Marginal deformation of N=4 SYM and Penrose limits with continuum spectrum

TL;DR

This paper explores the effects of a marginal gamma-deformation on N=4 SYM by analyzing the Penrose limit of its dual type IIB background, revealing a continuum spectrum linked to charged particle dynamics in a magnetic-like field.

Contribution

It provides a detailed quantization of the Green-Schwarz string in the deformed background and uncovers a continuum spectrum arising from the deformation's influence.

Findings

Continuum spectrum in the deformed background

Relation to charged particle dynamics in a Landau plane

Insights into the dual N=1 SCFT

Abstract

We study the Penrose limit about a null geodesic with 3 equal angular momenta in the recently obtained type IIB solution dual to an exactly marginal $\gamma$-deformation of N=4 SYM. The resulting background has non-trivial NS 3-form flux as well as RR 5- and 3-form fluxes. We quantise the light-cone Green-Schwarz action and show that it exhibits a continuum spectrum. We show that this is related to the dynamics of a charged particle moving in a Landau plane with an extra interaction induced by the deformation. We interpret the results in the dual N=1 SCFT.