A Novel Long Range Spin Chain and Planar N=4 Super Yang-Mills

We probe the long-range spin chain approach to planar N=4 gauge theory at high loop order. A recently employed hyperbolic spin chain invented by Inozemtsev is suitable for the SU(2) subsector of the state space up to three loops, but ceases to exhibit the conjectured thermodynamic scaling properties at higher orders. We indicate how this may be bypassed while nevertheless preserving integrability, and suggest the corresponding all-loop asymptotic Bethe ansatz. We also propose the local part of the all-loop gauge transfer matrix, leading to conjectures for the asymptotically exact formulae for all local commuting charges. The ansatz is finally shown to be related to a standard inhomogeneous spin chain. A comparison of our ansatz to semi-classical string theory uncovers a detailed, non-perturbative agreement between the corresponding expressions for the infinite tower of local charge densities. However, the respective Bethe equations differ slightly, and we end by refining and elaborating a previously proposed possible explanation for this disagreement.Comment: 48 pages, 1 figure. v2, further results added: discussion of the relationship to an inhomogeneous spin chain, normalization in sec 3 unified, v3: minor mistakes corrected, published versio

Speeding Strings

There is a class of single trace operators in ${\cal N}=4$ Yang-Mills theory which are related by the AdS/CFT correspondence to classical string solutions. Interesting examples of such solutions corresponding to periodic trajectories of the Neumann system were studied recently. In our paper we study a generalization of these solutions. We consider strings moving with large velocities. We show that the worldsheet of the fast moving string can be considered as a perturbation of the degenerate worldsheet, with the small parameter being the relativistic factor $\sqrt{1-v^2}$. The series expansion in this relativistic factor should correspond to the perturbative expansion in the dual Yang-Mills theory. The operators minimizing the anomalous dimension in the sector with given charges correspond to periodic trajectories in the mechanical system which is closely related to the product of two Neumann systems.Comment: v3: added a reference to the earlier wor

Lessons from QCD2(N→∞)QCD_2 (N\to\infty): Vacuum structure, Asymptotic Series, Instantons and all that

We discuss two dimensional $QCD (N_c\to\infty)$ with fermions in the fundamental as well as adjoint representation. We find factorial growth $\sim (g^2N_c\pi)^{2k}\frac{(2k)!(-1)^{k-1}}{(2 \pi)^{2k}}$ in the coefficients of the large order perturbative expansion. We argue that this behavior is related to classical solutions of the theory, instantons, thus it has nonperturbative origin. Phenomenologically such a growth is related to highly excited states in the spectrum. We also analyze the heavy-light quark system $Q\bar{q}$ within operator product expansion (which it turns out to be an asymptotic series). Some vacuum condensates \la\bar{q}(x_{\mu}D_{\mu})^{2n}q\ra\sim (x^2)^n\cdot n! which are responsible for this factorial growth are also discussed. We formulate some general puzzles which are not specific for 2D physics, but are inevitable features of any asymptotic expansion. We resolve these apparent puzzles within $QCD_2$ and we speculate that analogous puzzles might occur in real 4-dimensional QCD as well.Comment: latex, 26 pages. A final version to appear in Phys. Rev.

The Degasperis-Procesi equation as a non-metric Euler equation

In this paper we present a geometric interpretation of the periodic Degasperis-Procesi equation as the geodesic flow of a right invariant symmetric linear connection on the diffeomorphism group of the circle. We also show that for any evolution in the family of $b$-equations there is neither gain nor loss of the spatial regularity of solutions. This in turn allows us to view the Degasperis-Procesi and the Camassa-Holm equation as an ODE on the Fr\'echet space of all smooth functions on the circle.Comment: 17 page

Classical/quantum integrability in AdS/CFT

We discuss the AdS/CFT duality from the perspective of integrable systems and establish a direct relationship between the dimension of single trace local operators composed of two types of scalar fields in N=4 super Yang-Mills and the energy of their dual semiclassical string states in AdS(5) X S(5). The anomalous dimensions can be computed using a set of Bethe equations, which for ``long'' operators reduces to a Riemann-Hilbert problem. We develop a unified approach to the long wavelength Bethe equations, the classical ferromagnet and the classical string solutions in the SU(2) sector and present a general solution, governed by complex curves endowed with meromorphic differentials with integer periods. Using this solution we compute the anomalous dimensions of these long operators up to two loops and demonstrate that they agree with string-theory predictions.Comment: 49 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX; v2: complete proof of the two-loop equivalence between the sigma model and the gauge theory is added. References added; v4,v5,v6: misprints correcte

Properties of pattern formation and selection processes in nonequilibrium systems with external fluctuations

We extend the phase field crystal method for nonequilibrium patterning to stochastic systems with external source where transient dynamics is essential. It was shown that at short time scales the system manifests pattern selection processes. These processes are studied by means of the structure function dynamics analysis. Nonequilibrium pattern-forming transitions are analyzed by means of numerical simulations.Comment: 15 poages, 8 figure

Instanton Corrections to Quark Form Factor at Large Momentum Transfer

Within the Wilson integral formalism, we discuss the structure of nonperturbative corrections to the quark form factor at large momentum transfer analyzing the infrared renormalon and instanton effects. We show that the nonperturbative effects determine the initial value for the perturbative evolution of the quark form factor and attribute their general structure to the renormalon ambiguities of the perturbative series. It is demonstrated that the instanton contributions result in the finite renormalization of the next-to-leading perturbative result and numerically are characterized by a small factor reflecting the diluteness of the QCD vacuum within the instanton liquid model.Comment: Version coincident with the journal publication, 9 pages; REVTe

Local Stability of Dynamical Processes in Random Media

A particular type of random dynamical processes is considered, in which the stochasticity is introduced through randomly fluctuating parameters. A method of local multipliers is developed for treating the local stability of such dynamical processes corresponding to infinite--dimensional dynamical systems. The method is illustrated by several examples, by the random diffusion equation, random wave equation, and random Schrodinger equation. The evolution equation for the density matrix of a quasiopen statistical system subjest to the action of random surrounding is considered. The stationary solutions to this equation are found to be unstable against arbitrary small finite random perturbations. The notion of random structural stability is introduced.Comment: 2 files, 34 pages, late

Gauge-string duality for superconformal deformations of N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory

We analyze in detail the relation between an exactly marginal deformation of N=4 SYM - the Leigh-Strassler or ``beta-deformation'' - and its string theory dual (recently constructed in hep-th/0502086) by comparing energies of semiclassical strings to anomalous dimensions of gauge-theory operators in the two-scalar sector. We stress the existence of integrable structures on the two sides of the duality. In particular, we argue that the integrability of strings in AdS_5 x S^5 implies the integrability of the deformed world sheet theory with real deformation parameter. We compare the fast string limit of the worldsheet action in the sector with two angular momenta with the continuum limit of the coherent state action of an anisotropic XXZ spin chain describing the one-loop anomalous dimensions of the corresponding operators and find a remarkable agreement for all values of the deformation parameter. We discuss some of the properties of the Bethe Ansatz for this spin chain, solve the Bethe equations for small number of excitations and comment on higher loop properties of the dilatation operator. With the goal of going beyond the leading order in the 't Hooft expansion we derive the analog of the Bethe equations on the string-theory side, and show that they coincide with the thermodynamic limit of the Bethe equations for the spin chain. We also compute the 1/J corrections to the anomalous dimensions of operators with large R-charge (corresponding to strings with angular momentum J) and match them to the 1-loop corrections to the fast string energies. Our results suggest that the impressive agreement between the gauge theory and semiclassical strings in AdS_5 x S^5 is part of a larger picture underlying the gauge/gravity duality.Comment: 50 pages, Latex; v2:typos corrected, references added, clarifications in sec 8 and Appendix A, a discussion of a rational solution added in section 4.2; v3: minor corrections to coefficients in eq. 2.5, 5.2 and appendix A; v4: minor misprints correcte

Gluon polarization in the nucleon from quasi-real photoproduction of high-pT hadron pairs

We present a determination of the gluon polarization Delta G/G in the nucleon, based on the helicity asymmetry of quasi-real photoproduction events, Q^2<1(GeV/c)^2, with a pair of large transverse-momentum hadrons in the final state. The data were obtained by the COMPASS experiment at CERN using a 160 GeV polarized muon beam scattered on a polarized 6-LiD target. The helicity asymmetry for the selected events is = 0.002 +- 0.019(stat.) +- 0.003(syst.). From this value, we obtain in a leading-order QCD analysis Delta G/G=0.024 +- 0.089(stat.) +- 0.057(syst.) at x_g = 0.095 and mu^2 =~ 3 (GeV}/c)^2.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure