Proving the PP-Wave/CFT_2 Duality

TL;DR

This paper establishes a detailed correspondence between IIB string theory on a pp-wave background and a 2D N=(4,4) orbifold CFT, matching states and spectra through supercharge actions and conformal perturbation theory.

Contribution

It provides the first explicit mapping of states and spectra between the pp-wave string theory and the resolved orbifold CFT, including leading order corrections.

Findings

Identified massive and massless oscillator states with excited CFT states.

Computed leading order conformal dimension corrections matching string spectra.

Discussed higher order correction implications.

Abstract

We study the duality between IIB string theory on a pp-wave background, arising as a Penrose limit of the AdS_3 times S^3 times M, where M is T^4 (or K3), and the 2D CFT which is given by the N=(4,4) orbifold (M)^N/S_N, resolved by a blowing-up mode. After analizying the action of the supercharges on both sides, we establish a correspondence between the states of the two theories. In particular and for the T^4 case, we identify both massive and massless oscillators on the pp-wave, with certain classes of excited states in the resolved CFT carrying large R-charge n. For the former, the excited states involve fractional modes of the generators of the N=4 chiral algebra acting on the Z_n ground states. For the latter, they involve, fractional modes of the U(1)^4_L times U(1)^4_R super-current algebra acting on the Z_n ground states. By using conformal perturbation theory we compute the leading order correction to the conformal dimensions of the first class of states, due to the presence of the blowing up mode. We find agreement, to this order, with the corresponding spectrum of massive oscillators on the pp-wave. We also discuss the issue of higher order corrections.