Preprint
A Walk Through Superstring Theory With an Application to Yang-Mills Theory: K-strings and D-branes as Gauge/Gravity Dual Objects
ArXiv.org
Cornell University
11/30/2010
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1012.0021
Abstract
Superstring theory is one current, promising attempt at unifying gravity with the other three known forces: the electromagnetic force, and the weak and strong nuclear forces. Though this is still a work in progress, much effort has been put toward this goal. A set of specific tools which are used in this effort are gauge/gravity dualities. This thesis consists of a specific implementation of gauge/gravity dualities to describe k-strings of strongly coupled gauge theories as objects dual to Dp-branes embedded in confining supergravity backgrounds from low energy superstring field theory. Along with superstring theory, k-strings are also commonly investigated with lattice gauge theory and Hamiltonian methods. A k-string is a colorless combination of quark-antiquark source pairs, between which a color flux tube develops. The two most notable terms of the k-string energy are, for large quark anti-quark separation L, the tension term, proportional to L, and the Coulombic 1/L correction, known as the Luscher term. This thesis provides an overview of superstring theories and how gauge/gravity dualities emerge from them. It shows in detail how these dualities can be used for the specific problem of calculating the k-string energy in 2 + 1 and 3 + 1 space-time dimensions as the energy of Dp-branes in the dual gravitational theory. A detailed review of k-string tension calculations is given where good agreement is found with lattice gauge theory and Hamiltonian methods. In reviewing the k-string tension, we also touch on how different representations of k-strings can be described with Dp-branes through gauge/gravity dualities. The main result of this thesis is how the Luscher term is found to emerge as the one loop quantum corrections to the Dp-brane energy. In 2+1 space-time dimensions, we have Luscher term data to compare with from lattice gauge theory, where we find good agreement.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A Walk Through Superstring Theory With an Application to Yang-Mills Theory: K-strings and D-branes as Gauge/Gravity Dual Objects
- Creators
- Kory Stiffler
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Publication Details
- ArXiv.org
- DOI
- 10.48550/arxiv.1012.0021
- ISSN
- 2331-8422
- Publisher
- Cornell University; Ithaca, New York
- Language
- English
- Date posted
- 11/30/2010
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984936492102771
Metrics
4 Record Views