The Yangian of sl(n|m) and the universal R-matrix

In this paper we study Yangians of sl(n|m) superalgebras. We derive the universal R-matrix and evaluate it on the fundamental representation obtaining the standard Yang R-matrix with unitary dressing factors. For m=0, we directly recover up to a CDD factor the well-known S-matrices for relativistic integrable models with su(N) symmetry. Hence, the universal R-matrix found provides an abstract plug-in formula, which leads to results obeying fundamental physical constraints: crossing symmetry, unitrarity and the Yang-Baxter equation. This implies that the Yangian double unifies all desired symmetries into one algebraic structure. In particular, our analysis is valid in the case of sl(n|n), where one has to extend the algebra by an additional generator leading to the algebra gl(n|n). We find two-parameter families of scalar factors in this case and provide a detailed study for gl(1|1).Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure

Minimal solution of the AdS/CFT crossing equation

We solve explicitly the crossing equation under sufficiently general assumptions on the structure of the dressing phase. We obtain the BES/BHL dressing phase as a minimal solution of the crossing equation and identify the possible CDD factors.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. In v2: references added, introduction improved, explanations in the text improved, typos corrected, section with explanation of analytical properties of the dressing phase adde

Two-loop AdS_5 x S^5 superstring: testing asymptotic Bethe ansatz and finite size corrections

We continue the investigation of two-loop string corrections to the energy of a folded string with a spin S in AdS_5 and an angular momentum J in S^5, in the scaling limit of large J and S with ell=pi J/(lambda^(1/2) ln S)=fixed. We compute the generalized scaling function at two-loop order f_2(ell) both for small and large values of ell matching the predictions based on the asymptotic Bethe ansatz. In particular, in the small ell expansion, we derive an exact integral form for the ell-dependent coefficient of the Catalan's constant term in f_2(ell). Also, by resumming a certain subclass of multi-loop Feynman diagrams we obtain an exact expression for the leading (ln ell) part of f(lambda^(1/2), ell) which is valid to any order in the alpha'~1/lambda^(1/2) expansion. At large ell the string energy has a BMN-like expansion and the first few leading coefficients are expected to be the same at weak and at strong coupling. We provide a new example of this non-renormalization for the term which is generated at two loops in string theory and at one-loop in gauge theory (sub-sub-leading in 1/J). We also derive a simple algebraic formula for the term of maximal transcendentality in f_2(ell) expanded at large ell. In the second part of the paper we initiate the study of 2-loop finite size corrections to the string energy by formally compactifying the spatial world-sheet direction in the string action expanded near long fast-spinning string. We observe that the leading finite-size corrections are of "Casimir" type coming from terms containing at least one massless propagator. We consider in detail the one-loop order (reproducing the leading Landau-Lifshitz model prediction) and then focus on the two-loop contributions to the (1/ln S) term (for J=0). We find that in a certain regularization scheme used to discard power divergences the two-loop coefficient of the (1/ln S) term appears to vanish.Comment: 50 pages, 4 figures v2: typos corrected, references adde

Controlling trapping potentials and stray electric fields in a microfabricated ion trap through design and compensation

Recent advances in quantum information processing with trapped ions have demonstrated the need for new ion trap architectures capable of holding and manipulating chains of many (>10) ions. Here we present the design and detailed characterization of a new linear trap, microfabricated with scalable complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) techniques, that is well-suited to this challenge. Forty-four individually controlled DC electrodes provide the many degrees of freedom required to construct anharmonic potential wells, shuttle ions, merge and split ion chains, precisely tune secular mode frequencies, and adjust the orientation of trap axes. Microfabricated capacitors on DC electrodes suppress radio-frequency pickup and excess micromotion, while a top-level ground layer simplifies modeling of electric fields and protects trap structures underneath. A localized aperture in the substrate provides access to the trapping region from an oven below, permitting deterministic loading of particular isotopic/elemental sequences via species-selective photoionization. The shapes of the aperture and radio-frequency electrodes are optimized to minimize perturbation of the trapping pseudopotential. Laboratory experiments verify simulated potentials and characterize trapping lifetimes, stray electric fields, and ion heating rates, while measurement and cancellation of spatially-varying stray electric fields permits the formation of nearly-equally spaced ion chains.Comment: 17 pages (including references), 7 figure

Review of AdS/CFT Integrability: An Overview

This is the introductory chapter of a review collection on integrability in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence. In the collection we present an overview of the achievements and the status of this subject as of the year 2010.Comment: 31 pages, v2: reference added, references to other chapters updated, v3: footnote 1 on location of references added, v4: minor changes, references added, accepted for publication in Lett. Math. Phys, v5: minor corrections, links to chapters updated, attached IntAdS.pdf with all chapters in one file, see http://arxiv.org/src/1012.3982/anc/IntAdS.pdf or http://www.phys.ethz.ch/~nbeisert/IntAdS.pd

Nonperturbative scales in AdS/CFT

The cusp anomalous dimension is a ubiquitous quantity in four-dimensional gauge theories, ranging from QCD to maximally supersymmetric N=4 Yang-Mills theory, and it is one of the best investigated observables in the AdS/CFT correspondence. In planar N=4 SYM theory, its perturbative expansion at weak coupling has a finite radius of convergence while at strong coupling it admits an expansion in inverse powers of the 't Hooft coupling which is given by a non-Borel summable asymptotic series. We study the cusp anomalous dimension in the transition regime from strong to weak coupling and argue that the transition is driven by nonperturbative, exponentially suppressed corrections. To compute these corrections, we revisit the calculation of the cusp anomalous dimension in planar N=4 SYM theory and extend the previous analysis by taking into account nonperturbative effects. We demonstrate that the scale parameterizing nonperturbative corrections coincides with the mass gap of the two-dimensional bosonic O(6) sigma model embedded into the AdS_5xS^5 string theory. This result is in agreement with the prediction coming from the string theory consideration.Comment: 49 pages, 1 figure; v2: minor corrections, references adde