Abstract

The spectrum of the bosonic sector of the D = 11 supermembrane with central charges is shown to be discrete and with finite multiplicities, hence containing a mass gap. The result extends to the exact theory our previous proof of the similar property for the SU(N) regularised model and strongly suggest discreteness of the spectrum for the complete Hamiltonian of the supermembrane with central charges. This theory is a quantum equivalent to a symplectic non-commutative super-Yang-M ills in 2 + 1 dimensions, where the space-like sector is a Riemann surface of positive genus. In this context, it is argued how the theory in 4D exhibits confinement in the N = 1 supermembrane with central charges phase and how the theory enters in the quark-gluon plasma phase through the spontaneous breaking of the centre. This phase is interpreted in terms of the compactified supermembrane without central charges. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.