Lifting asymptotic degeneracies with the Mirror TBA

We describe a qualitative feature of the AdS_5 x S^5 string spectrum which is not captured by the asymptotic Bethe ansatz. This is reflected by an enhanced discrete symmetry in the asymptotic limit, whereby extra energy degeneracy enters the spectrum. We discuss how finite size corrections should lift this degeneracy, through both perturbative (Luscher) and non-perturbative approaches (the Mirror TBA), and illustrate this explicitly on two such asymptotically degenerate states.Comment: v3, 20 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables, as publishe

Comments on the Mirror TBA

We discuss various aspects of excited state TBA equations describing the energy spectrum of the AdS_5 \times S^5 strings and, via the AdS/CFT correspondence, the spectrum of scaling dimensions of N = 4 SYM local operators. We observe that auxiliary roots which are used to partially enumerate solutions of the Bethe-Yang equations do not play any role in engineering excited state TBA equations via the contour deformation trick. We further argue that the TBA equations are in fact written not for a particular string state but for the whole superconformal multiplet, and, therefore, the psu(2,2|4) invariance is built in into the TBA construction.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figure, v2: misprints are correcte

TBA, NLO Luscher correction, and double wrapping in twisted AdS/CFT

The ground-state energy of integrably-twisted theories is analyzed in finite volume. We derive the leading and next-to-leading order (NLO) L\"uscher-type corrections for large volumes of the vacuum energy for integrable theories with twisted boundary conditions and twisted S-matrix. We then derive the twisted thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (TBA) equations to describe exactly the ground state, from which we obtain an untwisted Y-system. The two approaches are compared by expanding the TBA equations to NLO, and exact agreement is found. We give explicit results for the O(4) model and for the three-parameter family of $\gamma$-deformed (non-supersymmetric) planar AdS/CFT model, where the ground-state energy can be nontrivial and can acquire finite-size corrections. The NLO corrections, which correspond to double-wrapping diagrams, are explicitly evaluated for the latter model at six loops.Comment: 42 pages, 2 figures, v2: references added, v3: minor correction

The Dressing Factor and Crossing Equations

We utilize the DHM integral representation for the BES dressing factor of the world-sheet S-matrix of the AdS_5xS^5 light-cone string theory, and the crossing equations to fix the principal branch of the dressing factor on the rapidity torus. The results obtained are further used, in conjunction with the fusion procedure, to determine the bound state dressing factor of the mirror theory. We convincingly demonstrate that the mirror bound state S-matrix found in this way does not depend on the internal structure of a bound state solution employed in the fusion procedure. This welcome feature is in perfect parallel to string theory, where the corresponding bound state S-matrix has no bearing on bound state constituent particles as well. The mirror bound state S-matrix we found provides the final missing piece in setting up the TBA equations for the AdS_5xS^5 mirror theory.Comment: LaTex, 48 pages, 10 figures; v2: a new section added where the dressing factor of the mirror theory is found; v3: formula (6.12) is corrected, a new figure is added, accepted for publication in J.Phys.

The Bajnok-Janik formula and wrapping corrections

We write down the simplified TBA equations of the $AdS_5 \times S^5$ string sigma-model for minimal energy twist-two operators in the sl(2) sector of the model. By using the linearized version of these TBA equations it is shown that the wrapping corrected Bethe equations for these states are identical, up to O(g^8), to the Bethe equations calculated in the generalized L\"uscher approach (Bajnok-Janik formula). Applications of the Bajnok-Janik formula to relativistic integrable models, the nonlinear O(n) sigma models for n=2,3,4 and the SU(n) principal sigma models, are also discussed.Comment: Latex, 22 pages, published versio

Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz for the AdS_5 x S^5 Mirror Model

We use the string hypothesis for the mirror theory to derive the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations for the AdS_5 x S^5 mirror model. We further demonstrate how these equations can be used to construct the associated Y-system recently discussed in the literature, putting particular emphasis on the assumptions and the range of validity of the corresponding construction.Comment: 31 pages, LaTex, v2: references added, v3: published versio

Exploring the mirror TBA

We apply the contour deformation trick to the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations for the AdS_5 \times S^5 mirror model, and obtain the integral equations determining the energy of two-particle excited states dual to N=4 SYM operators from the sl(2) sector. We show that each state/operator is described by its own set of TBA equations. Moreover, we provide evidence that for each state there are infinitely-many critical values of 't Hooft coupling constant \lambda, and the excited states integral equations have to be modified each time one crosses one of those. In particular, estimation based on the large L asymptotic solution gives \lambda \approx 774 for the first critical value corresponding to the Konishi operator. Our results indicate that the related calculations and conclusions of Gromov, Kazakov and Vieira should be interpreted with caution. The phenomenon we discuss might potentially explain the mismatch between their recent computation of the scaling dimension of the Konishi operator and the one done by Roiban and Tseytlin by using the string theory sigma model.Comment: 69 pages, v2: new "hybrid" equations for YQ-functions, figures and tables are added. Analyticity of Y-system is discussed, v3: published versio