On the path integral of relativistic strings

The field theoretical aspects of the path integral for the string Lagrangian a 1a Polyakov are discussed. It is shown that the BRS symmetry is consistent with the conformal anomaly, and the generalized Virasoro condition arises from the BRS invariance. The ghost number current, however, contains an anomaly. The possible cancellation of the conformal degree of freedom by the Faddeev-Popov ghost at D < 26 is also discussed. (author)