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Open Heterotic Strings

Joseph Polchinski

hep-tharXiv:hep-th/0510033

Abstract

We classify potential cosmic strings according to the topological charge measurable outside the string core. We conjecture that in string theory it is this charge that governs the stability of long strings. This would imply that the SO(32) heterotic string can have endpoints, but not the E8 x E8 heterotic string. We give various arguments in support of this conclusion.

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