Thermodynamics of handles (Q1814410)

\textit{D. Friedan} and \textit{St. Shenker} introduced in their nonpertubative approach to two-dimensional conformal field theory a ``universal moduli space'' of compact Riemann surfaces [Phys. Lett. B 175, 287 (1986); Nucl. Phys. B 281, 509 (1987)]. The boundary components of the compactified moduli space \(\overline {\mathcal M}_ g\) of compact Riemann surfaces correspond to singular surfaces. By replacing each singular Riemann surface by its normalization one obtains an embedding of a symmetrized product of lower genus moduli spaces into \(\overline {\mathcal M}_ g\). Roughly speaking, the universal moduli space can be obtained by taking the ``limit over all genera''. In the article under review the situation is restricted to hyperelliptic Riemann surfaces (HERS), i.e. Riemann surfaces which can be given as 2:1 covers of the Riemann sphere with \(2g+2\) branch points (\(g\) is the genus of the HERS). The degeneration of HERS within the realms of HERS can be given by letting one branch point approach another. Adding more pairs of branch points one increases the genus. By considering more and more branch points in the complex plane one obtains as a limit a ``HERS of infinite genus''. In the first part of the paper the author discusses such HERS of infinite genus. For a more mathematical and more complete treatment, see the works of \textit{Hornich} [Monatshefte Math. Phys. 40, 241-282 (1933); 42, 377-388; 47, 380-387], \textit{Myrberg} [Acta Math. 76, 185-224 (1945); Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn. 14, 1-32] and \textit{M. P. MacKean, E. Trubowitz} [Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 29, 143-226 (1976; Zbl 0339.34024); Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 84, 1042-1085 (1978; Zbl 0428.34026)]. In the second part the author formulates conformal field theory for \(\hbox{spin }{1\over 2}\) free fermions (i.e. anticommuting fields) on this HERS. By using what is called branch point operator method, the theory is equivalently formulated as a Coulomb gas type system on the sphere with \(2g+2\) charged particles. For this system the grand partition function (obtained by integration over all hyperelliptic moduli and summation over all genera) is defined after some cutoff procedure. Interpreting this system as a thermodynamical one (taking the string parameter, the Regge slope, as pseudo-temperature of the system) by using renormalization group techniques the author obtains a critical temperature of the system. This exhibits a phase transition (of Kosterlitz-Thouless type). The author points out that after the phase transition it is not possible to assign a genus to the states of the system anymore. Hence this is a nonperturbative effect which makes sense only if all genera are considered together. The paper appeared in a physics journal and is written in a style usually preferred by physicists.