Delta-function Interactions for the Bosonic and Spinning Strings and the Generation of Abelian Gauge Theory

Abstract: We construct contact interactions for bosonic and spinning strings. In the tensionless limit of the spinning string this reproduces the super-Wilson loop that couples spinor matter to Abelian gauge theory. Adding boundary terms that quantise the motion of charges results in a string model equivalent to spinor QED. The strings represent lines of electric flux connected to the charges. The purely bosonic model is spoilt by divergences that are excluded from the spinning model by world-sheet supersymmetry, indicating a preference for spinor matter.