D-instantons, String Field Theory and Two Dimensional String Theory

TL;DR

This paper uses string field theory to precisely compute constants in two-dimensional string theory instanton amplitudes, resolving previous ambiguities and confirming some results numerically, with one discrepancy later addressed.

Contribution

It introduces a method to determine all constants in instanton amplitude calculations using string field theory, improving upon previous divergence issues.

Findings

Three constants computed explicitly, two agree with previous numerical results.

One constant differs by 1/2 from earlier numerical estimates.

A shortcut for the fourth constant aligns with matrix model instanton action.

Abstract

In arXiv:1907.07688 Balthazar, Rodriguez and Yin (BRY) computed the one instanton contribution to the two point scattering amplitude in two dimensional string theory to first subleading order in the string coupling. Their analysis left undetermined two constants due to divergences in the integration over world-sheet variables, but they were fixed by numerically comparing the result with that of the dual matrix model. If we consider n-point scattering amplitudes to the same order, there are actually four undetermined constants in the world-sheet approach. We show that using string field theory we can get finite unambiguous values of all of these constants, and we explicitly compute three of these four constants. Two of the three constants determined this way agree with the numerical result of BRY within the accuracy of numerical analysis, but the third constant seems to differ by 1/2. We also discuss a shortcut to determining the fourth constant if we assume the equality of the quantum corrected D-instanton action and the action of the matrix model instanton. This also agrees with the numerical result of BRY. Note added: The apparent discrepancy in the third constant has been resolved in arXiv:2210.11473.