Aspects of strings without spacetime supersymmetry

Abstract

String theory relies on spacetime supersymmetry to guarantee the existence of stable vacua. In this review, we survey two features of non-supersymmetric strings that challenge both aspects: the appearance of tachyons and worldsheet tadpoles. We describe how tachyons arise, how to characterise their presence in closed strings and in their orientifold projections, and how off-shell approaches can be used to tackle them. We then turn to tachyon-free, non-supersymmetric strings. After introducing the simplest ten-dimensional models, we address the additional issues raised by tadpoles and the spacetime consequences of their cancellation. Finally, we discuss recent attempts to explore the non-supersymmetric string landscape.