Holographic Instanton Calculations of Meson Decay

Abstract

Calculations of decay rates for high spin mesons have proved difficult using traditional QCD methods. However holographic methods have recently shown great promise in modelling QCD systems. While previous such approaches have used string bit models, a worldline instanton approach also shows great promise. A simple toy example of a worldline instanton calculation for meson decay in a flat Euclidean background is shown to replicate the results of Casher, Neuberger, Nussinov calculation for meson decay. The AdS/CFT holographic method in general is then reviewed and assessed before showing that a holographic worldline instanton approach in the zero temperature Sakai Sugimoto background produced similar results. Approaches for expanding this to finite temperature are then discussed.