High energy scattering and the AdS/CFT correspondence

TL;DR

This paper explores high energy scattering in N=4 SYM using AdS/CFT, revealing how bulk supergravity exchanges influence gauge theory phase shifts, including unexpected gravity-like behavior at large impact parameters.

Contribution

It demonstrates the connection between gauge theory scattering amplitudes and Wilson loop correlators via AdS/CFT, identifying dominant contributions and revealing gravity-like phase shift behavior.

Findings

Bulk graviton exchange causes gravity-like s^1 phase shift behavior.

Real phase shifts dominate the scattering process.

Correlation functions of tilted Wilson loops are key to calculations.

Abstract

We consider small angle and large impact parameter high energy scattering of colourless states in SYM using the AdS/CFT correspondence. The gauge theory scattering amplitude is linked with a correlation function of tilted Wilson loops, which can be calculated by the exchange of bulk supergravity fields between the two corresponding string worldsheets. We identify the dominant contributions, which all correspond to real phase shifts. In particular, we find a contribution of the bulk graviton which gives an unexpected `gravity-like' $s^1$ behaviour of the gauge theory phase shift in a specific range of energies and (large) impact parameters.