Higher Derivative Corrections in Holographic QCD

We consider the effect of the R^4 term in type IIA string theory on the supergravity background dual to N_c D4 branes compactified on a circle with supersymmetry breaking boundary conditions. We study the dynamics of D8 branes in this perturbed geometry in the probe approximation. This leads to an analysis of higher derivative corrections in holographic QCD beyond the supergravity approximation. We make a rough estimate of the corrections to the masses of some of the lightest (axial) vector mesons. The corrections are suppressed by a factor of (g_{YM}^2 N_c)^{-3} compared to their supergravity values. We find that the masses of these mesons increase from their supergravity values.