Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / iii / Paper 306 / 2 / Solution

Split the string embedding map into its constant worldsheet zero mode and orthogonal fluctuations, $X^{\mu }=x^{\mu }+X^{\prime \mu }$. The kinetic operator has no inverse on the constant mode, while its inverse on $X^{\prime }$ is the worldsheet Green function $G$. Completing the square in the Gaussian functional integral givesThe remaining ordinary integral iswhich proves (1), up to a source-independent functional determinant.

To insert $n$ tachyon vertex operators, chooseThe zero-mode integral produces target-space momentum conservation,In the nonzero-mode integral, discard the coincident self-contractions by normal ordering. With $G(z,w)=-({\alpha }^{\prime }/2)\log |z-w{|}^2$, the remaining pairwise contractions produce the Koba-Nielsen factor, so

For three closed-string tachyons on the sphere, $k_i^2=4/{\alpha }^{\prime }$ and ${\sum }_i{k}_i=0$, hence ${\alpha }^{\prime }{k}_i\cdot k_j=-2$ for $i\ne j$. The matter correlator is therefore $|z_{12}{z}_{13}{z}_{23}{|}^{-2}$. Gauge fixing the sphere's Möbius transformation group fixes three insertion points and supplies the bc ghost system correlator $|z_{12}{z}_{13}{z}_{23}{|}^2$, exactly cancelling this position dependence. ThusHere each vertex contributes one closed-string coupling $g_c$, $C_{S^2}$ contains the sphere vacuum normalization and conventions, the worldsheet zero mode gives the momentum delta function, the nonzero modes give the Koba-Nielsen factor, and the ghost determinant divides by the conformal Killing group. Since $C_{S^2}\propto g_s^{-2}$ and $g_c\propto g_s$, the net string genus expansion dependence is $g_s$.