MATRIX STRINGS IN 2-DIMENSIONAL YANG-MILLS-THEORY

We describe the structure of string vacuum states in the supersymmetri c matrix model for hi theory compactified on a circle in the large-N l imit. We show that the theory admits topological instanton field confi gurations which at short-distance scales reduce to ordinary Yang-Mills instantons that interpolate between degenerate vacua of the theory. W e show that there exists further classes of hadronic strings associate d with the D-string super-fields. We discuss the relationships between these non-perturbative string states and rigid QCD strings, critical. strings, and membrane states. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.