Wess-Zumino Consistency Condition for Entanglement Entropy

In this brief note, we consider the variation of the entanglement entropy of a region as the shape of the entangling surface is changed. We show that the variation satisfies a Wess-Zumino like integrability condition in field theories which can be consistently coupled to gravity. In this case the "anomaly" is localized on the entangling surface. The solution of the integrability condition should give all the nontrivial finite local terms which can appear in the variation of the entanglement entropy.Comment: 14 pages, presentation improve

The World as a Hologram

According to 't Hooft the combination of quantum mechanics and gravity requires the three dimensional world to be an image of data that can be stored on a two dimensional projection much like a holographic image. The two dimensional description only requires one discrete degree of freedom per Planck area and yet it is rich enough to describe all three dimensional phenomena. After outlining 't Hooft's proposal I give a preliminary informal description of how it may be implemented. One finds a basic requirement that particles must grow in size as their momenta are increased far above the Planck scale. The consequences for high energy particle collisions are described. The phenomena of particle growth with momentum was previously discussed in the context of string theory and was related to information spreading near black hole horizons. The considerations of this paper indicate that the effect is much more rapid at all but the earliest times. In fact the rate of spreading is found to saturate the bound from causality. Finally we consider string theory as a possible realization of 't Hooft's idea. The light front lattice string model of Klebanov and Susskind is reviewed and its similarities with the holographic theory are demonstrated. The agreement between the two requires unproven but plausible assumptions about the nonperturbative behavior of string theory. Very similar ideas to those in this paper have been long held by Charles Thorn.Comment: SU-ITP-94-33, phyzzx, 33 pages and 5 figures (Some typos fixed and one reference added.

Oblique DLCQ M-theory and Multiple M2-branes

We propose an oblique DLCQ as a limit to realize a theory of multiple M2-branes in M(atrix)-theory context. The limit is a combination of an infinite boosting of a space-like circle and a tuned tilting of the circle direction. We obtain a series of supergravity solutions describing various dual configurations including multiple M2-branes. For an infinite boosting along a circle wrapped obliquely around a rectangular torus, Seiberg's DLCQ limit distorts the torus modulus. In the context of supergravity, we show explicitly how this torus modulus of $\widetilde{\text M}$-theory is realized as the vacuum modulus of dual IIB-theory.Comment: v3: 25pages, extended version, References adde

String Thermalization at a Black Hole Horizon

Susskind has recently shown that a relativistic string approaching the event horizon of a black hole spreads in both the transverse and longitudinal directions in the reference frame of an outside observer. The transverse spreading can be described as a branching diffusion of wee string bits. This stochastic process provides a mechanism for thermalizing the quantum state of the string as it spreads across the stretched horizon.Comment: 14 pages, latex, SU-ITP-94-4, NSF-ITP-94-1

Electroweak Symmetry Breaking due to Confinement

Within the framework of gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking, we consider an electroweak symmetry breaking pattern in which there is no conventional $\mu$ term. The pattern is made appealing through realizing it as low energy effective description of a supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory which is of confinement. Phenomenological implications are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, revtex, no figure, the discussion on effective superpotential refine

Traversable Wormholes and Black Hole Complementarity

Black hole complementarity is incompatible with the existence of traversable wormholes. In fact, traversable wormholes cause problems for any theory where information comes out in the Hawking radiation.Comment: 4 pages, CALT-68-193