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The Polyakov action introduces an independent worldsheet metric $h_{ab}$:Its redundancies are worldsheet diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations. A Polyakov path integral over all metrics without dividing by this gauge volume would count physically equivalent configurations repeatedly. Fixing conformal gauge therefore needs the Faddeev-Popov determinant, not merely the substitution of a flat metric into the action.

After using the Weyl transformation to remove the trace of a metric variation, the infinitesimal worldsheet diffeomorphism ghost operator isThe Faddeev-Popov determinant of this operator is represented by anticommuting fields: a vector Faddeev-Popov ghost $c^a$ and a symmetric traceless Faddeev-Popov antighost field $b^{ab}$. In Euclidean coordinates their worldsheet ghost action is, up to a consistent overall normalization,The two chiral copies of this bc system have conformal weights $(2,-1)$ and anticommutators $\{b_m,c_n\}={\delta }_{m+n,0}$. They are auxiliary fields for the gauge determinant, not additional spacetime particles. Their use is different from the unwanted timelike negative-norm string states of covariant matter quantization.

The chiral holomorphic stress-energy tensor of the bc system isDouble contractions in its operator product expansion give the central charge of reparameterization ghosts $c_{\mathrm{gh}}=-26$. Equivalently, a fermionic bc system with antighost weight $\lambda$ has $c=1-3(2\lambda -1{)}^2$, and $\lambda =2$ gives $-26$. The free coordinate matter contributes $c_{\mathrm{m}}=D$. Thus the total worldsheet Weyl anomaly vanishes for the flat critical bosonic string theory precisely whenThis statement assumes no additional matter or compensating Liouville field theory.

BRST symmetry expresses the gauge symmetry after gauge fixing by replacing its infinitesimal parameter with the Grassmann variable $c$. In one chiral conformal patch, its graded action has the formthere is an analogous barred copy for a closed string. The Grassmann parity makes $s^{2}X=0$: the term from $sc$ cancels the term from applying $s$ to $\partial X$, while the term with $c^2$ vanishes. The gauge-fixed chiral transformations are on shell when their conservation equations are used. At the quantum level, BRST nilpotence also tests the anomaly.

For example, an open string BRST charge can be written using the matter Virasoro generators asUse the ghost oscillator vacuum $b_{n\ge 0}|0{⟩}_{mathrmgh}=c_{n>0}|0{⟩}_{mathrmgh}=0$ and the corresponding oscillator normal ordering. In this convention the last term is $-c_0$ in the critical theory. With a differently shifted ghost $L_0$, the displayed intercept must be shifted consistently; one must not count the same shift twice. Squaring $Q_B$ shows why both critical conditions are needed. Its anomalous terms, in this convention, have coefficientsThe independent cubic and linear terms vanish at $D=26$, $a=1$. The equivalent chiral BRST current is $j_B=c(T_{mathrmm}+T_{mathrmgh}/2)+(3/2){\partial }^{2}c$, with its contour integral defining the charge.

The graded identity $\{Q_B,b_n\}=L_n^{\mathrm{tot}}$ recovers the gauge constraints. In particular, on $|\psi ⟩\otimes |0{⟩}_{mathrmgh}$, BRST-closed imposes $L_{n>0}^{\mathrm{m}}|\psi ⟩=0$ and $(L_0^{\mathrm{m}}-1)|\psi ⟩=0$. Physical states are classes in BRST cohomology,at the appropriate ghost number: one for the usual open-string vertex and two for the closed-string vertex, with the closed-string zero-mode and closed-string level matching conditions also imposed. Since $Q_B^2=0$, an exact shift preserves closure. BRST Ward identities make exact insertions decouple from physical amplitudes and establish gauge independence. Together with the no-ghost theorem for the critical bosonic string, this explains how the auxiliary ghosts enforce gauge invariance while the physical spectrum retains positive norm.

Let $Y$ be the compact coordinate, identified modulo $2\pi R$. The closed string may wrap the circle:Single-valued momentum eigenfunctions $e^{ipY}$ require $p=n/R$, $n\in \mathbb{Z}$. These are the momentum and winding modes. Write the chiral zero-mode momenta asThe left-moving string oscillators will be tilded: $N_L=\tilde{N}$, $N_R=N$. This fixes the sign in compact-circle closed-string level matching.

Define the lower-dimensional mass by $M^2=-p_{\mathrm{noncompact}}^2$. The two closed-string physical-state Virasoro conditions, with bosonic string intercept one, areTheir average and difference derive the complete free bosonic string mass spectrum on the circle:The allowed states have nonnegative integer oscillator levels and obey the Virasoro constraints within each chiral sector. Compactification has not removed oscillator polarizations; it has added quantized compact momentum and allowed winding while changing the lower-dimensional interpretation of those polarizations.

At large $R$, the momentum and winding modes with $w=0$ have closely spaced momentum energies $|n|/R$, whereas nonzero winding costs $|w|R/{\alpha }^{\prime }$. At small $R$ their roles reverse. The precise equality is T-duality:It leaves $p_L$ unchanged and reverses $p_R$, and leaves the mass formula and closed-string level matching unchanged. On the string embedding map it reverses the right-moving part of $Y$. Therefore the small-radius spectrum is the large-radius spectrum of the dual theory, rather than a spectrum in which all charged states simply become heavy.

At a generic radius, the neutral level $(N_L,N_R)=(1,1)$ contains the lower-dimensional graviton, Kalb–Ramond field and dilaton, two gauge bosons from the mixed components of the metric and two-form, and the radius modulus of a string compactification. The two vector charges are the Cartan charges of $U(1{)}_L\times U(1{)}_R$.

Consider instead the following charged states:Every state satisfies compact-circle closed-string level matching. The single noncompact string oscillator supplies a vector polarization. At the massless point, the level-one Virasoro constraint imposes transverse polarization and its physical null string state identifies polarizations differing by the noncompact momentum. Thus these are genuine lower-dimensional vector states. Their squared mass isThus four additional charged massless spin-one particles appear atFor $(N_L,N_R)=(0,1)$ the charges have $p_R=0$, $p_L=\pm 2/\sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}$; for $(1,0)$ they have $p_L=0$, $p_R=\pm 2/\sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}$. This identifies the two pairs of charged roots.

The enhanced gauge group can be derived rather than just inferred from counting. At the self-dual circle, the chiral compact boson satisfies $Y_L(z)Y_L(u)\sim -({\alpha }^{\prime }/2)\log (z-u)$. The self-dual circle current algebra has currentsThe exponentials have conformal weight ${\alpha }^{\prime }{p}_L^2/4=1$. Free-boson contractions give the operator product expansionsThey form the level-one SU(2) Lie algebra, and there is an independent right-moving copy. The string vertex operators $J_L^a\bar{\partial }{X}^{\mu }$ and $\partial X^{\mu }{J}_R^a$ give the six massless vectors. ConsequentlyChanging $R$ gives the four charged vectors the mass found above, consistent with the radius deformation as a Higgs mechanism.

For completeness, the enhanced spectrum also has scalar fields. Using a compact rather than noncompact oscillator in the four singly excited charged families gives four scalars. At $(N_L,N_R)=(0,0)$, closed-string level matching requires $nw=0$; the mass equation then gives the four charges $(\pm 2,0),(0,\pm 2)$. These exceptional massless ground states of a bosonic circle give another four scalars. Together with the radius scalar they form nine scalars in the $(3,3)$ representation, in addition to the neutral dilaton. The ever-present neutral bosonic tachyon still has $M^2=-4/{\alpha }^{\prime }$. The enhancement establishes the additional massless vectors, not stability of the entire bosonic vacuum.

The stress-energy tensor generates translations. One may improve it by adding a divergence without changing the translation charges under suitable boundary conditions, and choose it symmetric in a relativistic theory. If ${\Theta }^{\mu \nu }$ is symmetric and conserved, a spacetime vector field $\omega$ defines the current $j^{\mu }={\Theta }^{\mu \nu }{\omega }_{\nu }$. For a Conformal Killing vector field,Thus a traceless conserved stress-energy tensor produces all the conformal charges. The dilation current is $x_{\nu }{\Theta }^{\mu \nu }$, and the special conformal currents are $(2x_{\lambda }{x}_{\nu }-x^2{\eta }_{\lambda \nu }){\Theta }^{\mu \nu }$. A trace that is merely the divergence of a virial current gives scale invariance; conformal invariance requires the additional improvement that removes the trace. These statements distinguish an actual traceless tensor from a trace discarded without justification.

For a free massless scalar field, the canonical stress-energy tensor has trace $(1-d/2)(\partial \varphi {)}^2$. For $d>1$, the improved stress-energy tensor of a free massless scalar isIts improvement is identically conserved. On $\square \varphi =0$, the identity $\square {\varphi }^2=2(\partial \varphi {)}^2$ shows that its trace vanishes. In $d=2$, no improvement is needed: the canonical stress-energy tensor is already traceless. In Lorentzian null coordinates, conservation and tracelessness imply that its two surviving components depend separately on $x^{+}$ and $x^{-}$. After Euclidean continuation, these become the holomorphic stress-energy tensor $T(z)$ and its antiholomorphic counterpart $\bar{T}(\bar{z})$, withLocal conformal changes are arbitrary holomorphic and antiholomorphic coordinate changes, not just the three global Möbius transformation generators in either sector.

To make the free-field quantum normalization explicit, rescale the field to $\phi =\sqrt{4\pi }\varphi$, so that its plane contraction is $\phi (z,\bar{z})\phi (w,\bar{w})\sim -\log |z-w{|}^2$. Define $J=i\partial \phi$, so $J(z)J(w)\sim (z-w{)}^{-2}$. Normal ordering givesA single Wick contraction shows that $J$ is a weight-one primary operator. The two double contractions in $T(z)T(w)$ produce $\frac{1}{2}(z-w{)}^{-4}$; single contractions, followed by Taylor expansion at $w$, produce $2T(w)/(z-w{)}^2+\partial T(w)/(z-w)$. Thus the operator product expansion isThe same holds independently for $\bar{T}$, with $\bar{c}=1$. The undifferentiated noncompact scalar has a logarithmic contraction and a zero-mode subtlety; its derivative current has the ordinary primary transformation law.

The holomorphic stress-energy tensor implements infinitesimal conformal transformations through contour charges $Q_v=\frac{1}{2\pi i}\oint dzv(z)T(z)$. A primary field $\mathcal{O}$ of weight $h$ obeysFor example the free-field vertex operator $:e^{i\alpha \phi }:$ has holomorphic weight $h={\alpha }^2/2$, as follows by contracting $\partial \phi$ with the exponential twice. In correlators the contour may encircle each insertion, giving the conformal Ward identity $⟨T(z){\prod }_i{\mathcal{O}}_i(z_i)⟩={\sum }_i[h_i/(z-z_i{)}^2+{\partial }_{z_i}/(z-z_i)]⟨{\prod }_i{\mathcal{O}}_i(z_i)⟩$. This also yields the global conformal Ward identities for chiral correlators.

Writing $T(z)={\sum }_n{L}_n{z}^{-n-2}$ and integrating the stress-tensor operator product expansion gives the Virasoro algebraIts central charge is the quantum correction to the classical conformal algebra; the correction vanishes on $L_{-1},L_0,L_1$. Equivalently, in the pullback convention a finite holomorphic change $z\mapsto f(z)$ sends $T$ to $(f^{\prime }{)}^{2}T(f)+\frac{c}{12}\{f,z\}$, where $\{f,z\}=f^{\prime \prime \prime }/f^{\prime }-\frac{3}{2}(f^{\prime \prime }/f^{\prime }{)}^2$ is the Schwarzian derivative. This anomalous term vanishes for Möbius transformations. On a curved background the related trace anomaly is proportional to its curvature; it does not destroy the flat-space conformal symmetry of this massless theory.

Use $[L_m,L_n]=(m-n)L_{m+n}+\frac{c}{12}(m^3-m){\delta }_{m+n,0}$ and $L_n^{†}=L_{-n}$. A normalized highest-weight vector obeys $L_0|h⟩=h|h⟩$ and $L_n|h⟩=0$ for $n>0$. Its Virasoro descendants are products of negative modes. Their inner products are determined entirely by $c,h$ and the Virasoro algebra; for example $\Vert L_{-1}|h⟩{\Vert }^2=2h$, so unitarity requires $h\ge 0$. An irreducible unitary highest-weight Virasoro module is the Virasoro Verma module quotient by its null submodules, and its surviving inner product must be positive definite.

The classification for $c<1$ is the Unitary Virasoro discrete series:where $m$ is an integer at least $2$, $1\le r\le m-1$, and $1\le s\le m$. The identification $(r,s)\sim (m-r,m+1-s)$ leaves $m(m-1)/2$ distinct modules. The two generating singular-vector levels are $rs$ and $(m-r)(m+1-s)$; all their Virasoro descendants are removed in the irreducible quotient. For $m=2$ the only module is the trivial $c=h=0$ module; for $m\ge 3$ these are the nontrivial unitary discrete-series modules. There are no other irreducible unitary highest-weight representations with $c<1$. This is the classification theorem, rather than a condition inferred only from finitely many descendant norms.

At $c=1/2$, $m=3$ and the possible weights areConstruct them with a single free chiral Majorana fermion:The free chiral Majorana fermion conformal field theory has $T=-:\psi \partial \psi :/2$. In the Neveu–Schwarz sector, $r\in \mathbb{Z}+1/2$, while in the Ramond sector, $r\in \mathbb{Z}$. With positive modes moved to the right and the zero-mode product antisymmetrized, the corresponding generators areThe oscillator relation gives $[L_n,b_r]=-(r+n/2)b_{n+r}$. The stress-tensor operator product expansion, or the reordering of the quadratic generators, then gives the Virasoro algebra with $c=1/2$. One can check both constants directly in the ground states. In the NS sector,In the R sector, $b_0^2=1/2$ and $L_{-1}|R⟩=\frac{1}{2}{b}_{-1}{b}_0|R⟩$, whose norm squared is $1/8$. The relation $[L_1,L_{-1}]=2L_0$ requires $2h_R=1/8$, so $h_R=a=1/16$. Thus the Ramond sector zero-mode shift is essential.

The three constructions in Ising Virasoro modules from a Majorana fermion are explicit. The NS vacuum is a highest-weight vector of weight $0$. The state $b_{-1/2}|0⟩$ is a highest-weight vector of weight $1/2$: applying any positive $L_n$ gives $-(n/2-1/2)b_{n-1/2}|0⟩=0$, including the zero coefficient for $n=1$. Since $L_n$ is quadratic in fermions, the two cyclic modules lie in the even and odd fermion parity sectors, respectively. For R, choose a normalized ground state annihilated by all $b_n$ with $n>0$ and with $b_0|R⟩=\pm |R⟩/\sqrt{2}$. All positive $L_n$ annihilate it and its weight is $1/16$. The two zero-mode sign choices give isomorphic Virasoro modules; one choice suffices to construct the third module.

The oscillator inner products are positive, and each cyclic highest-weight representation just constructed is irreducible. Indeed any nonzero proper invariant graded submodule would have a lowest-energy vector $w$ of weight greater than the cyclic ground weight. Every positive $L_n$ annihilates $w$; thus $w$ is orthogonal to every negative-mode descendant of the original ground vector, by moving the modes across the inner product. It is also orthogonal to that ground vector by its different $L_0$ eigenvalue. Since those Virasoro descendants span the cyclic module, $w$ would have zero norm, a contradiction. This proves irreducibility directly inside the positive fermionic Fock space.

In fact the cyclic modules fill the entire even NS, odd NS and chosen R Fock spaces. Otherwise an orthogonal remaining lowest vector would be the ground vector of a further unitary highest-weight Virasoro module; its weight would lie in ${\mathbb{Z}}_{>0}$, $1/2+{\mathbb{Z}}_{>0}$ or $1/16+{\mathbb{Z}}_{>0}$, respectively. None belongs to the classified list $\{0,1/2,1/16\}$. As a check, their Virasoro characters, defined by ${\chi }_h(q)=\mathrm{Tr}{q}^{L_0-c/24}$, areThe NS signs project onto even and odd occupation number; the R product uses the single chosen ground state. Null vectors of the abstract Virasoro Verma modules are automatically zero in this construction. In particular $L_{-1}|0⟩=0$, and the weight-$1/2$ and weight-$1/16$ ground states obey, respectively, $(L_{-2}-\frac{3}{4}{L}_{-1}^2)|1/2⟩=0$ and $(L_{-2}-\frac{4}{3}{L}_{-1}^2)|1/16⟩=0$, as is also verified by their level-two Gram matrices.

In a two-dimensional conformal field theory, a quasi-primary operator of conformal weights $(h,\tilde{h})$ obeysfor global conformal, or Möbius, transformations. A primary operator obeys this law for every locally invertible holomorphic and antiholomorphic conformal coordinate change. Quasi-primary is therefore weaker: the stress tensor at nonzero central charge is quasi-primary, but its Schwarzian transformation term prevents it from being primary under a general map.

A primary state is a simultaneous eigenstate of $L_0,{\tilde{L}}_0$ with eigenvalues $h,\tilde{h}$, satisfyingA quasi-primary state need only satisfy the corresponding $n=1$ conditions. Negative modes of the Virasoro algebra generate descendants.

In radial quantization, a local operator at the origin prepares a state on a surrounding circle; logarithmic radius is Euclidean time. The state–operator correspondence is $|\mathcal{O}⟩=\mathcal{O}(0)|0⟩$. Acting with a Virasoro generator means inserting its stress-tensor contour around that operator. For a primary operator, the operator product expansion isMultiplication by $z^{n+1}$ and the contour residue give $L_0|\mathcal{O}⟩=h|\mathcal{O}⟩$, $L_{-1}|\mathcal{O}⟩=|\partial \mathcal{O}⟩$, and $L_n|\mathcal{O}⟩=0$ for $n>0$. Conversely the contour modes are the coefficients of the singular expansion; vanishing positive modes removes every pole of order three and higher. The remaining double and simple poles generate precisely the primary transformation law. The antiholomorphic argument is identical. This proves the state-operator correspondence for Virasoro primaries in both directions.

An integrated string vertex operator is integrated with $d^{2}z$. The measure transforms with weights $(-1,-1)$, so conformal invariance requires its matter operator to have weights $(1,1)$. In old covariant string quantization the same requirement is $L_{n>0}={\tilde{L}}_{n>0}=0$ and $L_0={\tilde{L}}_0=1$. The ghost-dressed unintegrated vertex $c\bar{c}V$ has total weights $(0,0)$. Physical states are identified modulo null string states, or more systematically by BRST cohomology; raw counting of all primary operators includes gauge redundancy.

For a free embedding boson the holomorphic stress tensor is $T=-:\partial X\cdot \partial X:/{\alpha }^{\prime }$. Contracting it with $:e^{ik\cdot X}:$ gives weight ${\alpha }^{\prime }{k}^2/4$; every holomorphic oscillator of level $r$ adds $r$ to that weight. ThusWith Lorentzian target signature, $M^2=-k^2$, so the closed-bosonic-string mass shell from primary weights isThe ground state is tachyonic, level one is massless, and higher levels are massive. The primary conditions also constrain the polarization tensors; the two zero-mode conditions fix the mass and level matching.

For the commuting beta-gamma system, write $r=z-w$. The displayed exchange leaves the arguments attached to their respective fields. Exchanging the arguments instead givesThis radial-ordering sign in commuting beta-gamma contractions must be kept when differentiating. Expanding the total derivative in the proposed stress tensor givesThe contraction $\gamma (z)\beta (w)\sim 1/r$ and its derivative $\partial \gamma (z)\beta (w)\sim -1/r^2$ giveSimilarly $\partial \beta (z)\gamma (w)\sim 1/r^2$ and $\beta (z)\gamma (w)\sim -1/r$ giveThere are no higher poles. Both fields are holomorphic and $\bar{T}=0$, so

To compute the central charge, put $A=:\partial \beta \gamma :$ and $B=:\beta \partial \gamma :$. Only double Wick contractions can give the fourth-order pole in $TT$. Their coefficients arewhere only the double-contraction terms are shown. For example, the mixed contraction uses $\partial \beta (z)\partial \gamma (w)\sim 2/r^3$ and $\gamma (z)\beta (w)\sim 1/r$. All Wick pairings have bosonic signs. Therefore the fourth-order coefficient isThe stress-tensor operator product expansion has fourth-order coefficient $c/2$, yieldingThis is the stress tensor of a commuting beta-gamma system calculation. Single contractions supply the usual $2T/r^2+\partial T/r$ terms, with the potential third-order terms canceling.

Use the free-boson operator product expansionWrite $E_p=:e^{ip\cdot X}:$ and $ϵ=z-w$. The needed Wick contractions are $\partial X^{\mu }(z)\partial X^{\nu }(w)\sim -{\alpha }^{\prime }{\eta }^{\mu \nu }/(2{ϵ}^2)$ and $\partial X^{\mu }(z)E_p(w)\sim -i{\alpha }^{\prime }{p}^{\mu }{E}_p(w)/(2ϵ)$. For $V_{\zeta }={\zeta }_{\mu }:\partial X^{\mu }{E}_p:$, the cross double contraction in the worldsheet stress tensor has a cubic pole: either of its two derivatives can contract with the derivative in $V_{\zeta }$, while the other contracts with $E_p$. Including the factor $-1/{\alpha }^{\prime }$ givesA primary operator has no cubic pole. Hence the first vertex is primary precisely whenThe antiholomorphic conformal weight is $\bar{h}={\alpha }^{\prime }{p}^2/4$. Primarity alone puts no mass-shell condition on $p$.

For $W_{\zeta }={\zeta }_{\mu \nu }:\partial X^{\mu }\bar{\partial }{X}^{\nu }{E}_p:$, the holomorphic cubic pole is $-i{\alpha }^{\prime }{p}^{\mu }{\zeta }_{\mu \nu }:\bar{\partial }{X}^{\nu }{E}_p:/(2{ϵ}^3)$. The antiholomorphic operator product expansion gives the analogous pole involving $p^{\nu }{\zeta }_{\mu \nu }$. Thus the transversality of derivative-exponential primary vertices requiresThere is no trace-free requirement for primarity. A physical integrated string vertex operator must additionally have conformal weights $(1,1)$; for this vertex that gives $p^2=0$.

Now keep the fermionic signs in the real chiral Majorana fermion calculation. Contracting the external $\psi (w)$ through $:\psi (z)\partial \psi (z):$ givesMultiplying by $-1/2$ and Taylor expanding $\psi (z)$ at $w$ producesThis proves that $\psi$ is a primary operator with weight $h_{\psi }=1/2$. To find the central charge, in $T(z)T(w)$ the two double-contraction pairings contribute, before the overall factor $1/4$,The single Wick contractions give $2T(w)/{ϵ}^2+\partial T(w)/ϵ$, soComparing the leading term with $c/(2{ϵ}^4)$ proves $c_{\psi }=1/2$, as in the free chiral Majorana fermion conformal field theory.

With four embedding bosons and the ordinary reparameterization bc ghost system, cancellation of the worldsheet Weyl anomaly in each chirality requiresThus there are 44 real left-moving and 44 real right-moving fermions, equivalently 44 two-dimensional nonchiral Majorana fermions. These are internal free fermions in a four-dimensional bosonic string. Adding internal matter to the bosonic string does not introduce local worldsheet supersymmetry or its superghosts.

For the requested polynomial string vertex operators, work in the unprojected Neveu–Schwarz sector. A full model also chooses spin structures and a consistent projection, which the central-charge condition alone does not specify. If the holomorphic and antiholomorphic oscillator contributions to the conformal weights are ${\ell }_L,{\ell }_R$, physicality requiresTherefore only equal levels at most one can contribute to the requested nonpositive bosonic string mass spectrum.

With zero fermion insertions, level zero gives the tachyon vertex operator $E_p$, a scalar with $M^2=-4/{\alpha }^{\prime }$. Level one gives the massless closed-string vertex operator ${\zeta }_{\mu \nu }:\partial X^{\mu }\bar{\partial }{X}^{\nu }{E}_p:$, with the transverse conditions above and the string-state gauge redundancy that removes longitudinal polarizations. The physical transverse polarization tensor decomposes into a symmetric trace-free graviton, an antisymmetric Kalb–Ramond field, and a scalar dilaton. In four spacetime dimensions these have respectively two, one, and one physical polarizations; the two-form can be dualized to a scalar.

With two fermion insertions there are two possibilities. One fermion in each chirality givesThese are $44^2=1936$ scalar tachyons before any projection. There is no spacetime derivative or spacetime polarization to impose a vector transversality condition.

Two different fermions in the same chirality form an antisymmetric fermion bilinear, a weight-one current $J^{ij}=:{\psi }^i{\psi }^j:$; equal-species undifferentiated bilinears vanish. Closed-string level matching then requires a weight-one bosonic derivative in the opposite chirality. The resulting string vertex operators areThey have $M^2=0$ and are gauge vectors, with $p\cdot A^{ij}=0$ and $A_{\mu }^{ij}\sim A_{\mu }^{ij}+p_{\mu }{\lambda }^{ij}$, and likewise for $\tilde{A}$. Each chirality supplies $\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{44}{2}\right)=946$ gauge vectors. The fermion bilinears generate the two $\mathfrak{so}(44)$ current algebras associated with the Special orthogonal Lie algebra, giving the unprojected gauge group $SO(44{)}_L\times SO(44{)}_R$. The tempting vertex $:{\psi }^i{\psi }^j{E}_p:$ alone fails closed-string level matching because its weights are $(1,0)$ before the common momentum contribution. Additional derivatives raise the levels above the nonpositive-mass range; a product of a left and a right bilinear has four fermion insertions and is outside this requested sector. This completes the zero- and two-fermion vertices of an internally fermionized bosonic string; a specified global projection can remove some of the listed states.

Use a mostly-plus target Minkowski spacetime metric and restore the string tension by $T=(2\pi {\alpha }^{\prime }{)}^{-1}$. After Wick rotation, the Polyakov action on a Riemann surface isThe Polyakov path integral integrates over embeddings and worldsheet metrics, dividing by worldsheet diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations. For a consistent flat bosonic string theory, take the critical dimension of the bosonic string $d=26$. Conformal gauge turns the embedding fields into free scalars; its Faddeev-Popov determinant is represented by the bc system. The remaining integrations are over worldsheet moduli and external insertion points.

A tachyon vertex operator isThe worldsheet Green function is $⟨X^a(z)X^b(w)⟩=-({\alpha }^{\prime }/2){\eta }^{ab}\log |z-w{|}^2$. The operator product expansion with the holomorphic stress-energy tensor gives conformal weights $({\alpha }^{\prime }{k}^2/4,{\alpha }^{\prime }{k}^2/4)$. An integrated string vertex operator must have weights $(1,1)$, so the mass-shell condition is $k^2=4/{\alpha }^{\prime }$, or tachyonic mass parameter $m^2=-4/{\alpha }^{\prime }$.

At lowest order in the string coupling, the worldsheet is a Riemann sphere. For four external states, three insertion points can be fixed by a Möbius transformation. In the worldsheet ghost field description these three vertices carry $c\bar{c}$, while the fourth is integrated. The three-point worldsheet ghost correlator gives the squared product of the three fixed-point separations, precisely the sphere gauge fixing for four string vertices factor. Thus fixing three points is a gauge choice, rather than deleting three integrations without their Jacobian.

The integral over the constant embedding worldsheet zero mode gives $(2\pi {)}^d{\delta }^{(d)}({\sum }_i{k}_i)$. The remaining Gaussian integral, using normal ordering to remove self-contractions, gives the Koba-Nielsen factorSet $(z_1,z_2,z_3,z_4)=(0,z,1,\infty )$; the vertex at infinity is defined with its conformal-weight factor. Let all momenta be incoming and defineThe mass-shell condition and momentum conservation imply $s+t+u=-16/{\alpha }^{\prime }$. Since ${\alpha }^{\prime }{k}_1\cdot k_2=-4-{\alpha }^{\prime }s/2$ and similarly for the pair $(2,3)$, the sphere tachyon position integral becomesHere $\mathcal{N}$ depends on the normalization of external string vertex operators; it does not affect the kinematic dependence.

To evaluate the remaining worldsheet modulus, put $a=-1-{\alpha }^{\prime }s/4$ and $b=-1-{\alpha }^{\prime }t/4$. The complex beta integral isFor example, this identity follows by writing the two powers as Schwinger-parameter Gamma integrals, doing the two-dimensional Gaussian integral, and changing the two positive parameters to their sum and ratio. The complex beta integral first holds for $\mathrm{Re}a,\mathrm{Re}b>0$ and $\mathrm{Re}(a+b)<1$; the scattering result is its analytic continuation. The third gamma-function argument is $1-a-b=-1-{\alpha }^{\prime }u/4$. Absorbing $\pi$ into $\mathcal{N}$, the result is the tree-level four-tachyon amplitude, the Virasoro–Shapiro amplitude:It is symmetric in the three Mandelstam variables and has generic poles at $q=4(N-1)/{\alpha }^{\prime }$, matching the bosonic string mass spectrum. The formula is the leading term of string perturbation theory. Higher orders are constructed by the same Polyakov path integral prescription on higher-genus worldsheets, with four marked points and the corresponding ghost and worldsheet moduli measure; genus $g$ has coupling power $g_s^{2g+2}$.