Semiclassical rigid strings with two spins in AdS_5

Semiclassical spinning string states in AdS_5 are, in general, characterised by the three SO(2,4) conserved charges: the energy E and the two spins S_1 and S_2. We discuss several examples of explicit classical solutions for rigid closed strings of (bended) circular shape with two non-zero spins. In particular, we identify a solution that should represent a state that has minimal energy for large values of the two equal spins. Similarly to the spiky string in AdS_3, in the large spin limit this string develops long "arcs" that stretch towards the boundary of AdS_5. This allows the string to increase the spin while having the energy growing only logarithmically with S=S_1 +S_2. The large spin asymptotics of such solutions is effectively controlled by their near-boundary parts which, as in the spiky string case, happen to be SO(2,4) equivalent to segments of the straight folded spinning string. As a result, the coefficient of the \log S term in the string energy should be given, up to an overall 3/2 coefficient, by the same universal scaling function (cusp anomaly) as in the folded string case, to all orders in the inverse string tension or strong-coupling expansion.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figure

Spinning superstrings at two loops: strong-coupling corrections to dimensions of large-twist SYM operators

We consider folded spinning strings in AdS_5xS^5 (with one spin component S in AdS_5 and J in S^5) corresponding to the Tr(D^S Z^J) operators in the sl(2) sector of the N=4 SYM theory in the special scaling limit in which both the string mass M ~ \sqrt \lambda \ln S and J are sent to infinity with their ratio fixed. Expanding in the parameter \el= J/M we compute the 2-loop string sigma model correction to the string energy and show that it agrees with the expression proposed by Alday and Maldacena in arxiv:0708.0672. We suggest that a resummation of the logarithmic \el^2 \ln^n \el terms is necessary in order to establish an interpolation to the weakly coupled gauge theory results. In the process, we set up a general framework for the calculation of higher loop corrections to the energy of multi-spin string configurations. In particular, we find that in addition to the direct 2-loop term in the string energy there is a contribution from lower loop order due to a finite ``renormalization'' of the relation between the parameters of the classical solution and the fixed spins, i.e. the charges of the SO(2,4) x SO(6) symmetry.Comment: 31 pages, Latex. v2:minor corrections; few comments and references added v3: typos correcte

Spiky strings in AdS_3 x S^1 and their AdS-pp-wave limits

We study a class of classical solutions for closed strings moving in AdS_3 x S^1 part of AdS_5 x S^5 with energy E and spin S in AdS_3 and angular momentum J and winding m in S^1. They have rigid shape with n spikes in AdS_3. We find that when J or m are non-zero, the spikes do not end in cusps. We consider in detail a special large n limit in which S ~ n^2, J ~ n, i.e. S >> J >> 1, with (E+S)/ n^2, (E-S)/ n, J/n, m/n staying finite. In that limit the spiky spinning string approaches the boundary of AdS_5. We show that the corresponding solution can be interpreted as describing a periodic-spike string moving in AdS_3 --pp-wave x S^1 background. The resulting expression for the string energy should represent a strong-coupling prediction for anomalous dimension of a class of dual gauge theory states in a particular thermodynamic limit of the SL(2) spin chain.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figures; v2: references added; v3: typos correcte

Quantizing three-spin string solution in AdS_5 x S^5

As was recently found in hep-th/0304255, there exists a simple non-supersymmetric classical solution describing a closed string rotating in S^5 and located at the center of AdS_5. It is parametrized by the angular momentum J of the center of mass and two equal SO(6) angular momenta J' in the two other orthogonal rotation planes. The dual N=4 SYM operators should be scalar operators in SU(4) representations [0,J-J',2J'] or [J'-J,0,J'+J]. This solution is stable if J' > 3/2 J and for large J + 2 J' its classical energy admits an expansion in positive powers of g_eff = \lambda/(J + 2 J')^2: E= J + 2 J' + g_eff J' + ... . This suggests a possibility of a direct comparison with perturbative SYM results for the corresponding anomalous dimensions in the sector with g_eff << 1, by analogy with the BMN case. We conjecture that all quantum sigma model string corrections are then subleading at large J', so that the classical formula for the energy is effectively exact to all orders in \lambda. It could then be interpolated to weak coupling, representing a prediction for the anomalous dimensions on the SYM side. We test this conjecture by computing the 1-loop superstring sigma model correction to the classical energy.Comment: 25 pages, harvmac. v5: minor misprints in eqs (2.6),(2.16),(2.20),(2.21) correcte

N=4 SYM to Two Loops: Compact Expressions for the Non-Compact Symmetry Algebra of the su(1,1|2) Sector

We begin a study of higher-loop corrections to the dilatation generator of N=4 SYM in non-compact sectors. In these sectors, the dilatation generator contains infinitely many interactions, and therefore one expects very complicated higher-loop corrections. Remarkably, we find a short and simple expression for the two-loop dilatation generator. Our solution for the non-compact su(1,1|2) sector consists of nested commutators of four O(g) generators and one simple auxiliary generator. Moreover, the solution does not require the planar limit; we conjecture that it is valid for any gauge group. To obtain the two-loop dilatation generator, we find the complete O(g^3) symmetry algebra for this sector, which is also given by concise expressions. We check our solution using published results of direct field theory calculations. By applying the expression for the two-loop dilatation generator to compute selected anomalous dimensions and the bosonic sl(2) sector internal S-matrix, we confirm recent conjectures of the higher-loop Bethe ansatz of hep-th/0412188.Comment: 28 pages, v2: additional checks against direct field theory calculations, references added, minor corrections, v3: additional minor correction

Precision Spectroscopy of AdS/CFT

We extend recent remarkable progress in the comparison of the dynamical energy spectrum of rotating closed strings in AdS_5xS^5 and the scaling weights of the corresponding non-near-BPS operators in planar N=4 supersymmetric gauge theory. On the string side the computations are feasible, using semiclassical methods, if angular momentum quantum numbers are large. This results in a prediction of gauge theory anomalous dimensions to all orders in the `t Hooft coupling lambda. On the gauge side the direct computation of these dimensions is feasible, using a recently discovered relation to integrable (super) spin chains, provided one considers the lowest order in lambda. This one-loop computation then predicts the small-tension limit of the string spectrum for all (i.e. small or large) quantum numbers. In the overlapping window of large quantum numbers and small effective string tension, the string theory and gauge theory results are found to match in a mathematically highly non-trivial fashion. In particular, we compare energies of states with (i) two large angular momenta in S^5, and (ii) one large angular momentum in AdS_5 and S^5 each, and show that the solutions are related by an analytic continuation. Finally, numerical evidence is presented on the gauge side that the agreement persists also at higher (two) loop order.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure, v2: typos correcte

On one-loop correction to energy of spinning strings in S^5

We revisit the computation (hep-th/0306130) of 1-loop AdS_5 x S^5 superstring sigma model correction to energy of a closed circular string rotating in S^5. The string is spinning around its center of mass with two equal angular momenta J_2=J_3 and its center of mass angular momentum is J_1. We revise the argument in hep-th/0306130 that the 1-loop correction is suppressed by 1/J factor (J= J_1 + 2 J_2 is the total SO(6) spin) relative to the classical term in the energy and use numerical methods to compute the leading 1-loop coefficient. The corresponding gauge theory result is known (hep-th/0405055) only in the J_1=0 limit when the string solution becomes unstable and thus the 1-loop shift of the energy formally contains an imaginary part. While the comparison with gauge theory may not be well-defined in this case, our numerical string theory value of the 1-loop coefficient seems to disagree with the gauge theory one. A plausible explanation should be (as in hep-th/0405001) in the different order of limits taken on the gauge theory and the string theory sides of the AdS/CFT duality.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure

Infinite spin limit of semiclassical string states

Motivated by recent works of Hofman and Maldacena and Dorey we consider a special infinite spin limit of semiclassical spinning string states in AdS5 x S5. We discuss examples of known folded and circular 2-spin string solutions and demonstrate explicitly that the 1-loop superstring correction to the classical expression for the energy vanishes in the limit when one of the spins is much larger that the other. We also give a general discussion of this limit at the level of integral equations describing finite gap solutions of the string sigma model and argue that the corresponding asymptotic form of the string and gauge Bethe equations is the same.Comment: 38 pages, 3 figures; v2: comments on derivation of bound states of magnons from discrete Bethe equations added in section 4 and appendix C, references added, Imperial-TP-AT-6-4, HUTP-06/A002

Coordinate Bethe Ansatz for the String S-Matrix

We use the coordinate Bethe ansatz approach to derive the nested Bethe equations corresponding to the recently found S-matrix for strings in AdS5 x S5, compatible with centrally extended su(2|2) symmetry.Comment: 25 Pages, plain LaTeX, 4 Figures. Mostly added references, fixed typo

Multi-spin strings on AdS(5)xT(1,1) and operators of N=1 superconformal theory

We study rotating strings with multiple spins in the background of $AdS_5\times T^{1,1}$, which is dual to a $\mathcal{N}=1$ superconformal field theory with global symmetry $SU(2)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$ via the AdS/CFT correspondence. We analyse the limiting behaviour of macroscopic strings and discuss the identification of the dual operators and how their anomalous dimensions should behave as the global charges vary. A class of string solutions we find are dual to operators in SU(2) subsector, and our result implies that the one-loop planar dilatation operator restricted to the SU(2) subsector should be equivalent to the hamiltonian of the integrable Heisenberg spin chain.Comment: 8 pages, revtex4, twocolum