From the Berkovits formulation to the Witten formulation in open superstring field theory

Abstract

The Berkovits formulation of open superstring field theory is based on the large Hilbert space of the superconformal ghost sector. We discuss its relation to the Witten formulation based on the small Hilbert space. We introduce a one-parameter family of conditions for partial gauge fixing of the Berkovits formulation such that the cubic interaction of the theory under the partial gauge fixing reduces to that of the Witten formulation in a singular limit. The local picture-changing operator at the open-string midpoint in the Witten formulation is regularized in our approach, and the divergence in on-shell four-point amplitudes coming from collision of picture-changing operators is resolved. The quartic interaction inherited from the Berkovits formulation plays a role of adjusting different behaviors of the picture-changing operators in the $s$ channel and in the $t$ channel of Feynman diagrams with two cubic vertices, and correct amplitudes in the world-sheet theory are reproduced. While gauge invariance at the second order in the coupling constant is obscured in the Witten formulation by collision of picture-changing operators, it is well defined in our approach and is recovered by including the quartic interaction inherited from the Berkovits formulation.