Quantization of the Liouville mode and string theory

Abstract

We discuss the space-time interpretation of bosonic string theories, which involve d scalar fields coupled to gravity in two dimensions, with a proper quantization of the world-sheet metric. We show that for d>25, the theory cannot describe string modes consistently coupled to each other. For d=25 this is possible; however, in this case the Liouville mode acts as an extra timelike variable and one really has a string moving in 26-dimensional space-time with a Lorentzian signature. By analyzing such a string theory in background fields, we show that the d=25 theory possesses the full 26-dimensional general covariance.