D2 or M2? A Note on Membrane Scattering

TL;DR

This paper investigates the quantization of the Lorentzian BLG theory in the context of membrane scattering, finding it possible to preserve SO(8) superconformal symmetry but noting its limited practicality for IR M2-brane dynamics.

Contribution

It demonstrates the potential for quantizing the Lorentzian BLG theory while maintaining SO(8) symmetry and discusses its effectiveness in capturing certain protected quantities.

Findings

Preserves SO(8) superconformal symmetry upon quantization

Reproduces protected quantities like chiral primary amplitudes

Provides a limited parametrization of IR M2-brane dynamics

Abstract

Motivated by a physical interpretation of its correlation functions as membrane scattering amplitudes, we re-address whether the Lorentzian BLG theory can be quantized such that it preserves SO(8) superconformal symmetry. We find that this appears to be possible. While the model seems to adequately reproduce protected quantities such as chiral primary amplitudes and the four derivative effective action, we conclude that, as understood at present, it gives a relatively unpractical parametrization of the IR dynamics of M2-branes.