It has not been clarified whether a matrix model can describe various vacua of string theory. In this talk, we show that the IIB matrix model includes type IIA string theory1. In the naive large N limit of the IIB matrix model, configurations consisting of simultaneously diagonalizable matrices form a moduli space, although the unique vacuum would be determined by complicated dynamics. This moduli space should correspond to a part of perturbatively stable vacua of string theory. Actually, one point on the moduli space represents type IIA string theory. Instead of integrating over the moduli space in the path-integral, we can consider each of the simultaneously diagonalizable configurations as a background and set the fluctuations of the diagonal elements to zero. Such procedure is known as quenching in the context of the large N reduced models. By quenching the diagonal elements of the matrices to an appropriate configuration, we show that the quenched IIB matrix model is equivalent to the two-dimensional large N [Formula: see text] super Yang-Mills theory on a cylinder. This theory is nothing but matrix string theory and is known to be equivalent to type IIA string theory. As a result, we find the manner to take the large N limit in the IIB matrix model.
Large N universality of the two-dimensional Yang-Mills string