Little String Theory in a Double Scaling Limit

TL;DR

This paper explores a double scaling limit in string theory on Calabi-Yau manifolds, leading to a non-gravitational, weakly coupled theory that can be analyzed via holography, revealing a discrete spectrum with Hagedorn growth.

Contribution

It introduces a new double scaling limit in string theory on Calabi-Yau spaces and studies its holographic dual, providing insights into the spectrum and correlation functions of the resulting little string theory.

Findings

Computed two and three point functions in the double scaled little string theory.

Discovered a discrete mass spectrum with Hagedorn growth.

Analyzed the spectrum across various dimensions.

Abstract

A double scaling limit can be defined in string theory on a Calabi-Yau (CY) manifold by approaching a point in moduli space where the CY space develops an isolated singularity and at the same time taking the string coupling to zero, while keeping a particular combination of the two parameters fixed. This leads to a decoupled theory without gravity which has a weak coupling expansion, and can be studied using a holographically dual non-critical superstring description. The usual ``Little String Theory'' corresponds to the strong coupling limit of this theory. We use holography to compute two and three point functions in weakly coupled double scaled little string theory, and study the spectrum of the theory in various dimensions. We find a discrete spectrum of masses which exhibits Hagedorn growth.