Search

We continue the program of bulk reconstruction for fermionic fields. We reconstruct, from the CFT, the Dirac fermion field in $AdS_{3}$ coupled to a Chern-Simon gauge field. We show that the three conditions; solving the equation of motion, satisfying expected transformation under modular flow and a simple charge distribution at infinity are all compatible and all produce the same bulk operator. We also compute the bulk-boundary tree level three point function from the CFT construction., 28 pages, acknowledgements added

We compute modular Hamiltonians for excited states obtained by perturbing the vacuum with a unitary operator. We use operator methods and work to first order in the strength of the perturbation. For the most part we divide space in half and focus on perturbations generated by integrating a local operator $J$ over a null plane. Local operators with weight $n \geq 2$ under vacuum modular flow produce an additional endpoint contribution to the modular Hamiltonian. Intuitively this is because operators with weight $n \geq 2$ can move degrees of freedom from a region to its complement. The endpoint contribution is an integral of $J$ over a null plane. We show this in detail for stress tensor perturbations in two dimensions, where the result can be verified by a conformal transformation, and for scalar perturbations in a CFT. This lets us conjecture a general form for the endpoint contribution that applies to any field theory divided into half-spaces., Comment: 30 pages. v2: additional references and added an appendix (general n in d = 2)

We develop the representation of free spinor fields in the bulk of Lorentzian anti-de Sitter space in terms of smeared operators in the dual conformal field theory. To do this we expand the bulk field in a complete set of normalizable modes, work out the extrapolate dictionary for spinor fields, and show that the bulk field can be reconstructed from its near-boundary behavior. In some cases chirality and reality conditions can be imposed in the bulk. We study the action of the CFT modular Hamiltonian on bulk fermions to show that they transform with the expected spinor Lie derivative, and we calculate bulk--boundary two-point functions starting from CFT correlators., 31 pages

Perturbative bulk reconstruction in AdS/CFT starts by representing a free bulk field $\phi^{(0)}$ as a smeared operator in the CFT. A series of $1/N$ corrections must be added to $\phi^{(0)}$ to represent an interacting bulk field $\phi$. These corrections have been determined in the literature from several points of view. Here we develop a new perspective. We show that correlation functions involving $\phi^{(0)}$ suffer from ambiguities due to analytic continuation. As a result $\phi^{(0)}$ fails to be a well-defined linear operator in the CFT. This means bulk reconstruction can be understood as a procedure for building up well-defined operators in the CFT which thereby singles out the interacting field $\phi$. We further propose that the difficulty with defining $\phi^{(0)}$ as a linear operator can be re-interpreted as a breakdown of associativity. Presumably $\phi^{(0)}$ can only be corrected to become an associative operator in perturbation theory. This suggests that quantum mechanics in the bulk is only valid in perturbation theory around a semiclassical bulk geometry., Comment: 22 pages. v2: references added

We study the action of the CFT total modular Hamiltonian on the CFT representation of bulk fields with spin. In the vacuum of the CFT the total modular Hamiltonian acts as a bulk Lie derivative, reducing on the RT surface to a boost perpendicular to the RT surface. This enables us to reconstruct bulk fields with spin from the CFT. On fields with gauge redundancies the total modular Hamiltonian acts as a bulk Lie derivative together with a compensating bulk gauge (or diffeomorphism) transformation to restore the original gauge. We consider the Lie algebra generated by the total modular Hamiltonians of all spherical CFT subregions and define weakly-maximal Lie subalgebras as proper subalgebras containing a maximal set of total modular Hamiltonians. In a CFT state with a bulk dual, we show that the bulk spacetime parametrizes the space of these weakly-maximal Lie subalgebras. Each such weakly-maximal Lie subalgebra induces Lorentz transformations at a particular point in the bulk manifold. The bulk metric dual to a pure CFT state is invariant at each point under this transformation. This condition fixes the metric up to a conformal factor that can be computed from knowledge of the equation parametrizing extremal surfaces. This gives a holographic notion of the invariance of a pure CFT state under CFT modular flow., Comment: 27 pages. v2: minor changes. v3: coordinates clarified, version to appear in JHEP

We show that bulk quantities localized on a minimal surface homologous to a boundary region correspond in the CFT to operators that commute with the modular Hamiltonian associated with the boundary region. If two such minimal surfaces intersect at a point in the bulk then CFT operators which commute with both extended modular Hamiltonians must be localized at the intersection point. We use this to construct local bulk operators purely from CFT considerations, without knowing the bulk metric, using intersecting modular Hamiltonians. For conformal field theories at zero and finite temperature the appropriate modular Hamiltonians are known explicitly and we recover known expressions for local bulk observables., 28 pages, LaTeX. v2: additional discussion of extended modular Hamiltonian. v3: version to appear in JHEP

We develop the representation of infalling observers and bulk fields in the CFT as a way to understand the black hole interior in AdS. We first discuss properties of CFT states which are dual to black holes. We then show that in the presence of a Killing horizon bulk fields can be decomposed into pieces we call ingoing and outgoing. The ingoing field admits a simple operator representation in the CFT, even inside a small black hole at late times, which leads to a simple CFT description of infalling geodesics. This means classical infalling observers will experience the classical geometry in the interior. The outgoing piece of the field is more subtle. In an eternal two-sided geometry it can be represented as an operator on the left CFT. In a stable one-sided geometry it can be described using entanglement via the PR construction. But in an evaporating black hole trans-horizon entanglement breaks down at the Page time, which means that for old black holes the PR construction fails and the outgoing field does not see local geometry. This picture of the interior allows the CFT to reconcile unitary Hawking evaporation with the classical experience of infalling observers., 48 pages, LaTeX, 8 figures. v2: minor edits, additional reference. v3: version to appear in JHEP

To O(1/N) we derive, purely from CFT data, the bulk equations of motion for interacting scalar fields and for scalars coupled to gauge fields and gravity. We first uplift CFT operators to mimic local AdS fields by imposing bulk microcausality. This requires adding an infinite tower of smeared higher-dimension double-trace operators to the CFT definition of a bulk field, with coefficients that we explicitly compute. By summing the contribution of the higher-dimension operators we derive the equations of motion satisfied by these uplifted CFT operators and show that we precisely recover the expected bulk equations of motion. We exhibit the freedom in the CFT construction which corresponds to bulk field redefinitions., Comment: 62 pages, LaTeX, 304 equations. v2: minor edits, reference added. v3: minor improvements, version to appear in JHEP

We analyze the possible configurations of D-branes breaking on other D-branes. We describe these configurations in the context of a brane-antibrane effective theory in two ways. First as a tachyon configuration representing a non-trivial bundle over the sphere surrounding the end of the brane a la Polchinski, and second in terms of tachyon solitons using homotopy theory. Surprisingly, in some cases there are topologically stable configurations of broken branes., Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure

We consider bulk quantum fields in AdS/CFT in the background of an eternal black hole. We show that for black holes with finite entropy, correlation functions of semiclassical bulk operators close to the horizon deviate from their semiclassical value and are ill-defined inside the horizon. This is due to the large-time behavior of correlators in a unitary CFT, and means the region near and inside the horizon receives corrections. We give a prescription for modifying the definition of a bulk field in a black hole background, such that one can still define operators that mimic the inside of the horizon, but at the price of violating microcausality. For supergravity fields we find that commutators at spacelike separation generically ~ exp(-S/2). Similar results hold for stable black holes that form in collapse. The general lesson may be that a small amount of non-locality, even over arbitrarily large spacelike distances, is an essential aspect of non-perturbative quantum gravity., 43 pages, 7 figures. v2: additional appendix on finite-entropy correlators, additional references, version to appear in JHEP

We develop an approximation scheme for the quantum mechanics of N D0-branes at finite temperature in the 't Hooft large-N limit. The entropy of the quantum mechanics calculated using this approximation agrees well with the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of a ten-dimensional non-extremal black hole with 0-brane charge. This result is in accord with the duality conjectured by Itzhaki, Maldacena, Sonnenschein and Yankielowicz. Our approximation scheme provides a model for the density matrix which describes a black hole in the strongly-coupled quantum mechanics., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, latex, (v2 minor corrections)

We discuss the connection between Matrix string theory and the DLCQ of string theory. Using this connection we describe the sense in which perturbative string amplitudes are reproduced in the Matrix string theory. Using recent realization of the connection between SYM and Supergravity, we suggest how to describe Matrix theory with non-flat backgrounds., 15 pages, Latex

We construct smeared CFT operators which represent a scalar field in AdS interacting with gravity. The guiding principle is micro-causality: scalar fields should commute with themselves at spacelike separation. To O(1/N) we show that a correct and convenient criterion for constructing the appropriate CFT operators is to demand micro-causality in a three-point function with a boundary Weyl tensor and another boundary scalar. The resulting bulk observables transform in the correct way under AdS isometries and commute with boundary scalar operators at spacelike separation, even in the presence of metric perturbations., LaTeX, 44 pages. v2: some points clarified, version to appear in PRD

We develop the representation of interacting bulk gauge fields and charged scalar matter in AdS in terms of non-local observables in the dual CFT. We work in holographic gauge in the bulk, A_z = 0. The correct statement of micro-causality in holographic gauge is somewhat subtle, so we first discuss it from the bulk point of view. We then show that in the 1/N expansion CFT correlators can be lifted to obtain bulk correlation functions which satisfy micro-causality. This requires adding an infinite tower of higher-dimension multi-trace operators to the CFT definition of a bulk observable. For conserved currents the Ward identities in the CFT prevent the construction of truly local bulk operators (i.e. operators that commute at spacelike separation with everything), however the resulting non-local commutators are exactly those required by the bulk Gauss constraint. In contrast a CFT which only has non-conserved currents can be lifted to a bulk theory which is truly local. Although our explicit calculations are for gauge theory, similar statements should hold for gravity., 34 pages. v2: minor edits, version to appear in PRD

We use alternative quantisation of the $D3/D5$ system to explore properties of a strongly coupled charged plasma and strongly coupled anyonic fluids. The $S$-transform of the $D3/D5$ system is used as a model for charged matter interacting with a U(1) gauge field in the large coupling regime, and we compute the dispersion relationship of the propagating electromagnetic modes as the density and temperature are changed. A more general $SL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ transformation gives a strongly interacting anyonic fluid, and we study its transport properties as we change the statistics of the anyons and the background magnetic field., Comment: 26 pages, 26 figures, v2: typos corrected and refs added

Starting with a holographic construction for a fractional quantum Hall state based on the D3-D7' system, we explore alternative quantization conditions for the bulk gauge fields. This gives a description of a quantum Hall state with various filling fractions. For a particular alternative quantization of the bulk gauge fields, we obtain a holographic anyon fluid in a vanishing background magnetic field. We show that this system is a superfluid, exhibiting the relevant gapless excitation., 23 pages, 7 figures; v2: typos fixed, published version; v3: typo fixed

We calculate the potential between two different stationary D-branes and the velocity dependent potential between two different moving D-branes. We identify configurations with some unbroken supersymmetry, using a zero force condition. The potentials are compared with an eleven dimensional calculation of the scattering of a zero black-brane from the $0,2,4$ and 6 black-brane of type IIA supergravity. The agreement of these calculations provide further evidence for the D-brane description of black-branes, and for the eleven dimensional origin of type IIA string theory., 14 pages, Latex, final version to appear in Phys. Lett. B

We develop the representation of bulk fields with spin one and spin two in anti-de Sitter space, as non-local observables in the dual CFT. Working in holographic gauge in the bulk, at leading order in 1/N bulk gauge fields are obtained by smearing boundary currents over a sphere on the complexified boundary, while linearized metric fluctuations are obtained by smearing the boundary stress tensor over a ball. This representation respects AdS covariance up to a compensating gauge transformation. We also consider massive vector fields, where the bulk field is obtained by smearing a non-conserved current. We compute bulk two-point functions and show that bulk locality is respected. We show how to include interactions of massive vectors using 1/N perturbation theory, and we comment on the issue of general backgrounds., Comment: 45 pages, LaTeX, 1 figure. v2: corrected typo in equation (75)

We explore the magnetic properties of the Fermi-like liquid represented by the D3-D7' system. The system exhibits interesting magnetic properties such as ferromagnetism and an anomalous Hall effect, which are due to the Chern-Simons term in the effective gravitational action. We investigate the spectrum of quasi-normal modes in the presence of a magnetic field and show that the magnetic field mitigates the instability towards a striped phase. In addition, we find a critical magnetic field above which the zero sound mode becomes massive., Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures

We consider a holographic description of a system of strongly-coupled fermions in 2+1 dimensions based on a D7-brane probe in the background of D3-branes. The black hole embedding represents a Fermi-like liquid. We study the excitations of the Fermi liquid system. Above a critical density which depends on the temperature, the system becomes unstable towards an inhomogeneous modulated phase which is similar to a charge density and spin wave state. The essence of this instability can be effectively described by a Maxwell-axion theory with a background electric field. We also consider the fate of zero sound at non-zero temperature., 16 pages, 9 figures; v2: added discussion and one figure. Typos corrected

We compute the neutral bosonic excitation spectra of the holographic quantum Hall fluid described by the D3-D7' system. We find that the system is stable, gapped, and, in a range of parameters, exhibits a spectrum of low-lying excitations very similar to that of a quantum Hall fluid, including a magneto-roton excitation., 17 pages, 15 figures; v2: added references, v3: discussion added

Local operators in the bulk of AdS can be represented as smeared operators in the dual CFT. We show how to construct these bulk observables by requiring that the bulk operators commute at spacelike separation. This extends our previous work by taking interactions into account. Large-N factorization plays a key role in the construction. We show diagrammatically how this procedure is related to bulk Feynman diagrams., Comment: 41 pages, LaTeX. v2: reference corrected

We consider a holographic description of a system of strongly coupled fermions in 2+1 dimensions based on a D7-brane probe in the background of D3-branes, and construct stable embeddings by turning on worldvolume fluxes. We study the system at finite temperature and charge density, and in the presence of a background magnetic field. We show that Minkowski-like embeddings that terminate above the horizon describe a family of quantum Hall states with filling fractions that are parameterized by a single discrete parameter. The quantization of the Hall conductivity is a direct consequence of the topological quantization of the fluxes. When the magnetic field is varied relative to the charge density away from these discrete filling fractions, the embeddings deform continuously into black-hole-like embeddings that enter the horizon and that describe metallic states. We also study the thermodynamics of this system and show that there is a first order phase transition at a critical temperature from the quantum Hall state to the metallic state., Comment: v2: 27 pages, 12 figures. There is a major revision in the quantitative analysis. The qualitative results and conclusions are unchanged, with one exception: we show that the quantum Hall state embeddings, which exist for discrete values of the filling fraction, deform continuously into metallic state embeddings away from these filling fractions

We describe brane configurations that interpolate between the N=6 AdS4xCP3 background of Type IIA supergravity and the N=0 AdS4xCP3 background of massive Type IIA supergravity. Using the T-dual Type IIB configurations we prove that this leads to unequal Chern-Simons levels in the dual gauge theory, and find the precise relation between the parameters of the gauge theory and the RR fluxes of the background. This provides further evidence for the conjecture of Gaiotto and Tomasiello about the CFT dual of the massive Type IIA background., Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures

We investigate the Sakai-Sugimoto model at nonzero baryon chemical potential in a background magnetic field both in the confined phase and in the deconfined phase with restored chiral symmetry. In this case the 8-brane Chern-Simons term becomes important. In the confined phase it generates a gradient of the pseudo-scalar "pion", which carries a non-vanishing baryon charge. Above a critical value of the chemical potential there is a second order phase transition to a mixed phase which includes also ordinary baryonic matter. However, at fixed baryon charge density the matter is purely "pion"-gradient above a critical magnetic field. In the deconfined chiral-symmetric phase at nonzero chemical potential the magnetic field induces an axial current. We also compute the magnetization of the baryonic matter and find that it is paramagnetic in all three phases but with nonlinear behavior at large magnetic field., 20 pages, 19 figures; v2 figure and reference added; v3 corrected treatment of boundary terms in CS action leading to small quantitative adjustments; v4 explanation of boundary terms improved, to appear in PRD

We compute the longitudinal and Hall conductivities in the parallel phase of the Sakai-Sugimoto model with a transverse magnetic field. We find that the conductivities behave as if the charge of the system is made out of two different types; one behaves as charge carriers flowing through a dissipative neutral medium, while the other does not feel the dissipation. We also investigate the case of an electric field parallel to the magnetic field and find that in this case the system behaves as a perfect conductor. Both of the unusual behaviors stem from the axial anomaly., 12 pages, 1 figure

We study four-dimensional interacting fermions in a strong magnetic field, using the holographic Sakai-Sugimoto model of intersecting D4 and D8 branes in the deconfined, chiral-symmetric parallel phase. We find that as the magnetic field is varied, while staying in the parallel phase, the fermions exhibit a first-order phase transition in which their magnetization jumps discontinuously. Properties of this transition are consistent with a picture in which some of the fermions jump to the lowest Landau level. Similarities to known magnetic phase transitions are discussed., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures

To gain insight into how bulk locality emerges from the holographic conformal field theory (CFT), we reformulate the bulk-to-boundary map in as local a way as possible. In previous work, we carried out this program for Lorentzian anti-de Sitter (AdS), and showed the support on the boundary could always be reduced to a compact region spacelike separated from the bulk point. In the present work the idea is extended to a complexified boundary, where spatial coordinates are continued to imaginary values. This continuation enables us to represent a local bulk operator as a CFT operator with support on a finite disc on the complexified boundary. We treat general AdS in Poincar\'e coordinates and ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}$ in Rindler coordinates. We represent bulk operators inside the horizon of a Banados-Teitelboim-Zanelli (BTZ) black hole and we verify that the correct bulk two-point functions are reproduced, including the divergence when one point hits the BTZ singularity. We comment on the holographic description of black holes formed by collapse and discuss locality and holographic entropy counting at finite $N$.

We develop the representation of local bulk fields in anti-de Sitter (AdS) space by nonlocal operators on the boundary, working in the semiclassical limit and using ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{2}$ as our main example. In global coordinates we show that the boundary operator has support only at points which are spacelike separated from the bulk point. We construct boundary operators that represent local bulk operators inserted behind the horizon of the Poincar\'e patch and inside the Rindler horizon of a two-dimensional black hole. We show that these operators respect bulk locality and comment on the generalization of our construction to higher dimensional AdS black holes.

The Lorentzian AdS/CFT correspondence implies a map between local operators in supergravity and non-local operators in the CFT. By explicit computation we construct CFT operators which are dual to local bulk fields in the semiclassical limit. The computation is done for general dimension in global, Poincare and Rindler coordinates. We find that the CFT operators can be taken to have compact support in a region of the complexified boundary whose size is set by the bulk radial position. We show that at finite N the number of independent commuting operators localized within a bulk volume saturates the holographic bound., Comment: 36 pages, LaTeX, 4 eps figures

We compute the force between oppositely charged W bosons in the large N limit of Yang-Mills with 16 supercharges broken to SU(N) x U(1) by a finite Higgs vev. We clarify some issues regarding Wilson line computations and show that there is a regime in which the force between W bosons is independent of separation distance., 11 pages, LaTeX, v2: misprint corrected, v3: references added

We study systems with a large number of meta-stable Dp-branes, and show that they describe Schwarzschild and Schwarzschild-like black branes, generalizing the results of Danielsson, Guijosa and Kruczenski. The systems are considered in both the open and closed string pictures. We identify the horizon size and its relation to the physics of open and closed strings. From the closed string perspective the region inside the horizon is where the effects of massive closed strings become important., Comment: 15 pages, Latex; v2: corrected typos; v3: added a more careful analysis of the lambda=0 non-dilatonic black holes; v4: corrected misprints, version to appear in JHEP

We propose that stretched horizons can be described in terms of a gas of non-interacting quasiparticles. The quasiparticles are unstable, with a lifetime set by the imaginary part of the lowest quasinormal mode frequency. If the horizon arises from an AdS/CFT style duality the quasiparticles are also the effective low-energy degrees of freedom of the finite-temperature CFT. We analyze a large class of models including Schwarzschild black holes, non-extremal Dp-branes, the rotating BTZ black hole and de Sitter space, and we comment on degenerate horizons. The quasiparticle description makes manifest the relationship between entropy and area., Comment: 39 pages, LaTeX. v2: references added. v3: additional comments

We propose an effective description of 0-brane black holes, in which the black hole is modeled as a gas of non-interacting quasi-particles in the dual quantum mechanics. This simple model is shown to account for many of the static thermodynamic properties of the black hole. It also accounts for dynamical properties, such as the rate at which energy gets thermalized by the black hole. We use the model to show that the entropy of the quantum mechanics is proportional to the black hole horizon area in Planck units., Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, 2 eps figures. v2: references added

We clarify the relationship between black hole entropy and the number of degrees of freedom in the dual QFT with a cut-off. We show that simple gravity arguments predict the correct cut-off procedure., Comment: 8 pages, Latex

We propose that the entropy of de Sitter space can be identified with the mutual entropy of a dual conformal field theory. We argue that unitary time evolution in de Sitter space restricts the total number of excited degrees of freedom to be bounded by the de Sitter entropy, and we give a CFT interpretation of this restriction. We also clarify issues arising from the fact that both de Sitter and anti de Sitter have dual descriptions in terms of conformal field theory., Comment: LaTeX, 22 pages, 2 eps figures. v2: references added. v3: minor additional comments, additional references

We present the details of a mean-field approximation scheme for the quantum mechanics of N D0-branes at finite temperature. The approximation can be applied at strong 't Hooft coupling. We find that the resulting entropy is in good agreement with the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of a ten-dimensional non-extremal black hole with 0-brane charge. This result is in accord with the duality conjectured by Itzhaki, Maldacena, Sonnenschein and Yankielowicz. We study the spectrum of single-string excitations within the quantum mechanics, and find evidence for a clear separation between light and heavy degrees of freedom. We also present a way of identifying the black hole horizon., Comment: LaTeX, 35 pages, 8 eps figures. v2: improved spectral analysis

We use a 0-brane to probe a ten-dimensional near-extremal black hole with N units of 0-brane charge. We work directly in the dual strongly-coupled quantum mechanics, using mean-field methods to describe the black hole background non-perturbatively. We obtain the distribution of W boson masses, and find a clear separation between light and heavy degrees of freedom. To localize the probe we introduce a resolving time and integrate out the heavy modes. After a non-trivial change of coordinates, the effective potential for the probe agrees with supergravity expectations. We compute the entropy of the probe, and find that the stretched horizon of the black hole arises dynamically in the quantum mechanics, as thermal restoration of unbroken U(N+1) gauge symmetry. Our analysis of the quantum mechanics predicts a correct relation between the horizon radius and entropy of a black hole., 30 pages, LaTeX, 8 eps figures. v2: references added. v3: more references

We argue that the second-order gauge-invariant Schwinger-Dyson operator of a gauge theory is the Wheeler-DeWitt operator in the dual string theory. Using this identification, we construct a set of operators in the gauge theory that correspond to excitations of gravity in the bulk. We show that these gauge theory operators have the expected properties for describing the semiclassical local gravity theory., 17 pages, LaTeX; typo corrected, reference added

We advocate a set of approximations for studying the finite temperature behavior of strongly-coupled theories in 0+1 dimensions. The approximation consists of expanding about a Gaussian action, with the width of the Gaussian determined by a set of gap equations. The approximation can be applied to supersymmetric systems, provided that the gap equations are formulated in superspace. It can be applied to large-N theories, by keeping just the planar contribution to the gap equations. We analyze several models of scalar supersymmetric quantum mechanics, and show that the Gaussian approximation correctly distinguishes between a moduli space, mass gap, and supersymmetry breaking at strong coupling. Then we apply the approximation to a bosonic large-N gauge theory, and argue that a Gross-Witten transition separates the weak-coupling and strong-coupling regimes. A similar transition should occur in a generic large-N gauge theory, in particular in 0-brane quantum mechanics., LaTeX, 46 pages, 7 eps figures. v2: added references

We discuss the gauge theory mechanisms which are responsible for the causal structure of the dual supergravity. For D-brane probes we show that the light cone structure and Killing horizons of supergravity emerge dynamically. They are associated with the appearance of new light degrees of freedom in the gauge theory, which we explicitly identify. This provides a picture of physics at the horizon of a black hole as seen by a D-brane probe., Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX. v2: added references, expanded discussion of Gaussian approximation, added comments on M(atrix) causality

Any probe which crosses the horizon of a black hole should be absorbed. In M(atrix) theory, for 0-brane probes of Schwarzschild black holes, we argue that the relevant absorption mechanism is a tachyon instability which sets in at the horizon. We give qualitative arguments, and some quantitative large-N calculations, in support of this claim. The tachyon instability provides an attractive mechanism for infalling matter to be captured and thermalized by a Schwarzschild black hole., Comment: LaTeX, 24 pages, one EPSF figure. v2: minor edits, added references. v3: added discussion of extremal black holes, version to appear in JHEP

We describe a way to compute scattering amplitudes in M(atrix) quantum mechanics, that involve the transverse five-brane. We then compute certain scattering processes and show that they have the expected SO(5) invariance, give the correct transverse-five-brane mass, and agree with the supergravity result., 13 pages, Latex, final version to appear in PLB

The BPS spectrum of type I' string theory in a generic background is derived using the duality with the nine-dimensional heterotic string theory with Wilson lines. It is shown that the corresponding mass formula has a natural interpretation in terms of type I', and it is demonstrated that the relevant states in type I' preserve supersymmetry. By considering certain BPS states for different Wilson lines an independent confirmation of the string creation phenomenon in the D0-D8 system is found. We also comment on the non-perturbative realization of gauge enhancement in type I', and on the predictions for the quantum mechanics of type I' D0-branes., Comment: 24 pages, LaTex, 6 postscript figures

The potential of a configuration of two Dirichlet branes for which the number of ND-directions is eight is determined. Depending on whether one of the branes is an anti-brane or a brane, the potential vanishes or is twice as large as the dilaton-gravitational potential. This is shown to be related to the fact that a fundamental string is created when two such branes cross. Special emphasis is given to the D0-D8 system, for which an interpretation of these results in terms of the massive IIA supergravity is presented. It is also shown that the branes cannot move non-adiabatically in the transverse direction. The configuration of a zero brane and an orientifold 8-plane is analyzed in a similar way, and some implications for the type IA-heterotic duality and the heterotic matrix theory are discussed., Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX, 4 postscript-figures; substantial changes to sections 2 and 3

We calculate the potential between various configurations of membranes and gravitons in M(atrix) theory. The computed potentials agree with the short distance potentials between corresponding 2-branes and 0-brane configurations in Type IIA string theory, bound to a large number of 0-branes to account for the boost to the infinite momentum frame. We show that, due to the large boost, these type IIA configurations are almost supersymmetric, so that the short and long distance potentials actually agree. Thus the M(atrix) theory is able to reproduce correct long distance behavior in these cases., 26 pages, Latex. Section 2 expanded, we also added a discussion about Lorentz invariance vs Large boosts. Final version to appear in NPB

A zero-brane is used to probe non-threshold BPS bound states of (p, p+2,p+4)-branes. At long distances the stringy calculation agrees with the supergravity calculations. The supergravity description is given, using the interpretation of the D=8 dyonic membrane as the bound state of a two-brane inside a four-brane. We investigate the short distance structure of these bound states, compute the phase shift of the scattered zero-brane and find the bound states characteristic size. It is found that there should be a supersymmetric solution of type IIa supergravity, describing a bound state of a zero-brane and two orthogonal two-brane, all inside a four-brane , with an additional unbound zero-brane. We comment on the relationship between p-branes and (p-2)-branes., Comment: Minor changes, misprints corrected, two refrences added, 19 pages, Latex

We discuss the proposed description of configurations with four-branes and six-branes in m(atrix) theory. Computing the velocity dependent potential between these configurations and gravitons and membranes, we show that they agree with the short distance string results computed in type IIa string theory. Due to the ``closeness'' of these configuration to a supersymmetric configuration the m(atrix) theory reproduces the correct long distance behavior., Comment: 14 pages, latex