CONDENSATES AND SINGULARITIES IN STRING THEORY

We derive a class of solutions to the string sigma-model equations for the closed bosonic string. The tachyon field is taken to form a constant condensate and the beta-function equations at one-loop level are solved for the evolution of the metric and the dilaton. The solutions represent critical string theories in arbitrary dimensions. The spectrum of the subclass of models with a linearly rising asymptotic dilaton is found using the Feigin-Fuks method. Certain approximate solutions arising in string field theory are used to illustrate the results explicitly. An argument based on conformal invariance leads to the conjecture that stringy corrections to at least some singular spacetimes in general relativity result in non-singular metrics. We use the singularities of the big-bang/crunch type appearing in our models to examine this conjecture.