Correlators in symmetric orbifold CFTs are given by a finite sum of admissible branched covers of the 2d spacetime. We consider a Gross-Mende like limit where all operators have large twist, and show that the corresponding branched covers can be described via a Penner-like matrix model. The limiting branched covers are given in terms of the spectral curve for this matrix model, which remarkably turns out to be directly related to the Strebel quadratic differential on the covering space. Interpreting the covering space as the world-sheet of the dual string theory, the spacetime CFT correlator thus has the form of an integral over the entire world-sheet moduli space weighted with a Nambu-Goto-like action. Quite strikingly, at leading order this action can also be written as the absolute value of the Schwarzian of the covering map.Given the equivalence of the symmetric product CFT to tensionless string theory on AdS3, this provides an explicit realisation of the underlying mechanism of gauge-string duality originally proposed in [1] and further refined in [2].

The Veneziano amplitude was put forward as a solution to the axioms of the S-matrix bootstrap. However, unitarity, reflected in the positivity of the coefficients in the Gegenbauer expansion of the amplitude is not obvious. In this note we compute the generating function of these coefficients in terms of the Appell hypergeometric function. We use this to read off an exact form of this coefficient on the leading Regge trajectory in D = 4. We find that it decays with the spin but always remains positive. Since for large spin these coefficients are expected to be smaller than those on the subleading trajectories, our result indicates the positivity of the full Veneziano amplitude in D = 4.

We compute the ZZ annulus one-point function of the cosmological constant operator in non-critical string theory, regulating divergences from the boundaries of moduli space using string field theory. We identify a subtle issue in a previous analysis of these divergences, which was done in the context of the c = 1 string theory, and where it had led to a mismatch with the prediction from the dual matrix quantum mechanics. After fixing this issue, we find a precise match to the expected answer in both the c < 1 and c = 1 cases. We also compute the disk two-point function, which is a quantity of the same order, and show that it too matches with the general prediction.

The Coon amplitude is the unique solution to duality constraints with logarithmic Regge trajectories. A striking feature of this solution is that it interpolates between the Veneziano amplitude and a scalar particle amplitude. However, an analytic proof of unitarity of the amplitude is not yet known. In this short note, we explicitly compute the partial wave coefficients on the leading Regge trajectory in D = 4. We find that these coefficients always remain positive, even though their magnitude decreases with spin. Since the coefficients on the subleading trajectories are observed to be larger than those on the leading ones, our result indicates the positivity of the full Coon amplitude in D = 4.

Recently, a worldsheet dual to free $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 Super Yang-Mills has been proposed in terms of twistor variables for AdS5, in parallel to that for the AdS3 dual to the free symmetric orbifold CFT. In the latter case, holomorphic covering maps play a central role in determining correlators and are associated to Feynman diagrams. After recasting these maps in terms of the worldsheet twistor variables for AdS3, we generalise to AdS5. We propose stringy incidence relations and appropriate reality conditions for the twistor covering maps. For some special kinematic configurations of correlators, we exhibit an explicit construction of the corresponding covering map. We find that the closed string worldsheet corresponding to this map is related to a gauge theory Feynman diagram by the Strebel construction, as for AdS3/CFT2. Rather strikingly, the regularised Strebel area of the worldsheet reproduces the Feynman propagator of the free field theory.