Large N limit of SYM theories with 16 supercharges from superstrings on Dp-brane backgrounds

We investigate the holographic correspondence between (p+1)-dimensional ($0\le p\le 4$) SYM theories with 16 supercharges and superstring theories on the near-horizon limit of Dp-brane backgrounds. Following an approach based on the tunneling picture, we study Euclidean superstring semi-classically along null geodesics which connect two points on the boundary of the spacetime. We extend the analysis of hep-th/0308024 and study the fermionic sector of the superstring. For $p\ne 3$, we do not have world-sheet supersymmetry, and the energies of bosonic and fermionic fluctuations do not match. By interpreting the superstring amplitudes as correlators of gauge theory operators with large R-charge J, we obtain gauge theory two-point functions including those of fermionic operators. Our approach yields results consistent with the previous supergravity analysis for the D0-branes, including the subleading part in J. Our prediction from holography is that the two-point functions for the supergravity modes are power-law behaved, even for the non-conformal ($p\ne 3$) SYM theories.