{
  "abstract": "We systematically investigate and compare the worldsheet actions, BRST structures and the quantum anomalies of four different formulations of tensionless (T = 0) bosonic string theory: the (D + 2)-dimensional conformal string [1], the D-dimensional ILST null string [2], the D-dimensional Carroll-Weyl gauged string [3, 4], and the D-dimensional hybrid null string [5]. By expressing all fields and constraint generators strictly in terms of mode expansions and adopting a unified algebraic framework, we analyze their quantum anomalies under two distinct worldsheet vacua: the induced vacuum and the flipped vacuum. With the BRST-compatible vacuum definition and the symmetric α = 0 zeta prescription, we show that no critical dimension is inferred from the vanishing of the quantum anomaly in the induced vacuum. In contrast, the flipped highest-weight vacuum leads to non-trivial constraints, reproducing the critical dimension D = 26 for the ILST null strings, a λ-dependent critical dimension D(λ) for the hybrid null string whose range covers every positive integer D ≥ 4 (reproduces D = 26 at λ = 1), and more importantly showing that the conformal string and the Carroll-Weyl gauged string are structurally anomalous with no consistent critical dimension due to the discrepancy of their central charge parameters $$ {\\tilde{d}}_i $$. Furthermore, the ILST null string model has target-space conformal symmetry SO(D, 2), the ghost-completed SO(D, 2) charges are closed on the induced-vacuum BRST cohomology in the α = 0 prescription, whereas the symmetry is quantum mechanically broken in the flipped vacuum.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Kunming University of Science and Technology",
    "Peking University",
    "Ningbo University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Bin Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4509-9705"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zezhou Hu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0171-7383"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22r9bazcv4s9k.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1007/jhep11(2026)040",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "22r9bazcv4s9k",
  "issns": [
    "1029-8479"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP11(2026)040",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "physics/high-energy"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/JHEP11(2026)040.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22r9bazcv4s9k.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T18:20:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.1007/jhep11(2026)040",
      "source": "feed-springer",
      "url": "https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP11(2026)040"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T00:20:57Z",
      "native_id": "10.1007/jhep11(2026)040",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP11(2026)040"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "feed-journal:physics/high-energy",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Quantum anomalies of tensionless bosonic strings",
  "title_text": "Quantum anomalies of tensionless bosonic strings",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T00:20:55Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22r9bazcv4s9k",
  "venue": "Journal of High Energy Physics",
  "versions": []
}