$. Combining this with the metric variation yields the Ricci equation. Thus the string's quantum conformal consistency reproduces target-space gravity coupled to matter. Equivalently, expanding string scattering amplitudes at small momenta gives the same action: massless exchange poles are reproduced by these fields, while analytic terms from massive exchange become local higher-derivative interactions.

The apparent dilaton-dependent coefficient of $R$ is a frame choice. Put $\varphi =\Phi -{\Phi }_0$ and, in dimension $D>2$, define the Einstein-frame metricTo see the cancellation explicitly, write $G=e^{2\omega }{g}^{(E)}$, $\omega =2\varphi /(D-2)$. ThenThe Laplacian term is a boundary term. Combining the last term with the original positive dilaton kinetic term produces $-4({\nabla }_E\varphi {)}^2/(D-2)$. The three inverse metrics in $H^2$ give its remaining exponential factor. HenceFor the uncompactified bosonic theory $D=26$, these coefficients are $-1/6$ and $e^{-\varphi /3}$. The Ricci term is now the Einstein-Hilbert action; its metric variation gives the Einstein field equations with stress-energy tensor from the scalar and two-form. The leading low-energy theory is general relativity coupled to the massless string fields.

The approximation requires characteristic momenta $E\sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}\ll 1$ and small curvature in string units. Massive string modes have masses of order $1/\sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}$ and can be integrated out, generating corrections with extra powers of ${\alpha }^{\prime }{E}^2$ or ${\alpha }^{\prime }R$. The string genus expansion supplies independent loop corrections controlled by $g_s=e^{{\Phi }_0}$; at weak coupling tree-level gravity dominates. Dimensional analysis gives ${\kappa }_{26}^2\propto g_s^2({\alpha }^{\prime }{)}^{12}$.

Compactification supplies lower-dimensional gravity and additional matter: metric and two-form components give gauge fields, internal geometry gives scalar moduli, and light modes of Kaluza-Klein theory must be kept if their masses lie below the chosen cutoff. Open strings add gauge fields, and supersymmetric string theories add spacetime fermions. Their particular matter spectrum depends on the compactification and projection; universal massless spin-two interactions retain the gravitational form. Finally, the bosonic massless-sector action is a formal truncation around a tachyonically unstable vacuum. It does not remove that instability. Tachyon-free superstring backgrounds provide stable applications of this low-energy gravitational interpretation.

The starting point is a physical massless closed-string stateIts symmetric traceless part is a spacetime spin-two field, the graviton; the antisymmetric part is the Kalb–Ramond field, and the scalar field part gives the dilaton. The physical-state conditions impose transverse polarizations, and longitudinal null states identifyfor the symmetric component. In position space this is the linearized diffeomorphism $\delta h_{\mu \nu }={\partial }_{\mu }{\xi }_{\nu }+{\partial }_{\nu }{\xi }_{\mu }$. Thus the massless spin-two state has the gauge redundancy required of a gravitational field, rather than an arbitrary massive tensor interaction.

Closed-string amplitudes factorize on this graviton pole. Its leading soft coupling is universal and couples to the energy-momentum tensor of the other string states. Decoupling longitudinal polarizations enforces the gravitational Ward identities. The two-derivative cubic graviton vertex extracted from the low-momentum three-point amplitude is the cubic vertex of the Einstein-Hilbert action; continuing these Ward identities requires the nonlinear diffeomorphism-invariant completion. A complementary way to derive the same dynamics is to demand quantum consistency of propagation in a curved background.

Replace the flat target metric in the worldsheet action by $G_{\mu \nu }(X)$, and allow the two-form and dilaton backgrounds. After Euclidean continuation, their couplings have the schematic normalizationThese backgrounds are couplings of a string nonlinear sigma model. Quantum Weyl invariance requires their Weyl anomaly coefficients to vanish. To first order in ${\alpha }^{\prime }$, the metric equation isThe dilaton and two-form equations accompany it. In a critical-dimensional background with $H=0$ and constant $\Phi$, the leading metric equation is $R_{\mu \nu }=0$, precisely the vacuum Einstein field equations. Matter and other massless string fields supply the corresponding stress-energy when retained. This argument also explains why arbitrary curved target metrics are not consistent string backgrounds.

The equations arise from the leading string-frame massless effective actionA constant-dilaton expansion of its curvature term directly gives the Einstein-Hilbert kinetic and self-interaction terms. For a varying dilaton, introduce the Einstein-frame metric $G_{\mu \nu }^E=e^{-4\Phi /(D-2)}{G}_{\mu \nu }$. The Weyl rescaling of the metric and the corresponding transformation of the Ricci scalar and an integration by parts giveThis displays ordinary Einstein gravity coupled to the dilaton and two-form. Gravity need not be the only low-energy field: those fields, compactification moduli and gauge fields have to be retained or stabilized as appropriate. Four-dimensional gravity additionally requires compactification from the critical target dimension, with its Newton constant depending on the compactification volume.

The approximation is controlled when external energies obey $E\sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}\ll 1$ and curvatures obey ${\alpha }^{\prime }|R_{\mu \nu \rho \sigma }|\ll 1$. Massive string modes then produce suppressed higher-derivative interactions, such as higher-curvature corrections. Small string coupling $g_s=e^{{\Phi }_0}$ also suppresses higher-genus quantum corrections; dimensionally $G_D$ scales as $g_s^2{\alpha }^{\prime (D-2)/2}$. Thus Einstein gravity is the universal leading two-derivative dynamics of the massless closed-string spin-two field, with additional massless matter, string-length corrections and quantum corrections systematically controlled.

For the bosonic theory this is the massless-sector effective description in 26 dimensions; the tachyon means that it is not by itself a proof of a stable vacuum. Tachyon-free supersymmetric string theories have the same massless graviton mechanism in ten dimensions before compactification. Removing the tachyon and obtaining a realistic four-dimensional model require extra physical input beyond the emergence of the Einstein action.

The string-frame metric is the target metric appearing directly in the kinetic term of the string nonlinear sigma model. With conventional Euclidean dilaton $\phi$, its leading spacetime gravitational action contains $\sqrt{-g^{(s)}}{e}^{-2\phi }(R+4|\nabla \phi {|}^2)$. The dilaton-dependent Ricci coefficient distinguishes it from the Einstein-frame metric. Frame changes are local field redefinitions where the conformal factor is finite and nonzero; the Lorentzian dilaton coupling sign convention fixes which named field is $\phi$.