Integrability lost: Chaotic dynamics of classical strings on a confining holographic background

It is known that classical string dynamics on pure AdS₅×S⁵${\mathit{AdS}}_5\times S^5$ is integrable and plays an important role in solvability. This is a deep and central issue in holography. Here we investigate similar classical integrability for a more realistic confining background and provide a negative answer. The dynamics of a class of simple string configurations on AdS soliton background can be mapped to the dynamics of a set of non-linearly coupled oscillators. In a suitable limit of small fluctuations we discuss a quasi-periodic analytic solution of the system. Numerics indicates chaotic behavior as the fluctuations are not small. Integrability implies the existence of a regular foliation of the phase space by invariant manifolds. Our numerics shows how this nice foliation structure is eventually lost due to chaotic motion. We also verify a positive Lyapunov index for chaotic orbits. Our dynamics is roughly similar to other known non-integrable coupled oscillator systems like Hénon–Heiles equations.     

Review of AdS/CFT Integrability,Chapter II.2: Quantum Strings in AdS<Subscript>5</Subscript> × S<Superscript>5</Superscript>

We review the semiclassical analysis of strings in AdS₅ × S⁵ with a focus on the relationship to the underlying integrable structures. We discuss the perturbative calculation of energies for strings with large charges, using the folded string spinning in AdS₃ ? AdS₅ as our main example. Furthermore, we review the perturbative light-cone quantisation of the string theory and the calculation of the worldsheet S-matrix.     

Black hole/string transition for the small Schwarzschild black hole of AdS 5 × S5 and critical unitary matrix models

In this paper we discuss the black hole–string transition of the small Schwarzschild black hole of AdS ₅×S⁵ using the AdS/CFT correspondence at finite temperature. The finite temperature gauge theory effective action, at weak and strong coupling, can be expressed entirely in terms of constant Polyakov lines which are SU(N) matrices. In showing this we have taken into account that there are no Nambu–Goldstone modes associated with the fact that the 10-dimensional black hole solution sits at a point in S⁵. We show that the phase of the gauge theory in which the eigenvalue spectrum has a gap corresponds to supergravity saddle points in the bulk theory. We identify the third order N=∞ phase transition with the black hole–string transition. This singularity can be resolved using a double scaling limit in the transition region where the large N expansion is organized in terms of powers of N^-2/3. The N=∞ transition now becomes a smooth crossover in terms of a renormalized string coupling constant, reflecting the physics of large but finite N. Multiply wound Polyakov lines condense in the crossover region. We also discuss the implications of our results for the resolution of the singularity of the lorenztian section of the small Schwarzschild black hole.     

On the anatomy of multi-spin magnon and single spike string solutions

We study rigid string solutions rotating in AdS₅×S⁵${\mathit{AdS}}_5\times S^5$ background. For particular values of the parameters of the solutions we find multispin solutions corresponding to giant magnons and single spike strings. We present an analysis of the dispersion relations in the case of three spin solutions distributed only in S⁵$S^5$ and the case of one spin in AdS₅${\mathit{AdS}}_5$ and two spins in S⁵$S^5$. The possible relation of these string solutions to gauge theory operators and spin chains are briefly discussed.     

Electric/magnetic deformations of S3 and AdS3, and geometric cosets

We analyze asymmetric marginal deformations of SU(2)_k and SL(2,ℝ)_k WZW models. These appear in heterotic string backgrounds with non‐vanishing Neveu–Schwarz three‐forms plus electric or magnetic fields, depending on whether the deformation is elliptic, hyperbolic or parabolic. Asymmetric deformations create new families of exact string vacua. The geometries which are generated in this way, deformed S³ or AdS₃, include in particular geometric cosets such as S², AdS₂ or H₂. Hence, the latter are consistent, exact conformal sigma models, with electric or magnetic backgrounds. We discuss various geometric and symmetry properties of the deformations at hand as well as their spectra and partition functions, with special attention to the supersymmetric AdS₂ × S² background. We also comment on potential holographic applications.     

On the classical dynamics of a pure spinor string on an AdS5×S5 background

We will discuss some properties of the pure spinor string on an AdS₅×S⁵ background. Using a classical Hamiltonian analysis we will show that the vertex operator for the massless state that is in the cohomology of the BRST charges describes on-shell fluctuations around an AdS₅×S⁵ background.     

Pohlmeyer reduction of superstring sigma model

Motivated by a desire to find a useful 2d Lorentz-invariant reformulation of the AdS₅×S⁵ superstring world-sheet theory in terms of physical degrees of freedom we construct the “Pohlmeyer-reduced” version of the corresponding sigma model. The Pohlmeyer reduction procedure involves several steps. Starting with a coset space string sigma model in the conformal gauge and writing the classical equations in terms of currents one can fix the residual conformal diffeomorphism symmetry and kappa-symmetry and introduce a new set of variables (related locally to currents but non-locally to the original string coordinate fields) so that the Virasoro constraints are automatically satisfied. The resulting equations can be obtained from a Lagrangian of a non-Abelian Toda type: a gauged WZW model with an integrable potential coupled also to a set of 2d fermionic fields. A gauge-fixed form of the Pohlmeyer-reduced theory can be found by integrating out the 2d gauge field of the gauged WZW model. The small-fluctuation spectrum near the trivial vacuum contains 8 bosonic and 8 fermionic degrees of freedom with equal mass. We conjecture that the reduced model has world-sheet supersymmetry and is ultraviolet-finite. We show that in the special case of the AdS₂×S² superstring model the reduced theory is indeed supersymmetric: it is equivalent to the N=2 supersymmetric extension of the sine-Gordon model.     

M‐theory solutions invariant under D(2,1; γ) ⊕ D(2,1;γ)

We simplify and extend the construction of half‐BPS solutions to 11‐dimensional supergravity, with isometry superalgebra D(2,1;γ) ⊕ D(2,1;γ). Their space‐time has the form AdS₃× S³× S³ warped over a Riemann surface Σ. It describes near‐horizon geometries of M2 branes ending on, or intersecting with, M5 branes along a common string. The general solution to the BPS equations is specified by a reduced set of data (γ, h, G), where γ is the real parameter of the isometry superalgebra, and h and G are functions on Σ whose differential equations and regularity conditions depend only on the sign of γ. The magnitude of γ enters only through the map of h,G onto the supergravity fields, thereby promoting all solutions into families parametrized by |γ|. By analyzing the regularity conditions for the supergravity fields, we prove two general theorems: (i) that the only solution with a 2‐dimensional CFT dual is AdS₃× S³× S³× ℝ², modulo discrete identifications of the flat ℝ², and (ii) that solutions with γ < 0 cannot have more than one asymptotic higher‐dimensional AdS region. We classify the allowed singularities of h and G near the boundary of Σ, and identify four local solutions: asymptotic AdS₄/Z₂ or AdS₇^′ regions; highly‐curved M5‐branes; and a coordinate singularity called the “cap”. By putting these “Lego” pieces together we recover all known global regular solutions with the above symmetry, including the self‐dual strings on M5 for γ <0, and the Janus solution for γ > 0, but now promoted to families parametrized by |γ|. We also construct exactly new regular solutions which are asymptotic to AdS₄/Z₂ for γ < 0, and conjecture that they are a different superconformal limit of the self‐dual string. Finally, we construct exactly γ > 0 solutions with highly curved M5‐brane regions, which are the formal continuation of the self‐dual string solutions across the decompactification point at γ = 0.     

Temperature quantization from the TBA equations

We analyze the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations for the mirror model which determine the ground state energy of the light-cone AdS₅×S⁵${\mathrm{AdS}}_5\times {\mathrm{S}}^5$ superstring living on a cylinder. The light-cone momentum of string is equal to the circumference of the cylinder, and is identified with the inverse temperature of the mirror model. We show that the natural requirement of the analyticity of the Y-functions leads to the quantization of the temperature of the mirror model which has never been observed in any other models.     

Magnon-like dispersion relation from M-theory

We investigate classical rotating membranes in two different backgrounds. First, we obtain membrane solution in AdS₄×S⁷${\mathit{AdS}}_4\times S^7$ background, analogous to the solution obtained by Hofman and Maldacena in the case of string theory. We find a magnon type dispersion relation similar to that of Hofman and Maldacena and to the one found by Dorey for the two spin case. In the appendix of the paper, we consider membrane solutions in AdS₇×S⁴${\mathit{AdS}}_7\times S^4$, which give new relations between the conserved charges.     

Type IIB string theory on AdS5×T

We study Kaluza-Klein spectrum of type IIB string theory compactified on AdS₅×T^nn′ in the context of AdS/CFT correspondence. We examine some of the modes of the complexified 2 form potential as an example and show that for the states at the bottom of the Kaluza-Klein tower the corresponding d=4 boundary field operators have rational conformal dimensions. The masses of some of the fermionic modes in the bottom of each tower as functions of the R charge in the boundary conformal theory are also rational. Furthermore the modes in the bottom of the towers originating from q forms on T¹¹ can be put in correspondence with the BRS cohomology classes of the c=1 non critical string theory with ghost number q.     

Mesons and Higgs branch in defect theories

We consider the defect theory obtained by intersecting D3- and D5-branes along two common spatial directions. We work in the approximation in which the D5-brane is a probe in the AdS₅×S⁵${\mathit{AdS}}_5\times S^5$ background. By adding worldvolume flux to the D5-brane and choosing an appropriate embedding of the probe in AdS₅×S⁵${\mathit{AdS}}_5\times S^5$, one gets a supersymmetric configuration in which some of the D3-branes recombine with the D5-brane. We check this fact by showing that the D5-brane can be regarded as a system of polarized D3-branes. On the field theory side this corresponds to the Higgs branch of the defect theory, where some of the fundamental hypermultiplet fields living on the intersection acquire a vacuum expectation value. We study the spectrum of mesonic bound states of the defect theory in this Higgs branch and show that it is continuous and gapless.     

Spin chains and classical strings in two parameters q-deformed AdS3 × S3

In this paper, we study the spin chain and string excitation in the two-parameters q-deformed AdS₃ × S³ proposed by Hoare [6]. We obtain the deformed spin chain model at the fast spin limit for choices of deformed parameters. General ansatz for giant magnons are studied in great detail and complicated dispersion relation is treated perturbatively. We also study several types of hanging string solutions and their charges and spins are analyzed numerically. At last, we explore its pp-wave limit and find its solution only depends on the difference of deformed parameters.     

Review of AdS/CFT Integrability, Chapter II.1: Classical AdS 5 × S 5 String Solutions

We review basic examples of classical string solutions in AdS ₅?× S ⁵. We concentrate on simplest rigid closed string solutions of circular or folded type described by integrable 1-d Neumann system but mention also various generalizations and related open-string solutions.     

Fine structure of the string spectrum in <Emphasis Type="Italic">AdS</Emphasis><Subscript>5</Subscript> × <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis><Superscript>5</Superscript>

The spectrum of an infinite spinning string in AdS ₅ does not precisely match the spectrum of dual gauge theory operators, interpolated to the strong coupling regime with the help of Bethe-ansatz equations. We show that the mismatch is due to interactions in the string σ-model which cannot be neglected even at asymptotically large’ t Hooft coupling.     

Exact expressions for quantum corrections to spinning strings

The one-loop worldsheet quantum corrections to the energy of spinning strings on R×S³$\mathbb{R}\times S^3$ within AdS₅×S⁵${\mathit{AdS}}_5\times S^5$ are reexamined. The explicit expansion in the effective 't Hooft coupling λ^′=λ/J²${\lambda }^{\prime }=\lambda /J^2$ is rigorously derived. The expansion contains both analytic and non-analytic terms in λ^′${\lambda }^{\prime }$, as well as exponential corrections. Furthermore, we pin down the origin of the terms that are not captured by the quantum string Bethe ansatz, which only produces analytic terms in λ^′${\lambda }^{\prime }$. It is shown that the analytic terms arise from string fluctuations within the S³$S^3$, whereas the non-analytic and exponential terms, which are not captured by the Bethe ansatz, originate from the fluctuations in all directions within the supersymmetric sigma model on AdS₅×S⁵${\mathit{AdS}}_5\times S^5$. We also comment on the case of spinning string in AdS₃×S¹${\mathit{AdS}}_3\times S^1$.     

The Bethe ansatz equations for reflecting magnons

We derive the Bethe ansatz equations on the half line for particles interacting through factorized S-matrices invariant relative to the centrally extended su(2|2) Lie superalgebra and su(1|2) open boundaries. These equations may be of relevance for the study of the spectrum of open strings on AdS₅×S⁵ background attached to Y=0 giant graviton branes. A one-dimensional spin chain Hamiltonian associated to this system is also derived.