Related papers: Renormalization in large-$N$ QCD is incompatible w…
Effective string theory has shown its universal power in the prediction of the spectrum of low-lying excited states of confining strings. Here we study confining flux tubes in $\mathbb{Z}_N$ gauge theories. For the $N=2$ theory, which…
We propose the dual gravity of a non conformal gauge theory which has logarithmic running of couplings in the IR but becomes almost conformal in the far UV. The theory has matter in fundamental representation, non-zero temperature and under…
We examine N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories which confine in the presence of a tree-level superpotential. We show the confining spectra which satisfy the 't Hooft anomaly matching conditions and give a simple method to find the confining…
We discuss the unification of gauge couplings within the framework of a wide class of realistic free-fermionic string models which have appeared in the literature, including the flipped SU(5), SO(6)xSO(4), and various SU(3)xSU(2)xU(1)…
We use solvable two-dimensional gauge theories to illustrate the issues in relating large N gauge theory to string theory. We also give an introduction to recent mathematical work which allows constructing master fields for higher…
We give a first principles formulation of the equilibrium statistical mechanics of strings in the canonical ensemble, compatible with the Euclidean timelike T-duality transformations that link the six supersymmetric string theories in…
We calculate the string tensions of $k$-strings in SU($N$) gauge theories in both 3 and 4 dimensions. In D=3+1, we find that the ratio of the $k=2$ string tension to the $k = 1$ fundamental string tension is consistent, at the $2 \sigma$…
Supersymmetric gauge theories have had a significant impact on our understanding of QCD and of field theory in general. The phases of N=1 supersymmetric QCD (SQCD) are discussed, and the possibility of similar phases in non-supersymmetric…
In the context of gauge/gravity duality, we try to understand better the proposed duality between the fractional D2-brane supergravity solutions of (Nucl. Phys. B 606 (2001) 18, hep-th/0101096) and a confining 2+1 dimensional gauge theory.…
Nonperturbative terms in the free energy of Chern-Simons gauge theory play a key role in its duality to the closed topological string. We show that these terms are reproduced by performing a double scaling limit near the point where the…
We develop a procedure that reorganizes the perturbative expansion in a class of quantum field theories into a stringy amplitude expressed as a sum over two-dimensional geometries. Using Schwinger parametrization and the one-to-one…
We propose a nonperturbative framework for the O(32) type I open and closed string theory. The short distance degrees of freedom are bosonic and fermionic hermitian matrices belonging respectively to the adjoint and fundamental…
We explore the extent to which string theories with higher-level gauge symmetries and non-standard hypercharge normalizations can reconcile the discrepancy between the string unification scale and the GUT scale extrapolated from the Minimal…
The AdS/CFT correspondence of elementary string theory has been recently suggested as a ``microscopic'' approach to QCD string theory in various dimensions. We use the microscopic theory to show that the ultraviolet regime on the string…
We reinterpret and extend some old work on CFT/string duality. We consider some asymptotically conformal field theory in large N limit, with conformal symmetry broken by VEV's of infinite number of operators. Assuming that this theory…
A criterion to be satisfied by a string theory of QCD is formulated in the ultraviolet regime. It arises from the trace anomaly of the QCD stress tensor computed using instantons. It is sensitive to asymptotic freedom. It appears to be…
During the last ten years, intriguing dualities between gauge and string theory have been found and explored. They provide a novel window on strongly coupled gauge physics, including QCD-like models. Based on a short historical review of…
We prove that the finite gauge transformation of the Ramond sector of the modified cubic superstring field theory is ill-defined due to collisions of picture changing operators. Despite this problem we study to what extent could a bijective…
String representations of the Wilson loop are constructed in the SU(N)-version of compact QED in three and four dimensions. This is done exactly in the case of the fundamental Wilson loop and in the large-N limit in the case of the adjoint…
It was recently shown, using the AdS/CFT correspondence, that the low energy effective action of a large $N$ open string theory satisfies a holographic RG flow equation closely related to the Hamilton-Jacobi equation of 5-d supergravity. In…