IKKT model as a constructive definition of second-quantized string theory

Establish whether the IKKT matrix model provides a constructive definition of second-quantized string theory in the large-N limit.

Background

The IKKT (type IIB) matrix model was proposed as a matrix regularization of type IIB superstring theory and is widely studied as a nonperturbative formulation of string theory. In this framework, spacetime is expected to emerge dynamically from matrix degrees of freedom in the large-N limit.

The paper studies a supersymmetry-preserving mass-deformed version—the polarized IKKT model—via Monte Carlo simulations at N=2, focusing on its saddle-point structure and emergent spacetime. The broader foundational conjecture motivating such studies is that the IKKT model itself yields a constructive definition of second-quantized string theory in the large-N limit, which remains a central unresolved issue.