Long string scattering in c = 1 string theory

• Published in: The journal of high energy physics 2019-01, Vol.2019 (1), p.1-36, Article 173
• Main Authors: Balthazar, Bruno, Rodriguez, Victor A., Yin, Xi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Amplitudes; Bosonic Strings; Branes; Classical and Quantum Gravitation; D-branes; Decoupling; Elementary Particles; Field theory; High energy physics; Long strings; M(atrix) Theories; Mathematical models; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Quantum mechanics; Quantum Physics; Regular Article - Theoretical Physics; Relativity Theory; Scattering; String Theory; Strings
• ISSN: 1029-8479; 1029-8479
• DOI: 10.1007/JHEP01(2019)173

A bstract We study the scattering of long strings in c = 1 string theory, both in the worldsheet description and in the non-singlet sector of the dual matrix quantum mechanics. From the worldsheet perspective, the scattering amplitudes of long strings are obtained from a decoupling limit of open strings amplitudes on FZZT branes, which we compute by integrating Virasoro conformal blocks along with structure constants of boundary Liouville theory. In particular, we study the tree level amplitudes of (1) a long string decaying by emitting a closed string, and (2) the scattering of a pair of long strings. We show that they are indeed well defined as limits of open string amplitudes, and that our results are in striking numerical agreement with computations in the adjoint and bi-adjoint sectors of the dual matrix model (based on proposals of Maldacena and solutions due to Fidkowski), thereby providing strong evidence of the duality.