Open-closed duality and Double Scaling

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how nonperturbative effects in Chern-Simons gauge theory can be derived via a double scaling limit, establishing a connection to closed string theory and offering insights into gauge/string duality.

Contribution

It introduces a novel double scaling limit approach to reproduce nonperturbative terms, linking gauge theory to closed string theory in a new way.

Findings

Nonperturbative terms are reproduced by the double scaling limit.

The approach derives closed string theory from large-N gauge theory.

Implications for superpotentials and infrared renormalons are discussed.

Abstract

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 perturbation expansion diverges. This leads to a derivation of closed string theory from this large-N gauge theory along the lines of noncritical string theories. We comment on the possible relevance of this observation to the derivation of superpotentials of asymptotically free gauge theories and its relation to infrared renormalons.