Open & Closed vs. Pure Open String One-Loop Amplitudes

Abstract

We express one-loop string amplitudes involving both open and closed strings as sum over pure open string amplitudes. These findings generalize the analogous tree-level result to higher loops and extend the tree-level observation that in gravitational amplitudes a graviton can be traded for two gluons. Our results are derived from analytic continuation of closed string world-sheet coordinates on the cylinder resulting in pairs of real open string coordinates located at the two cylinder boundaries subject to a one-loop kernel. The latter depends on the loop momentum flowing between the two cylinder boundaries and relates to intersection theory for twisted cycles. Finally, contact is made with one-loop open string monodromy relations. The latter contain a boundary term, which is related to non-physical contours on the cylinder. A physical interpretation of the latter in terms of a closed string insertion is given.