Clearing the Throat: Irrelevant Operators and Finite Temperature in Large n Gauge Theory

TL;DR

This paper investigates how adding an irrelevant operator affects the phase structure of large n SU(n) gauge theory at finite temperature, revealing a transition from deconfined to confined phases driven by the operator's coupling.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed holographic analysis of the impact of irrelevant operators on finite temperature gauge theories, highlighting a phase transition induced by the operator's coupling.

Findings

Deconfined phase disappears at a critical coupling of the operator.

System transitions from deconfined to confined phase as coupling increases.

Geometry interpolates between different black hole solutions depending on parameters.

Abstract

We study the addition of an irrelevant operator to the N=4 supersymmetric large n SU(n) gauge theory, in the presence of finite temperature, T. In the supergravity dual, the effect of the operator is known to correspond to a deformation of the AdS_5 x S^5 ``throat'' which restores the asymptotic ten dimensional Minkowski region of spacetime, completing the full D3-brane solution. The system at non-zero T is interesting, since at the extremes of some of the geometrical parameters the geometry interpolates between a seven dimensional spherical Minkowskian Schwarzschild black hole (times R^3) and a five dimensional flat AdS Schwarzschild black hole (times S^5). We observe that when the coupling of the operator reaches a critical value, the deconfined phase, which is represented by the geometry with horizon, disappears for all temperatures, returning the system to a confined phase which is represented by the thermalised extremal geometry.