Symmetries of heterotic string theory Original Research Article

We study the symmetries of the two-dimensional Heterotic string theory by following the approach of Kinnersley et al. for the study of stationary axially-symmetric Einstein-Maxwell equations. We identify the finite-dimensional symmetries which are the analogues of the groups G′ and H′ for the Einstein-Maxwell equations. We also give the constructions for the infinite number of conserved currents and the affine ô(8,24) symmetry algebra in this formulation. The generalized Ehlers and Harrison transformations are identified and a parallel between the infinite-dimensional symmetry algebra for the heterotic string case with ŝl(3,R) that arise in the case of Einstein-Maxwell equations is pointed out.