Two-loop Euler-Heisenberg effective actions from charged open strings

Abstract

We present the multiloop partition function of open bosonic string theory in the presence of a constant gauge field strength, and discuss its low-energy limit. The result is written in terms of twisted determinants and differentials on higher-genus Riemann surfaces, for which we provide an explicit representation in the Schottky parametrization. In the field theory limit, we recover from the string formula the two-loop Euler-Heisenberg effective action for adjoint scalars minimally coupled to the background gauge field.

32 pages, 3 eps figures, plain LaTeX. References added, minor changes to the text. Published version, affiliation corrected