Quantum metamorphosis of a conformal transformation in D3-brane Yang-Millstheory

We show how the linear special conformal transformation in four-dimensional N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory is metamorphosed into the nonlinear and fiel d-dependent transformation for the collective coordinates of Dirichlet 3-br anes, which agrees with the transformation law for the spacetime coordinate s in the anti-de Sitter (AdS) space-time. Our result provides a new and str ong support for the conjectured relation between AdS(5) x S-5 supergravity and super-Yang-Mills theory (SYM). Furthermore, our work sheds elucidating light on the nature of the AdS/SYM correspondence, [S0031-9007(98)07828-4].