Physics – High Energy Physics – High Energy Physics - Theory
Scientific paper
1996-08-05
Nucl.Phys.B485:85-127,1997
Physics
High Energy Physics
High Energy Physics - Theory
50 pages, harvmac, 3 epsf figures. References added, minor changes in text
Scientific paper
10.1016/S0550-3213(96)00619-0
We study the behavior of D-branes at distances far shorter than the string length scale~$l_s$. We argue that short-distance phenomena are described by the IR behavior of the D-brane world-volume quantum theory. This description is valid until the brane motion becomes relativistic. At weak string coupling $\gs$ this corresponds to momenta and energies far above string scale. We use 0-brane quantum mechanics to study 0-brane collisions and find structure at length scales corresponding to the eleven-dimensional Planck length ($\lp11 \sim \gs^{1/3} l_s$) and to the radius of the eleventh dimension in M-theory ($\R11 \sim \gs l_s$). We use 0-branes to probe non-trivial geometries and topologies at sub-stringy scales. We study the 0-brane 4-brane system, calculating the 0-brane moduli space metric, and find the bound state at threshold, which has characteristic size $\lp11$. We examine the blowup of an orbifold and are able to resolve the resulting $S^2$ down to size $\lp11$. A 0-brane with momentum approaching $1/\R11$ is able to explore a larger configuration space in which the blowup is embedded. Analogous phenomena occur for small instantons. We finally turn to 1-branes and calculate the size of a bound state to be $\sim \gs^{1/2} l_s$, the 1-brane tension scale.
Douglas Michael R.
Kabat Daniel
Pouliot Philippe
Shenker Stephen H.
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