Open Strings from N=4 Super Yang-Mills

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how open strings and their spectra can be derived from N=4 super Yang-Mills theory by analyzing states with large R-charge, revealing a connection to D3-branes and their fluctuations.

Contribution

It provides a field theory derivation of open string spectra from Yang-Mills states associated with D3-branes in the AdS/CFT correspondence.

Findings

Open strings emerge as fluctuations around large R-charge states.

Spectrum of open strings matches string theory predictions.

Large charge limit reproduces open string worldsheets from gauge theory.

Abstract

Exploiting insights on strings moving in pp-wave backgrounds, we show how open strings emerge from N = 4 SU(M) Yang-Mills theory as fluctuations around certain states carrying R-charge of order M. These states are dual to spherical D3-branes of AdS_5 x S^5 and we reproduce the spectrum of small fluctuations of these states from Yang Mills theory. When G such D3-branes coincide, the expected G^2 light degrees of freedom emerge. The open strings running between the branes can be quantized easily in a Penrose limit of the spacetime. Taking the corresponding large charge limit of the Yang-Mills theory, we reproduce the open string worldsheets and their spectra from field theory degrees of freedom.