D3-brane shells to black branes on the Coulomb branch

TL;DR

This paper uses AdS/CFT duality to analyze a spherical shell of D3-branes on the Coulomb branch of ${ m extbf{N}=4}$ SU(N) gauge theory, revealing insights into the transition from D-branes to black branes and their gauge theory duals.

Contribution

It provides a detailed holographic description of a D3-brane shell configuration and its relation to black branes, highlighting the transition between perturbative and non-perturbative regimes.

Findings

Inside the shell, spacetime is flat.

The geometry affects two-point functions and Wilson loops.

Absorption by the branes is crucial in two-point function calculations.

Abstract

We use the AdS/CFT duality to study the special point on the Coulomb branch of ${\cal N}=4$ SU(N) gauge theory which corresponds to a spherically symmetric shell of D3-branes. This point is of interest both because the spacetime region inside the shell is flat, and because this configuration gives a very simple example of the transition between D-branes in the perturbative string regime and the non-perturbative regime of black holes. We discuss how this geometry is described in the dual gauge theory, through its effect on the two-point functions and Wilson loops. In the calculation of the two-point function, we stress the importance of absorption by the branes.