T-duality can fail
Journal Article (Journal Article)
We show that T-duality can be broken by non-perturbative effects in string coupling. The T-duality in question is that of the 2-torus when the heterotic string is compactified on K3xT2. This case is compared carefully to a situation where T-duality appears to work. A holonomy argument is presented to show that T-dualities (and general U-dualities) should only be expected for large amounts of supersymmetry. This breaking of R ↔ 1/R symmetry raises some interesting questions in string theory which we discuss. Finally we discuss how the classical modular group of a 2-torus appears to be broken too.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Aspinwall, PS; Plesser, MR
Published Date
- January 1, 1999
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 3 / 8
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 1029-8479
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1088/1126-6708/1999/08/001
Citation Source
- Scopus