Time-Delay at Higher Genus in High-Energy Open String Scattering

TL;DR

This paper investigates how causal time-delay in high-energy open string scattering decreases at higher perturbation orders, revealing a universal scaling behavior linked to string trajectory geometry and discussing implications for space-time uncertainty.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis of higher-order effects on time-delay in open string scattering, showing a proportional reduction and providing a space-time interpretation.

Findings

Time-delay at G-th order is 1/(G+1) times smaller than at tree level.

String shape remains the same at higher orders, scaled down proportionally.

Implications for space-time uncertainty principle and noncommutative field theories.

Abstract

We explore some aspects of causal time-delay in open string scattering studied recently by Seiberg, Susskind and Toumbas. By examining high-energy scattering amplitudes at higher order in perturbation theory, we argue that causal time-delay at G-th order is 1/(G+1) times smaller than the time-delay at tree level. We propose a space-time interpretation of the result by utilizing the picture of the high-energy open string scattering put forward by Gross and Manes. We argue that the phenomenon of reduced time-delay is attributed to the universal feature of the space-time string trajectory in high-energy scattering that string shape at higher order remains the same as that at tree level but overall scale is reduced. We also discuss implications to the space-time uncertainty principle and make brief comments on causal time-delay behavior in space/time noncommutative field theory.