We develop techniques to compute higher loop string amplitudes for twisted N = 2 theories with ĉ = 3 (i.e. the critical case). An important ingredient is the discovery of an anomaly at every genus in decoupling of BRST trivial states, captured to all orders by a master anomaly equation. In a particular realization of the N = 2 theories, the resulting string field theory is equivalent to a topological theory in six dimensions, the Kodaira– Spencer theory, which may be viewed as the closed string analog of the Chern–Simon theory. Using the mirror map this leads to computation of the ‘number ’ of holomorphic curves of higher genus curves in Calabi–Yau manifolds. It is shown that topological amplitudes can also be reinterpreted as computing corrections to superpotential terms appearing in the effective 4d theory resulting from compactification of standard 10d superstrings on the corresponding N = 2 theory. Relations with c = 1 strings are also pointed out.

Certain two dimensional topological field theories can be interpreted as string theory backgrounds in which the usual decoupling of ghosts and matter does not hold. Like ordinary string models, these can sometimes be given space-time interpretations. For instance, three-dimensional Chern

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We review the generalization of field theory to space-time with noncommuting coordinates, starting with the basics and covering most of the active directions of research. Such theories are now known to emerge from limits of M theory and string theory, and to describe quantum Hall states

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The geometric Langlands program can be described in a natural way by compactifying on a Riemann surface C a twisted version of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions. The key ingredients are electric-magnetic duality of gauge theory, mirror symmetry of sigma-models, branes, Wilson and ’t

We study parity symmetries and crosscap states in classes of N = 2 supersymmetric quantum field theories in 1+1 dimensions, including non-linear sigma models, gauged WZW models, Landau-Ginzburg models, and linear sigma models. The parity anomaly and its cancellation play important roles in many