Supersymmetric Wilson loops in the AdS/CFT correspondence

Author(s)

Dhyan Victor Hiromitsu Kuraoka

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI)
• Defense date: 2013-05-29

Examining board members

Diego Trancanelli; Horatiu Stefan Nastase; Victor de Oliveira Rivelles

• Advisor: Diego Trancanelli

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to review Wilson loop operators in the contexto f the AdS/CFT correspondence. These operators, wich are present in any gauge theory, are important because they furnish an order parameter for confinement/deconfinement phase transitions. Besides this, they are particularly relevant in the study of the AdS/CFT correspondence because: i) they allow, in some cases, for exact results thanks to localization to matrix models and make it possible to perform highly non-trivial tests of the correspondence; ii) they are the gauge theory objects dual to strings propagating in the bulk of the space and give a rich dictionary between bulk (AdS) and boundary (CFT) quantities. After reviews of Wilson loops in gauge theories and of the Ads/CFT correspondence, we will introduce the definition of 1/2 BPS supersymmetric Wilson loops, we will compute them at weak coupling and then at any order in the coupling constant via matrix model techniques, and finally we will compare our results with minimal surface computations in the bulk, finding perfect agreement. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/16320-9 - Supersymmetric Wilson loops in the AdS/CFT correspondence
• Grantee: Dhyan Victor Hiromitsu Kuraoka
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master