The effective string spectrum in the orthogonal gauge

The low-energy effective action on long string-like objects in quantum field theory, such as confining strings, includes the Nambu-Goto action and then higher-derivative corrections. This action is diffeomorphism-invariant, and can be analyzed in various gauges. Polchinski and Strominger suggested a specific way to analyze this effective action in the orthogonal gauge, in which the induced metric on the worldsheet is conformally equivalent to a flat metric. Their suggestion leads to a specific term at the next order beyond the Nambu-Goto action. We compute the leading correction to the Nambu-Goto spectrum using the action that includes this term, and we show that it agrees with the leading correction previously computed in the static gauge. This gives a consistency check for the framework of Polchinski and Strominger, and helps to understand its relation to the theory in the static gauge.Comment: 21 page

Stable Non-Supersymmetric Supergravity Solutions from Deformations of the Maldacena-Nunez Background

We study a deformation of the type IIB Maldacena-Nunez background which arises as the near-horizon limit of NS5 branes wrapped on a two-cycle. This background is dual to a "little string theory" compactified on a two-sphere, a theory which at low energies includes four-dimensional N = 1 super Yang-Mills theory. The deformation we study corresponds to a mass term for some of the scalar fields in this theory, and it breaks supersymmetry completely. In the language of seven-dimensional SO(4) gauged supergravity the deformation involves (at leading order) giving a VEV, depending only on the radial coordinate, to a particular scalar field. We explicitly construct the corresponding solution at leading order in the deformation, both in seven-dimensional and in ten-dimensional supergravity, and we verify that it completely breaks supersymmetry. Since the original background had a mass gap and we are performing a small deformation, the deformed background is guaranteed to be stable even though it is not supersymmetric.Comment: 1+31 pages, one figure. v2: minor clarifications, refs adde

"Double-trace" Deformations, Boundary Conditions and Spacetime Singularities

Double-trace deformations of the AdS/CFT duality result in a new perturbation expansion for string theory, based on a non-local worldsheet. We discuss some aspects of the deformation in the low energy gravity approximation, where it appears as a change in the boundary condition of fields. We relate unique features of the boundary of AdS to the worldsheet becoming non-local, and conjecture that non-local worldsheet actions may be generic in other classes of backgrounds.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures, harvmac. v2: minor changes, references added, version sent to JHEP. v3 minor correction

Phases of \Nc= \infty QCD-like gauge theories on S3×S1S^3 \times S^1 and nonperturbative orbifold-orientifold equivalences

We study the phase diagrams of \Nc= \infty vector-like, asymptotically free gauge theories as a function of volume, on $S^3\times S^1$. The theories of interest are the ones with fermions in two index representations [adjoint, (anti)symmetric, and bifundamental abbreviated as QCD(adj), QCD(AS/S) and QCD(BF)], and are interrelated via orbifold or orientifold projections. The phase diagrams reveal interesting phenomena such as disentangled realizations of chiral and center symmetry, confinement without chiral symmetry breaking, zero temperature chiral transitions, and in some cases, exotic phases which spontaneously break the discrete symmetries such as C, P, T as well as CPT. In a regime where the theories are perturbative, the deconfinement temperature in SYM, and QCD(AS/S/BF) coincide. The thermal phase diagrams of thermal orbifold QCD(BF), orientifold QCD(AS/S), and $\N=1$ SYM coincide, provided charge conjugation symmetry for QCD(AS/S) and $\Z_2$ interchange symmetry of the QCD(BF) are not broken in the phase continously connected to $\R^4$ limit. When the $S^1$ circle is endowed with periodic boundary conditions, the (nonthermal) phase diagrams of orbifold and orientifold QCD are still the same, however, both theories possess chirally symmetric phases which are absent in \None SYM. The match and mismatch of the phase diagrams depending on the spin structure of fermions along the $S^1$ circle is naturally explained in terms of the necessary and sufficient symmetry realization conditions which determine the validity of the nonperturbative orbifold orientifold equivalence.Comment: 60 pages, 6 figure

Exactly Marginal Deformations of N=4 SYM and of its Supersymmetric Orbifold Descendants

In this paper we study exactly marginal deformations of field theories living on D3-branes at low energies. These theories include N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory and theories obtained from it via the orbifolding procedure. We restrict ourselves only to orbifolds and deformations which leave some supersymmetry unbroken. A number of new families of N=1 superconformal field theories are found. We analyze the deformations perturbatively, and also by using general arguments for the dimension of the space of exactly marginal deformations. We find some cases where the space of perturbative exactly marginal deformations is smaller than the prediction of the general analysis at least up to three-loop order), and other cases where the perturbative result (at low orders) has a non-generic form.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure. v2: added preprint number, references adde

Little IIB Matrix Model

We study the zero-dimensional reduced model of D=6 pure super Yang-Mills theory and argue that the large N limit describes the (2,0) Little String Theory. The one-loop effective action shows that the force exerted between two diagonal blocks of matrices behaves as 1/r^4, implying a six-dimensional spacetime. We also observe that it is due to non-gravitational interactions. We construct wave functions and vertex operators which realize the D=6, (2,0) tensor representation. We also comment on other "little" analogues of the IIB matrix model and Matrix Theory with less supercharges.Comment: 17 pages, references adde

Gaugino Determinant in Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory

We resolve an ambiguity in the sign of the gaugino determinant in supersymmetric models. The result, that the gaugino determinant can be taken positive for all background gauge configurations, is necessary for application of QCD inequalities and lattice Monte Carlo methods to supersymmetric Yang-Mills models.Comment: 5 pages, LaTeX. Revised version to appear in Modern Physics Letters

A brief review of "little string theories"

This is a brief review of the current state of knowledge on "little string theories", which are non-gravitational theories having several string-like properties. We focus on the six dimensional maximally supersymmetric "little string theories" and describe their definition, some of their simple properties, the motivations for studying them, the DLCQ and holographic constructions of these theories and their behaviour at finite energy density. (Contribution to the proceedings of Strings '99 in Potsdam, Germany.)Comment: 11 pages, contribution to Strings '99 proceeding

On jet quenching parameters in strongly coupled non-conformal gauge theories

Recently Liu, Rajagopal and Wiedemann (LRW) [hep-ph/0605178] proposed a first principle, nonperturbative quantum field theoretic definition of ``jet quenching parameter'' \hat{q} used in models of medium-induced radiative parton energy loss in nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC. Relating \hat{q} to a short-distance behavior of a certain light-like Wilson loop, they used gauge theory-string theory correspondence to evaluate \hat{q} for the strongly coupled N=4 SU(N_c) gauge theory plasma. We generalize analysis of LRW to strongly coupled non-conformal gauge theory plasma. We find that a jet quenching parameter is gauge theory specific (not universal). Furthermore, it appears it's value increases as the number of effective adjoint degrees of freedom of a gauge theory plasma increases.Comment: 14 pages, latex; v2: PRD versio