Related papers: Confinement, Glueballs and Strings from Deformed A…
We study $1+1$-dimensional $SU(N)$ gauge theories with adjoint scalar matter representations, based on a dimensional truncation of $2+1$ and $3+1$-dimensional pure QCD, which approximate the dynamics of transversely polarized gluons. The…
Consequences of a strong version of the AdS/CFT correspondence for extremely stringy physics are examined. In particular, properties of N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory are used to extract results about interacting tensionless strings…
We present high-precision lattice calculations of the thermodynamics of Yang-Mills theories with different gauge groups. In the confining phase, we show that the equation of state is described remarkably well by a gas of massive,…
String theory has long ago been initiated by the quest for a theoretical explanation of the observed high-energy ``Reggeization'' of strong interaction amplitudes. In terms of quantum field theory, it is the so-called ``soft'' regime, where…
We study theories with the exceptional gauge group G(2). The 14 adjoint "gluons" of a G(2) gauge theory transform as {3}, {3bar} and {8} under the subgroup SU(3), and hence have the color quantum numbers of ordinary quarks, anti-quarks and…
This is a pedagogical introduction to the physics of confinement on $R^3 \times S^1$, using $SU(2)$ Yang-Mills with massive or massless adjoint fermions as the prime example; at the end, we also add fundamental flavours. The small-$S^1$…
We present a self-contained review of the Plane-wave/super-Yang-Mills duality, which states that strings on a plane-wave background are dual to a particular large R-charge sector of N=4, D=4 superconformal U(N) gauge theory. This duality is…
The dual superconductivity is believed to be a promising mechanism for quark confinement. Indeed, what this picture is true has been confirmed in the maximal Abelian (MA) gauge. However, it is not yet confirmed in any other gauge and the MA…
In this investigation an holographic description of the deconfined phase transition of scalar and tensor glueballs is presented within the so called hard-wall model. The spectra of these bound states of gluons have been calculated from the…
We review the calculation of the spectrum of glueball masses in non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory using the conjectured duality between supergravity and large N gauge theories. The glueball masses are obtained by solving the supergravity…
We use an analogy between the Yang-Mills theory Hamiltonian and the matrix model description of the closed bosonic membrane theory to calculate the spectrum of glueballs in the large $N_c$ limit. Some features of the Yang-Mills theory…
We discuss the formation of cosmic strings or macroscopic color flux tubes after the deconfinement/confinement phase transition in the pure Yang-Mills theory. Based on holographic dual descriptions, these cosmic strings can be interpreted…
We show that the lattice glueball masses $M_G$ versus $N$ in SU($N$) and Sp($2N$) Yang-Mills theories scale as $\frac{M_G}{\sqrt\sigma}\sim \sqrt{\frac{C_2(adj)}{C_2(f)}}$, with $\sigma$ the fundamental string tension and $C_2(adj)$ and…
The formation and spectrum of two-particle bound states are investigated within a simple relativistic quantum field model with the Yukawa-type interaction. Within this approach, relatively weakly interacting quarks and gluons form stable…
In this dissertation, we discuss how our understanding of the large-N spectrum of AdS/CFT has been deepened by integrability-based approaches. We begin with a comprehensive review of the integrability of the gauge theory spin-chain and that…
We compute the meson spectrum of an N=2 super Yang-Mills theory with fundamental matter from its dual string theory on AdS_5 x S_5 with a D7-brane probe. For scalar and vector mesons with arbitrary R-charge the spectrum is computed in…
We consider the Polyakov loop correlator in the confining phase of large $N$ Yang-Mills theory in three and four dimensions. It can be computed by summing over the exchange of closed flux tubes winding around the thermal cycle. At short…
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 continue the study of flux tubes in confining gauge theories placed in a rigid AdS background, focusing on the three-dimensional case. Our analysis is performed in the large-radius regime, where effective string theory provides a good…
We study the $\theta$-dependence of the string tension and of the lightest glueball mass in four-dimensional $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ Yang-Mills theories. More precisely, we focus on the coefficients parametrizing the $\mathcal{O}(\theta^2)$…