Concerning the ghost contribution to the one-loop integrands in open string field theory

Abstract

We examine the ghost contribution to the one-loop integrands in open string field theory using the Moyal representation of the star product. We primarily focus on the open string tadpole integrand, which is an intrinsically off-shell quantity. Due to the closed string tachyon, the full amplitude is badly divergent from the closed string degeneration region $t\to0^+$ of the Schwinger parameter. We obtain expansions for the finite factors from the squeezed state matrix ${\bf R}(t)$ characterizing the ghost part of the tadpole in Siegel gauge. The analytic structure of the integrands, as a function of the Schwinger parameter, captures the correct linear order behaviour near both the closed and open string degeneration limits. Using a geometric series for the matrix inverse, we obtain an approximation for the even parity matrix elements. We employ an expansion based on results from the oscillator basis to construct Pad\'e approximants to further analyse hints of non-analyticity near this limit. We also briefly discuss the evaluation of ghost integrands for the four string diagrams contributing to the one-loop $2$-point function in open string field theory.