M-momentum Transfer between Gravitons, Membranes, and Fivebranes as Perturbative Gauge Theory Processes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how perturbative gauge theory calculations, combined with dualities, can accurately describe non-perturbative M-momentum transfer processes between various branes in supergravity, supporting the consistency of Matrix theory.

Contribution

It shows that perturbation theory and dualities suffice to match supergravity and gauge theory results for M-momentum transfer processes, including gravitons, membranes, and fivebranes.

Findings

Perturbative calculations reproduce non-perturbative supergravity amplitudes.

Dualities relate electric flux transmission to M-momentum transfer.

Results support 11D Lorentz invariance of Matrix theory.

Abstract

Polchinski and Pouliot have shown that M-momentum transfer between membranes in supergravity can be understood as a non-perturbative instanton effect in gauge theory. Here we consider a dual process: electric flux transmission between D-branes. We show that this process can be described in perturbation theory as virtual string pair creation, and is closely related to Schwinger's treatment of the pair creation of charged particles in a uniform electric field. Through the application of dualities, our perturbative calculation gives results for various non-perturbative amplitudes, including M-momentum transfer between gravitons, membranes, and longitudinal fivebranes. Thus perturbation theory plus dualities are sufficient to demonstrate agreement between supergravity and gauge theory for a number of M-momentum transferring processes. A variety of other processes where branes are transmitted between branes, e.g. (p,q)-string transmission in IIB-theory, can also be studied. We discuss the implications of our results for proving the 11 dimensional Lorentz invariance of Matrix theory.