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Fastest non-perturbative flux-decay channel in AdS3×S3×T4 backgrounds

Determine, for the O(16)×O(16) heterotic theory compactified on AdS3×S3×T4 with electric H3 flux on AdS3 and magnetic H3 flux on S3 and with order-one flux quanta, whether the fastest non-perturbative decay of flux proceeds via small-step transitions that remove single flux units or via giant-leap transitions involving stacks of branes.

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Background

The authors discuss non-perturbative instabilities mediated by bubbles that change flux, referencing known behavior: single-flux systems often decay by removing one unit at a time (thin-wall approximation), whereas multiple-flux systems can exhibit giant leaps via stacked branes. Additional complications arise when a single flux wraps multiple cycles.

In the AdS3×S3×T4 background studied here, there is electric H3 flux on AdS3 and magnetic H3 flux on S3. For order-one flux numbers, identifying the dominant decay pathway requires case-by-case analysis to compare small-step versus giant-leap channels.

The explicit open task is to ascertain which decay mechanism dominates in this specific multi-flux setting, guiding assessments of non-perturbative stability.

References

For the case of O(1) number of fluxes, the issue of whether the fastest decay is a small step or a giant leap would have to be studied case by case and we leave it for future work.

— O(16)$\times$O(16) heterotic theory on $AdS_3\times S^3\times T^4$ (2510.20915 - Robbins et al., 23 Oct 2025) in Discussion and outlook, footnote