Regularization of Matrices in the Covariant Derivative Interpretation of Matrix Models

Abstract We study regularization of matrices in the covariant derivative interpretation of matrix models, a typical example of which is the type IIB matrix model. The covariant derivative interpretation provides a possible way in which curved spacetimes are described by matrices, which are viewed as differential operators. One needs to regularize the operators as matrices of finite size in order to apply the interpretation to nonperturbative calculations such as numerical simulations. We develop a regularization of the covariant derivatives in two dimensions by using the Berezin–Toeplitz quantization. As examples, we examine the cases of $S^2$ and $T^2$ in detail.