Unstable giant gravitons

We find giant graviton solutions in Frolov's three parameter generalization of the Lunin-Maldacena background. The background we study has γ ̃ 1=0 and γ ̃ 2=γ ̃ 3=γ ̃. This class of backgrounds provides a nonsupersymmetric example of the gauge theory/gravity correspondence that can be tested quantitatively, as recently shown by Frolov, Roiban, and Tseytlin. The giant graviton solutions we find have a greater energy than the point gravitons, making them unstable states. Despite this, we find striking quantitative agreement between the gauge theory and gravity descriptions of open strings attached to the giant. © 2006 The American Physical Society.