English

Strong coupling expansion of $1\over 2$ BPS Wilson loop in SYM theory and 2-loop Green-Schwarz string in AdS$_5 \times $S$^5$

High Energy Physics - Theory 2026-03-10 v3

Abstract

The exact localization result for the expectation value of the 121\over 2 BPS circular Wilson loop in N=4{\cal N}=4 SYM theory is given in the planar limit by the famous Bessel function expression: W=2NλI1(λ)\langle W\rangle = {2N\over \sqrt \lambda } I_1 ( \sqrt \lambda). Expanded in large λ\lambda and expressed in terms of the AdS5×_5 \times S5^5 string tension T=λ2πT= {\sqrt \lambda \over 2\pi} this gives W=T2πgse2πT(1316πT1+...)\langle W\rangle = {\sqrt T\over 2\pi g_s} e^{2\pi T} (1- {3\over 16 \pi} T^{-1} + ...).The exponential is matched by the value of the action of the string with the AdS2_2 world volume while the prefactor comes from the 1-loop GS string correction. Here we address the question of how the subleading T1T^{-1} term could be reproduced by the 2-loop correction in the corresponding partition function of the AdS5×_5 \times S5^5 GS string expanded near the AdS2_2 minimal surface. We find that the string correction contains a non-zero UV logarithmic divergence implying that comparison with the SYM result requires a particular subtraction prescription. We discuss implications of this conclusion for checking the AdS/CFT duality at strong coupling.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.08809,
  title  = {Strong coupling expansion of $1\over 2$ BPS Wilson loop in SYM theory and 2-loop Green-Schwarz string in AdS$_5 \times $S$^5$},
  author = {Matteo Beccaria and Stefan A. Kurlyand and Arkady A. Tseytlin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.08809},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

26 pages. v2: references added; v3: minor corrections