Hidden Finite Symmetries in String Theory and Duality of Dualities

Abstract

Different compactifications of six-dimensional string theory on $M_4 \times T^2$ are considered. Particular attention is given to the roles of the reduced modes as the $S$ and $T$ fields. It is shown that there is a discrete group of invariances of an equilateral triangle hidden in the model. This group is realized as the interchanges of the two-form fields present in the intermediate step of dimensional reduction in five dimensions. The key ingredient for the existence of this group is the presence of an additional $U(1)$ gauge field in five dimensions, arising as the dual of the Kalb-Ramond axion field strength. As a consequence, the theory contains more four-dimensional $SL(2,R)$ representations, with the resulting complex scalar axidilaton related to the components of the Kaluza-Klein vector fields of the naive dimensional reduction. An immediate byproduct of this relationship is a triadic correspondence among the fundamental string, the solitonic string, and a singular Brinkmann pp wave.