Effective action of bosonic string theory at order $\alpha'^3$

Abstract

In this work, we derive the classical effective action of bosonic string theory at order $\alpha'^{3}$ for the metric, Kalb-Ramond field, and dilaton by imposing a higher-derivative extension of the Buscher rules on the circular reduction of the minimal basis at this order, in the schemes where their corresponding actions at order $\alpha'$ are the Meissner and the Metsaev-Tseytlin schemes. We find that T-duality fixes all coupling constants in terms of the known overall factor at order $\alpha'$ and a single remaining parameter. This final parameter is determined by matching the single-trace term $\Tr(\epsilon \epsilon \epsilon \epsilon)$ in the four-graviton S-matrix element which lacks a massless pole, with the corresponding string theory amplitude. Our results for the Riemann quartic terms are in full agreement with those obtained from the nonlinear sigma-model approach.