High energy QCD from Planckian scattering in AdS and the Froissart bound

TL;DR

This work analyzes high-energy QCD scattering using a cut-off AdS (Polchinski–Strassler) framework, mapping colorless hadron scattering to AdS dynamics and using shockwave methods to study black-hole formation. By constructing a black-disk eikonal and applying the PS convolution, it derives QCD amplitudes from gravity dual cross sections and identifies distinct energy regimes: Rutherford-like behavior in AdS, Regge scaling, and black-hole-dominated growth. In the AdS/RS setup, trapped-surface calculations show horizon growth that ultimately saturates the Froissart bound on the IR brane, with cross sections scaling as $rac{1}{M_1^2} [\, ext{ln}(\,s)\,]^2$, while string corrections remain subleading in this limit. Overall, the results provide a robust holographic mechanism for Froissart-unity saturation in QCD-like theories and clarify how AdS curvature and brane physics influence high-energy scattering.

Abstract

We reanalyze high energy QCD scattering regimes from scattering in cut-off AdS via gravity-gauge dualities (a la Polchinski-Strassler). We look at 't Hooft scattering, Regge behaviour and black hole creation in AdS. Black hole creation in the gravity dual is analyzed via gravitational shockwave collisions. We prove the saturation of the QCD Froissart unitarity bound, corresponding to the creation of black holes of AdS size, as suggested by Giddings.