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The Virasoro constraints determine $X^{-}$ in terms of the $d=D-2$ transverse coordinates $X^i$. Their closed-string expansion introduces independent left- and right-moving string oscillators satisfyingFor $n>0$, ${\alpha }_n^i$ and ${\tilde{\alpha }}_n^i$ annihilate the momentum vacuum, while ${\alpha }_{-n}^i$ and ${\tilde{\alpha }}_{-n}^i$ create excitations. A general state is a product of these creation operators acting on $|p⟩$, subject to closed-string level matching $N=\tilde{N}$.

Normal ordering the quantum constraints introduces the normal-ordering constant of a string $a$. Requiring the Lorentz generators $J^{-i}$ to obey the Lorentz algebra without an anomalous term fixesThus Lorentz invariance resolves both the ordering ambiguity and the critical dimension of string theory.

With the standard string oscillator algebra and $G_0={\sum }_m{\alpha }_m\cdot {\psi }_{-m}$, pairing positive and negative modes gives $G_0^2={\alpha }_0^2/2+{\sum }_{m>0}({\alpha }_{-m}\cdot {\alpha }_m+m{\psi }_{-m}\cdot {\psi }_m)$. This is the vacuum-normal-ordered Ramond sector generator $L_0^R$, so $\{G_0,G_0\}=2L_0^R$. Rescaling the superconformal current rescales its square quadratically; its normalization cannot be ignored when comparing it with a fixed Virasoro generator.

Euclidean finite temperature compactifies time to a circle of radius $R_{\beta }=\beta /(2\pi )$. The string oscillator ground states with zero momentum number and winding $w=\pm 1$ have the displayed mass from the bosonic string mass spectrum. They become massless at ${\beta }_H=4\pi \sqrt{{\alpha }^{\prime }}$ and tachyonic at higher temperature. This thermal winding mode diagnoses breakdown of the perturbative low-temperature string gas at the Hagedorn temperature. The endpoint and order of a transition require interactions and a suitable stable vacuum; the ordinary zero-winding bosonic tachyon is already unstable independently of this thermal threshold.

Before the GSO projection, the Neveu–Schwarz sector has string oscillator levels $0,1/2,1,3/2$, with physical multiplicities $1,8,36,128$ in ten-dimensional light-cone gauge in string theory. The eight transverse worldsheet Majorana fermions supply eight single ${\psi }_{-1/2}$ states. Level one has eight ${\alpha }_{-1}$ states and $\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{8}{2}\right)=28$ pairs of distinct ${\psi }_{-1/2}$ modes. Level $3/2$ has $8$ single ${\psi }_{-3/2}$ modes, $8\cdot 8$ mixed boson–fermion modes and $\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{8}{3}\right)=56$ triples. Their squared masses are respectively $-1/(2{\alpha }^{\prime }),0,1/(2{\alpha }^{\prime }),1/{\alpha }^{\prime }$. In the Ramond sector, the Ramond zero-mode Clifford algebra gives a sixteen-dimensional ground space. At level one, ${\alpha }_{-1}^i$ and ${\psi }_{-1}^i$ each provide $8\cdot 16$ states, hence multiplicities $16,256$ at squared masses $0,1/{\alpha }^{\prime }$. No half-integer Ramond levels occur. The GSO projection keeps odd NS fermion number and one total Ramond chirality, giving $8$ bosons and $8$ fermions at zero mass, then $128$ of each at the first massive level.