Tal Sheaffer

In earlier work we proposed a string theory dual to two dimensional Yang-Mills theory at zero coupling (which can also be thought of as a $BF$ theory), given by a Polyakov-like generalization of Ho\v rava's topological rigid string theory,…

Effective string theory describes the physics of long confining strings in theories, like Yang-Mills theory, where the mass gap $M_{gap}^2$ is of the same order as the string tension $T$. In $2+1$ dimensions, there is a class of confining…

Two dimensional gauge theories with charged matter fields are useful toy models for studying gauge theory dynamics, and in particular for studying the duality of large $N$ gauge theories to perturbative string theories. A useful starting…

In previous work we constructed an explicit mapping between large $N$ vector models (free or critical) in $d$ dimensions and a non-local high-spin gravity theory on $AdS_{d+1}$, such that the gravitational theory reproduces the field theory…

We study the large $N$ phase diagram of an asymptotically free UV completion of $\mathcal{N}=1$ $SU(N)$ super-Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theory coupled to a single massive fundamental scalar multiplet with a quartic superpotential coupling. We…