The quark-antiquark potential
in N=4 Super Yang Mills
Juan Maldacena
N =4 super Yang Mills, 35 years after
Based on: arXiv:1203.1913, arXiv:1203.1019, arXiv:1202.4455
Diego Correa
(Also similar paper by
Amit Sever
Johannes Henn
Drukker Gross Ooguri
Rey Yee
• When θ=φ the configuration is BPS and the
potential vanishes.
Witten-Kapustin (Langlands)
• When δ=π-φ  0 , we get the quark-antiquark
potential in flat space.
• When i φ= ϕ  Infinity,
Computed by
Beisert, Eden
• Flux lines going between quark and anti-quark
 become a string. Understand this string
and its excitations.
• It is a function of an angle + the coupling
• Similar to amplitudes
• In fact, it controls the IR divergencies of
amplitudes for massive particles.
Final Answer
Write integral equations for a set of functions YA(u):
Compute the potential as:
How did Coulomb do it ?
We will follow a less indirect route, but still indirect..
Integrability in N=4 SYM
• N=4 is integrable in the planar limit.
Minahan Zarembo
Bena Polchinski Roiban
Beisert, etc…
• Large number of symmetries How do we
use them ?
• There is a well developed method that puts
these symmetries to work and has lead to
exact results.
• It essentially amounts to choosing light-cone
gauge for the string in AdS, and then solving the
worldsheet theory by the bootstrap method.
• First we consider a particular SO(2) in SO(6) and
consider states carrying charge L under SO(2) .
Operator Z = φ5 + i φ6
• States with the lowest dimension carrying this
charge  Lightcone ground state for the string
Infinite chain or string
• L= ∞
• Ground state: chain of ZZ….ZZZ..ZZZ
• Impurities that propagate on the state
• Symmetries
• Elementary worldsheet excitations 4 x 4 under
this symmetry.
• Fix dispersion relation
• Fix the 2  2 S matrix. Matrix structure by
symmetries + overall phase by crossing. Beisert Janik
Hernandez Lopez
Eden Staudacher
• Solves the problem completely for an infinite
(or very long) string.
Beisert Staudacher equations
Short strings
• Consider a closed string propagating over a long time T
TBA trick:
• View it as a very long string of length T, propagating over
eucildean time L = Thermodynamic configuration.
• In our case the physical theory and the mirror theory are
• Solve it by the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz =
sum over all the solutions of the mirror Bethe
equations over a long circle T weighed with
the Boltzman factor.
Arutyunov Frolov
Gromov Kazakov Vieira
Bombardelli, Fioravanti, Tateo
YA= (densities of particles)/(densities of holes) as a
function of momentum
A runs over all particles and bound states of particles
in the fully diagonalized nested bethe ansatz
Back to our case
• Where is the large L ?
• Nowhere ? Just introduce it and then remove it !
• Operators on a Wilson line: For large L = same
chain but with two boundaries.
Drukker Kawamoto
• Need to find the boundary reflection matrix.
• Constrained by the symmetries preserved by
the boundary = Wilson line
• Bulk magnon = pair of magnons of
Half line with
SU(2|2)2 in bulk
full line, single SU(2|2)D
Reflection matrix = bulk matrix for one SU(2|2) factor up to an overall phase
Determined via a crossing equation.
We used the method given by
Volin, Vieira
This is the hardest step, and the one that is not controlled by a symmetry.
In involves a certain degree of guesswork. We checked it in various limits.
• We solve the problem for large L: add the two
Rotate one boundary  Introduce extra phases in the reflection matrix.
Going to small L
Boundary TBA trick:
LeClair, Mussardo, Saleur, Skorik
Closed string between two boundary states.
Bulk magnons emanate from the boundary with amplitude given by the
(analytic continued) reflection matrix.
Using the bulk crossing equation we can untangle the lines and cancel the bulk
S matrix factors.
We are left with a pair of lines on the cylinder. This looks like a thermodynamic
computation restricted to pairs with p and –p .
Then we essentially get the same as in the bulk for a thermodynamic
computation with
And a constraint on the particle densities:
Figure 8: (a) Set of Ya,s funct ions for t he closed string problem. Here we have t he same set
but t he addit ional condit ion (61) implies t hat we can restrict t o t he set in (b).
Final Equations
Let us summarize the ﬁnal equat ions
1 + Y 1,m 1 + Y m ,1
= K m − 1 ∗ log
+ R 1 a ∗ log(1 + Ya,0)
Y 1,1
1 + Y 1,m 1 + Ym ,1
Y 2,2
1 + Y 1,m 1 + Y m ,1
= K m − 1 ∗ log
+ B1 a ∗ log(1 + Ya,0)
Y 2,2
1 + Y 1,m 1 + Ym ,1
Y 1,s
1 + Y 1,t
1 + Y1,1
= − K s− 1,t − 1 ∗ log
− K s− 1∗ˆ log
Y 1,s
1 + Y 1,t
1 + Y 2,2
1 + Yb,1
1 + Y1,1
= − K a− 1,b− 1 ∗ log
− K a− 1∗ˆ log
Y a,1
1 + Y b,1
1 + Y 2,2
+ R ab + Ba− 2,b ∗ log(1 + Yb,0)
Y a,0
2Sa b − R a b + Ba b
(1 0)
+ 2R a 1 sym
∗ˆ log
(1 0)
∗ log(1 + Yb,0) + 2 R (1
∗ log
a b + Ba,b− 2 sym
1 + Y1,1
1 + Y 2,2
(1 0)
− 2Ba 1 sym
∗ˆ log
1 + Y 1,1
1 + Y 2,2
1 + Yb,1
1 + Y b,1
where we used t he convent ions of [58, 59] for the kernels and integrat ion cont ours5 . We have
(t here)
also deﬁned t he barred Y ’s as Y a,s = 1/ Ya,s , (see appendix E.3 for a summary). Here,
the momentum carrying Ya,0 functions are deﬁned as symmetric functions Ya,0(− u) = Ya,0(u)
and sym
∗ f (v) = [∗f (v) + ∗f (− v)]/ 2 is a symmetric convolut ion6. There are implicit sums over
T he convolut ions of t erms depending on Y
or Y
are over a ﬁnit e range |u| ≤ 2g. We use ˆ∗ as a
• Now we can set L =0 and get Γcusp
• We did not solve the equations in general.
• We expanded for weak coupling. The leading
order in weak coupling is easy and it
reproduces the known result.
A simplified limit
• At φ=θ=0 , we have a BPS situation. Near this
point we have
• Simplified equations lead to a set of integral
equations for B(λ). Still non-linear but less
We know the answer by localization
• It is just given by a Bessel function:
Correa, Henn, JM
Fiol, Garolera, Lewkowycz
Pestun, Drukker, Giombi,
Ricci, Trancanelli
• The expansion agrees with the result in the
integral equation.
• Also gives the power emitted by a moving quark
• The integral equations, at least for this case,
can be simplified!
• Hopefully the same is the case for the general
• The TBA equation are complicated, but they
contain the information also about all excited
• Integral equations for excited states should be very
Gromov, Kazakov, Vieira
• These equations can be studied numerically
• The next goal  Simplify!
Finite number of function:
Gromov, Kazakov, Leurent, Volin
• The connection between integrability and localization
is useful to fix one possible undetermined function of
the coupling. It is thought to be trivial in N=4 SYM. But
it is known to be non-trivial for ABJM.
Happy birthday N=4 SYM
Do we know all N=4 theories?
• Classify all theories with N=4 susy in four
• Without assuming that they have a weak
coupling limit.
• Derive the existence of the weak coupling

The quark-antiquark potential in N=4 Super Yang Mills

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