On matter coupled to the higher spin square

Abstract: Gaberdiel and Gopakumar recently proposed that the tensionless limit of string theory on $AdS_3 \times S^3 \times T^4$ takes the form of a higher spin theory with a gauge algebra that is referred to as the higher spin square. In this note, we formulate the linearized Vasiliev-type equations which describe a matter field coupled to the higher spin square. We study the particle spectrum of this field and show that it accounts for the entire untwisted sector of the dual symmetric orbifold CFT, thereby confirming a conjecture by Gaberdiel and Gopakumar. In doing so, we pinpoint the group-theoretic data which determine the spectrum of a matter field coupled to a general higher spin algebra, which we illustrate by revisiting the theory based on the $hs[1/2]$ algebra.