Related papers: Center Vortices, Area Law and the Catenary Solutio…
Based on the AdS/CFT correspondence, string theory has given exact predictions for circular Wilson loops in U(N) ${\cal N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory to all orders in a 1/N expansion. These Wilson loops can also be derived from…
We consider the expectation value of a magnetic flux loop in the immediate forward light cone of collisions of heavy nuclei at high energies. Such collisions are characterized by a non-linear scale Q_s where color fields become strong. We…
The Wilson discretization of the dimensionally reduced supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is constructed. This gives a lattice version of the matrix model of M-theory. An SU(2) model is studied numerically in the quenched approximation for…
We propose a gauge-independent mechanism for the area-law behavior of Wilson loop expectation values in terms of worldsheets spanning Wilson loops interacting with the spin foams that contribute to the vacuum partition function. The method…
We identify a universal finite-$N$ structure underlying Wilson loop expectations in lattice Yang-Mills, in any dimension $d\geq 2$, for gauge group $\mathrm{U}(N)$, and for arbitrary smooth central plaquette actions. The starting point is a…
We compute the one-loop string corrections to the Wilson loop, glueball Regge trajectory and stringy hadron masses in the Witten model of non supersymmetric, large-N Yang-Mills theory. The classical string configurations corresponding to…
Correlation identities are obtained for $Z_3$ lattice gauge theory where the bonds of the plaquettes are decorated by generalized three-state Ising variables. Making use of correlation inequalities we obtain the area decay of the Wilson…
We calculate the one-loop effective action of the SU(2) Yang-Mills theory for center-vortex configurations, both in 3d and 4d. We find that in both cases there are minima of the effective action, corresponding to vortices of the transverse…
The large-N limit of the expectation values of the Wilson loops corresponding to two-dimensional U(N) Yang-Mills and generalized Yang-Mills theories on a sphere are studied. The behavior of the expectation values of the Wilson loops both…
$QCD_2$ with fermions in the adjoint representation is invariant under $SU(N)/Z_N$ and thereby is endowed with a non-trivial vacuum structure (k-sectors). The static potential between adjoint charges, in the limit of infinite mass, can be…
We study junctions between confining strings. These junctions arise in Yang-Mills theories, and we focus on their universal low-energy dynamics. Using open-closed duality, we map junctions with nonlinear corrections to the $s$-wave…
We make various short points on the phenomenon of centre dominance in SU(2). The Z(2) dominance seen in Wilson loops is related to the loop distribution and to half-odd-integer representations of the group. The distributions also make it…
We consider double-winding, triple-winding and multiple-winding Wilson loops in the $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills gauge theory. We examine how the area law falloff of the vacuum expectation value of a multiple-winding Wilson loop depends on the number…
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,…
An explicit solution is found for the most general independent correlation functions in lattice QCD$_2$ with Wilson action. The large-$N$ limit of these correlations may be used to reconstruct the eigenvalue distributions of Wilson loop…
We introduce a comprehensive framework for analyzing finite $N$ lattice Yang-Mills theory and finite $N$ matrix models. Utilizing this framework, we examine the bootstrap approach to SU(2) Lattice Yang-Mills Theory in 2,3 and 4 dimensions.…
We study vortex-type solutions in a (4+1)-dimensional Einstein-Yang-Mills-SU(2) model. Assuming all fields to be independent on the extra coordinate, these solutions correspond in a four dimensional picture to axially symmetric…
We calculate the meson correlators in the $\epsilon$-regime of two-flavor QCD. On a $16^3\times 32$ lattice with $a\sim 0.11$ fm, the lattice simulations are performed with the dynamical overlap fermions. We reduce the sea quark mass down…
The confining mechanisms of 't Hooft and Mandelstam have a simple microscopic realization in 3D Z2 gauge theory: the center vortex and the magnetic monopole condensation are associated, in the set of configurations contributing to the…
Recently, Witten proposed a topological string theory in twistor space that is dual to a weakly coupled gauge theory. In this lectures we will discuss aspects of the twistor string theory. Along the way we will learn new things about…