Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Konstantinos Zoubos

Publications and source records attributed to Konstantinos Zoubos.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Non-planar ABJM Theory and Integrability

Using an effective vertex method we explicitly derive the two-loop dilatation generator of ABJM theory in its SU(2)xSU(2) sector, including all non-planar corrections. Subsequently, we apply this generator to a series of finite length operators as well as to two different types of BMN operators. As in N=4 SYM, at the planar level the finite length operators are found to exhibit a degeneracy between certain pairs of operators with opposite parity - a degeneracy which can be attributed to the existence of an extra conserved charge and thus to the integrability of the planar theory. When non-planar corrections are taken into account the degeneracies between parity pairs disappear hinting the absence of higher conserved charges. The analysis of the BMN operators resembles that of N=4 SYM. Additional non-planar terms appear for BMN operators of finite length but once the strict BMN limit is taken these terms disappear.

hep-th↗

Adding flavour to twistor strings

Twistor string theory is known to describe a wide variety of field theories at tree-level and has proved extremely useful in making substantial progress in perturbative gauge theory. We explore the twistor dual description of a class of N=2 UV-finite super-Yang-Mills theories with fundamental flavour by adding 'flavour' branes to the topological B-model on super-twistor space and comment on the appearance of these objects. Evidence for the correspondence is provided by matching amplitudes on both sides.

hep-th↗

Twistor Strings with Flavour

We explore the tree-level description of a class of N=2 UV-finite SYM theories with fundamental flavour within a topological B-model twistor string framework. In particular, we identify the twistor dual of the Sp(N) gauge theory with one antisymmetric and four fundamental hypermultiplets, as well as that of the SU(N) theory with 2N hypermultiplets. This is achieved by suitably orientifolding/orbifolding the original N=4 setup of Witten and adding a certain number of new topological 'flavour'-branes at the orientifold/orbifold fixed planes to provide the fundamental matter. We further comment on the appearance of these objects in the B-model on CP(3|4). An interesting aspect of our construction is that, unlike the IIB description of these theories in terms of D3 and D7-branes, on the twistor side part of the global flavour symmetry is realised geometrically. We provide evidence for this correspondence by calculating and matching amplitudes on both sides.

hep-th↗

One-loop MHV Rules and Pure Yang-Mills

It has been known for some time that the standard MHV diagram formulation of perturbative Yang-Mills theory is incomplete, as it misses rational terms in one-loop scattering amplitudes of pure Yang-Mills. We propose that certain Lorentz violating counterterms, when expressed in the field variables which give rise to standard MHV vertices, produce precisely these missing terms. These counterterms appear when Yang-Mills is treated with a regulator, introduced by Thorn and collaborators, which arises in worldsheet formulations of Yang-Mills theory in the lightcone gauge. As an illustration of our proposal, we show that a simple one-loop, two-point counterterm is the generating function for the infinite sequence of one-loop, all-plus helicity amplitudes in pure Yang-Mills, in complete agreement with known expressions.

hep-th↗

Five-brane Instantons vs Flux-induced Gauging of Isometries

In five-dimensional heterotic M-theory there is necessarily nonzero background flux, which leads to gauging of an isometry of the universal hypermultiplet moduli space. This isometry, however, is poised to be broken by M5-brane instanton effects. We show that, similarly to string theory, the background flux allows only brane instantons that preserve the above isometry. The zero-mode counting for the M5 instantons is related to the number of solutions of the Dirac equation on their worldvolume. We investigate that equation in the presence of generic background flux and also, in a particular case, with nonzero worldvolume flux.

hep-th↗

Flux Superpotential in Heterotic M-theory

We derive the most general flux-induced superpotential for N=1 M-theory compactifications on seven-dimensional manifolds with SU(3) structure. Imposing the appropriate boundary conditions, this result applies for heterotic M-theory. It is crucial for the latter to consider SU(3) and not G_2 group structure on the seven-dimensional internal space. For a particular background that differs from CY(3) x S^1/Z_2 only by warp factors, we investigate the flux-generated scalar potential as a function of the orbifold length. We find a positive cosmological constant minimum, however at an undesirably large value of this length. Hence the flux superpotential alone is not enough to stabilize the orbifold length at a de Sitter vacuum. But it does modify substantially the interplay between the previously studied non-perturbative effects, possibly reducing the significance of open membrane instantons while underlining the importance of gaugino condensation.

hep-th↗

Marginal Deformations of Tree-Level N=4 SYM from Twistor String Theory

The topological B-model with target the supertwistor space CP(3|4) is known to describe perturbative amplitudes of N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory. We review the extension of this correspondence to the superconformal gauge theories that arise as marginal deformations of N=4 by considering the effects of turning on a certain closed string background, which results in non-anticommutativity in the fermionic directions of CP(3|4). We generalise the twistor string prescription for amplitudes to this case and illustrate it with some simple examples.

hep-th↗

Marginal Deformations of N=4 SYM from Open/Closed Twistor Strings

We investigate how the marginal deformations of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (analysed in particular by Leigh and Strassler) arise within B-model topological string theory on supertwistor space CP(3|4). This is achieved by turning on a certain closed string background in the fermionic directions. Through a specific open/closed correlation function, this mode induces a correction to holomorphic Chern-Simons theory, corresponding to the self-dual part of the chiral operator added on the gauge theory side. The effect of the deformation is interpreted as non-anticommutativity between some of the odd coordinates of CP(3|4). Motivated by this, we extend the twistor formalism for calculating MHV amplitudes in N=4 SYM to these N=1 theories by introducing a suitable star product between the wavefunctions. We check that our prescription yields the expected results to linear order in the deformation parameter.

hep-th↗

A Conformally Invariant Holographic Two-Point Function on the Berger Sphere

We apply our previous work on Green's functions for the four-dimensional quaternionic Taub-NUT manifold to obtain a scalar two-point function on the homogeneously squashed three-sphere (otherwise known as the Berger sphere), which lies at its conformal infinity. Using basic notions from conformal geometry and the theory of boundary value problems, in particular the Dirichlet-to-Robin operator, we establish that our two-point correlation function is conformally invariant and corresponds to a boundary operator of conformal dimension one. It is plausible that the methods we use could have more general applications in an AdS/CFT context.

hep-th↗

Holography and Quaternionic Taub-NUT

As a concrete application of the holographic correspondence to manifolds which are only asymptotically Anti-de Sitter, we take a closer look at the quaternionic Taub-NUT space. This is a four dimensional, non-compact, inhomogeneous, riemannian manifold with the interesting property of smoothly interpolating between two symmetric spaces, AdS_4 itself and the coset SU(2,1)/U(2). Even more interesting is the fact that the scalar curvature of the induced conformal structure at the boundary (corresponding to a squashed three-sphere) changes sign as we interpolate between these two limiting cases. Using twistor methods, we construct the bulk-to-bulk and bulk-to-boundary propagators for conformally coupled scalars on quaternionic Taub-NUT. This may eventually enable us to calculate correlation functions in the dual strongly coupled CFT on a squashed S^3 using the standard AdS/CFT prescription.

hep-th↗