---
abstract: 'Non-degenerate perturbation theory, which was used to calculate the scale dimension of operators on the gauge theory side of the correspondence, breaks down when effects of triple trace operators are included. We interpret this as an instability of excited single-string states in the dual string theory for decay into the continuum of degenerate 3-string states. We apply time-dependent perturbation theory to calculate the decay widths from gauge theory. These widths are new gauge theory data which can be compared with future calculations in light cone string field theory.'
---

=10000

==c===ł=Ł=ø =Ø==u c i ł ø u Ł Ø ¶ §

\#1 \#1 \#1[0=1.5mu 1.5mu]{}

MIT-CTP-3367\
[hep-th/0305016]{}

[**Instability and Degeneracy in the BMN Correspondence**]{} .6truecm [**Daniel Z. Freedman${}^{\star\dagger}$[^1]\
and Umut Gürsoy${}^{\dagger}$[^2]**]{}\
0.3truecm [ \**Department of Mathematics\
\*${}^{\dagger}$ Center for Theoretical Physics\
Massachusetts Institute of Technology\
Cambridge MA 02139, USA* ]{} 0.3truemm

.3truecm

Introduction
============

The conjectured BMN correspondence [@bmn] potentially gives a perturbative, quantitative match between gauge theory and superstring theory. It was derived from the AdS/CFT correspondence, but it probes string dynamics and thus circumvents the practical limitations of AdS/CFT to the supergravity approximation to string theory. In the BMN correspondence, one considers operators with large $U(1)_R$ 