Hirosi Ooguri

Large N field theories, string theory and gravity

We review the holographic correspondence between field theories and string/M theory, focusing on the relation between compactifications of string/M theory on Anti-de Sitter spaces and conformal field theories. We review the background for this correspondence and discuss its motivations and the evidence for its correctness. We describe the main results that have been derived from the correspondence in the regime that the field theory is approximated by classical or semiclassical gravity. We focus on the case of the N=4 supersymmetric gauge theory in four dimensions, but we discuss also field theories in other dimensions, conformal and non-conformal, with or without supersymmetry, and in particular the relation to QCD. We also discuss some implications for black hole physics.

Kodaira-Spencer theory of gravity and exact results for quantum string amplitudes

We develop techniques to compute higher loop string amplitudes for twistedN=2 theories withĉ=3 (i.e. the critical case). An important ingredient is the discovery of an anomaly at every genus in decoupling of BRST trivial states, captured to all orders by a master anomaly equation. In a particular realization of theN=2 theories, the resulting string field theory is equivalent to a topological theory in six dimensions, the Kodaira-Spencer theory, which may be viewed as the closed string analog of the Chern-Simons theory. Using the mirror map this leads to computation of the ‘number’ of holomorphic curves of higher genus curves in Calabi-Yau manifolds. It is shown that topological amplitudes can also be reinterpreted as computing corrections to superpotential terms appearing in the effective 4d theory resulting from compactification of standard 10d superstrings on the correspondingN=2 theory. Relations withc=1 strings are also pointed out.

Black hole attractors and the topological string

A simple relationship of the form ZBH = |Ztop|2 is conjectured, where ZBH is a supersymmetric partition function for a four-dimensional BPS black hole in a Calabi-Yau compactification of Type II superstring theory and Ztop is a second-quantized topological string partition function evaluated at the attractor point in moduli space associated to the black hole charges. Evidence for the conjecture in a perturbation expansion about large graviphoton charge is given. The microcanonical ensemble of BPS black holes can be viewed as the Wigner function associated to the wave function defined by the topological string partition function.

Knot invariants and topological strings

We find further evidence for the conjecture relating large N Chern-Simons theory on S^3 with topological string on the resolved conifold geometry by showing that the Wilson loop observable of a simple knot on S^3 (for any representation) agrees to all orders in N with the corresponding quantity on the topological string side. For a general knot, we find a reformulation of the knot invariant in terms of new integral invariants, which capture the spectrum (and spin) of M2 branes ending on M5 branes embedded in the resolved conifold geometry. We also find an intriguing link between knot invariants and superpotential terms generated by worldsheet instantons in N=1 supersymmetric theories in 4 dimensions.

Wilson Loops and Minimal Surfaces

The AdS-CFT correspondence suggests that the Wilson loop of the large N gauge theory with

Holomorphic anomalies in topological field theories

\mathcal{N}=4

D-branes on Calabi-Yau spaces and their mirrors

supersymmetry in four dimensions is described by a minimal surface in

Two-dimensional black hole and singularities of CY manifolds

{\mathrm{AdS}}_{5}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{S}}^{5}.

Aspects of large N gauge theory dynamics as seen by string theory

We examine various aspects of this proposal, comparing gauge theory expectations with computations of minimal surfaces. There is a distinguished class of loops, which we call BPS loops, whose expectation values are free from ultraviolet divergence. We formulate the loop equation for such loops. To the extent that we have checked, the minimal surface in

Geometry of n = 2 strings

{\mathrm{AdS}}_{5}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{S}}^{5}