The large N limit of superconformal field theories and supergravity
- Lyman Laboratory of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)
We show that the large {ital N} limit of certain conformal field theories in various dimensions include in their Hilbert space a sector describing supergravity on the product of Anti-deSitter spacetimes, spheres and other compact manifolds. This is shown by taking some branes in the full M/string theory and then taking a low energy limit where the field theory on the brane decouples from the bulk. We observe that, in this limit, we can still trust the near horizon geometry for large {ital N}. The enhanced supersymmetries of the near horizon geometry correspond to the extra supersymmetry generators present in the superconformal group (as opposed to just the super-Poincare group). The {close_quote}t Hooft limit of 3+1N=4 super-Yang-Mills at the conformal point is shown to contain strings: they are IIB strings. We conjecture that compactifications of M/string theory on various Anti-deSitter spacetimes is dual to various conformal field theories. This leads to a new proposal for a definition of M-theory which could be extended to include five non-compact dimensions. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 687977
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-981170-; ISSN 0094-243X; TRN: 99:010507
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 484, Issue 1; Conference: 2. meeting on trends in theoretical physics, Buenos Aires (Argentina), 29 Nov - 4 Dec 1998; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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