The more often you see an object, the easier it becomes to track it

Is it easier to track objects that you have seen repeatedly? We compared repeated blocks, where identities were the same from trial to trial, to unrepeated blocks, where identities varied. People were better in tracking objects that they saw repeatedly. We tested four hypotheses to explain this repetition benefit. First, perhaps the repeated condition benefits from consistent mapping of identities to target and distractor roles. However, the repetition benefit persisted even when both the repeated and the unrepeated conditions used consistent mapping. Second, repetition might improve the ability to recover targets that have been lost, or swapped with distractors. However, we observed a larger repetition benefit for color-color conjunctions, which do not benefit from such error recovery processes, than for unique features, which do. Furthermore, a repetition benefit was observed even in the absence of distractors. Third, perhaps repetition frees up resources by reducing memory load. However, increasing memory load by masking identities during the motion phase reduced the repetition benefit. The fourth hypothesis is that repetition facilitates identity tracking, which in turn improves location tracking. This hypothesis is consistent with all our results. Thus, our data suggest that identity and location tracking share a common resource

The arrow of time, black holes, and quantum mixing of large N Yang-Mills theories

Quantum gravity in an AdS spacetime is described by an SU(N) Yang-Mills theory on a sphere, a bounded many-body system. We argue that in the high temperature phase the theory is intrinsically non-perturbative in the large N limit. At any nonzero value of the 't Hooft coupling $\lambda$, an exponentially large (in N^2) number of free theory states of wide energy range (of order N) mix under the interaction. As a result the planar perturbation theory breaks down. We argue that an arrow of time emerges and the dual string configuration should be interpreted as a stringy black hole.Comment: 50 pages 3 figures uses harvma

On Charged Black Holes in Anti-de Sitter Space

We study the region inside the event horizon of charged black holes in five dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter space, using as a probe two-sided correlators which are dominated by spacelike geodesics penetrating the horizon. The spacetimes we investigate include the Reissner-Nordstrom black hole and perturbations thereof. The perturbed spacetimes can be found exactly, enabling us to perform a local scan of the region between the inner and outer horizons. Surprisingly, the two-sided correlators we calculate seem to be geometrically protected from the instability of the inner horizon.Comment: 1+37 pages, 20 ps and eps figures, LaTeX. References added and changes made to section

Strings in the Extended BTZ Spacetime

We study string theory on the extended spacetime of the BTZ black hole, as described by an orbifold of the SL(2,R) WZW model. The full spacetime has an infinite number of disconnected boundary components, each corresponding to a dual CFT. We discuss the computation of bulk and boundary correlation functions for operators inserted on different components. String theory correlation functions are obtained by analytic continuation from an orbifold of the SL(2,C)/SU(2) coset model. This yields two-point functions for general operators, including those describing strings that wind around the horizon of the black hole.Comment: 35 pages, harvmac, 5 eps figures, uses epsf.tex. (v2): Extended discussion in section 3.1, typo corrections, references adde

Holographic mesons in various dimensions

We calculate the spectrum of fluctuations of a probe Dk-brane in the background of N Dp-branes, for k=p,p+2,p+4 and p< 5. The result corresponds to the mesonic spectrum of a (p+1)-dimensional super-Yang-Mills (SYM) theory coupled to `dynamical quarks', i.e., fields in the fundamental representation -- the latter are confined to a defect for k=p and p+2. We find a universal behaviour where the spectrum is discrete and the mesons are deeply bound. The mass gap and spectrum are set by the scale M ~ m_q/g_{eff}(m_q), where m_q is the mass of the fundamental fields and g_{eff}(m_q) is the effective coupling evaluated at the quark mass, i.e. g_{eff}^2(m_q)=g_{ym}^2 N m_q^{p-3}. We consider the evolution of the meson spectra into the far infrared of three-dimensional SYM, where the gravity dual lifts to M-theory. We also argue that the mass scale appearing in the meson spectra is dictated by holography.Comment: 44 pages, 2 figures; v2: typos corrected, references adde

Global Fluctuation Spectra in Big Crunch/Big Bang String Vacua

We study Big Crunch/Big Bang cosmologies that correspond to exact world-sheet superconformal field theories of type II strings. The string theory spacetime contains a Big Crunch and a Big Bang cosmology, as well as additional ``whisker'' asymptotic and intermediate regions. Within the context of free string theory, we compute, unambiguously, the scalar fluctuation spectrum in all regions of spacetime. Generically, the Big Crunch fluctuation spectrum is altered while passing through the bounce singularity. The change in the spectrum is characterized by a function $\Delta$, which is momentum and time-dependent. We compute $\Delta$ explicitly and demonstrate that it arises from the whisker regions. The whiskers are also shown to lead to ``entanglement'' entropy in the Big Bang region. Finally, in the Milne orbifold limit of our superconformal vacua, we show that $\Delta\to 1$ and, hence, the fluctuation spectrum is unaltered by the Big Crunch/Big Bang singularity. We comment on, but do not attempt to resolve, subtleties related to gravitational backreaction and light winding modes when interactions are taken into account.Comment: 68 pages, 1 figure; typos correcte

Closed Timelike Curves and Holography in Compact Plane Waves

We discuss plane wave backgrounds of string theory and their relation to Goedel-like universes. This involves a twisted compactification along the direction of propagation of the wave, which induces closed timelike curves. We show, however, that no such curves are geodesic. The particle geodesics and the preferred holographic screens we find are qualitatively different from those in the Goedel-like universes. Of the two types of preferred screen, only one is suited to dimensional reduction and/or T-duality, and this provides a ``holographic protection'' of chronology. The other type of screen, relevant to an observer localized in all directions, is constructed both for the compact and non-compact plane waves, a result of possible independent interest. We comment on the consistency of field theory in such spaces, in which there are closed timelike (and null) curves but no closed timelike (or null) geodesics.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, LaTe

A Multi-Boundary AdS Orbifold and DLCQ Holography: A universal holographic description of extremal black hole horizons

We examine a stationary but non-static asymptotically AdS_3 spacetime with two causally connected conformal boundaries, each of which is a ``null cylinder'', namely a cylinder with a null direction identified. This spacetime arises from three different perspectives: (i) as a non-singular, causally regular orbifold of global AdS_3 by boosts, (ii) as a Penrose-like limit focusing on the horizon of extremal BTZ black holes, and (iii) as an S^1 fibration over AdS_2. Each of these perspectives sheds an interesting light on holography. Examination of the conformal boundary of the spacetime shows that the dual to the space should involve DLCQ limits of the D1-D5 conformal field theory. The Penrose-like limit approach leads to a similar conclusion, by isolating a sector of the complete D1-D5 CFT that describes the physics in the vicinity of the horizon of an extremal black hole. As such this is a holographic description of the universal horizon dynamics of the extremal black holes in AdS_3 and also of the four and five dimensional stringy black holes whose states were counted in string theory. The AdS_2 perspective draws a connection to a 0+1d quantum mechanical theory. Various dualities lead to a Matrix model description of the spacetime. Many interesting issues that are related to both de Sitter physics and attempts to ``see behind a horizon'' using AdS/CFT arise from (a) the presence of two disconnected components to the boundary, and (b) the analytic structure of bulk physics in the complex coordinate plane.Comment: 48 pages. 3 EPS figures. If you use mpage to print multiple postscript pages on the same sheet of paper you may have difficulties with the figures. The PDF version will print fine, as will postscript if you stick to one page per sheet. v3: minor edits and references adde

A comment on multiple vacua, particle production and the time dependent AdS/CFT correspondence

We give an explicit formulation of the time dependent AdS/CFT correspondence when there are multiple vacua present in Lorentzian signature. By computing sample two point functions we show how different amplitudes are related by cosmological particle production. We illustrate our methods in two example spacetimes: (a) a ``bubble of nothing'' in AdS space, and (b) an asymptotically locally AdS spacetime with a bubble of nothing on the boundary. In both cases the alpha vacua of de Sitter space make an interesting appearance.Comment: 9 page

What we don't know about time

String theory has transformed our understanding of geometry, topology and spacetime. Thus, for this special issue of Foundations of Physics commemorating "Forty Years of String Theory", it seems appropriate to step back and ask what we do not understand. As I will discuss, time remains the least understood concept in physical theory. While we have made significant progress in understanding space, our understanding of time has not progressed much beyond the level of a century ago when Einstein introduced the idea of space-time as a combined entity. Thus, I will raise a series of open questions about time, and will review some of the progress that has been made as a roadmap for the future.Comment: 15 pages; Essay for a special issue of Foundations of Physics commemorating "Forty years of string theory