D-instantons and multiparticle production in N=4 SYM

TL;DR

This paper proposes that D-instantons in AdS_5 space enable multiparticle production in strongly coupled N=4 SYM, resolving the elastic scattering limitation and suggesting a physical picture similar to real-world high-energy collisions.

Contribution

It introduces D-instantons as a mechanism for multiparticle production in N=4 SYM at strong coupling, extending the AdS/CFT framework beyond elastic scattering.

Findings

D-instantons contribute to multiparticle production

The cross section increases with energy

The Pomeron trajectory parameters are evaluated

Abstract

N=4 Super-symmetric Yang-Mills theory (N=4 SYM) in the strong coupling regime has been successfully applied (through the AdS/CFT correspondence) to the description of strongly coupled plasma which is a multiparticle state. Yet, the high-energy scattering in the strong coupling limit of N=4 SYM is purely elastic, so this multiparticle final state can never be produced: this is because in this limit the theory is dual to weak supergravity, and the dominant interaction is the elastic graviton exchange. Here we propose a resolution of this dilemma by considering the contribution of D-instantons in $AdS_5$ bulk space to the scattering amplitude. We argue that D-instantons coupled to dilatons and axions are responsible for multiparticle production in strongly coupled N=4 SYM, and the corresponding cross section increases with energy. We evaluate the intercept and the slope of the corresponding Pomeron trajectory in terms of the typical size of the D-instanton, and argue that the resulting physical picture may resemble the real world.