We study vacuum expectation values (VEVs) of circular half BPS Wilson loops in arbitrary representations in ABJM theory. We find that those in hook representations are reduced to elementary integrations thanks to the Fermi gas formalism, which are accessible from the numerical studies similar to the partition function in the previous studies. For non-hook representations, we show that the VEVs in the grand canonical formalism can be exactly expressed as determinants of those in the hook representations. Using these facts, we can study the instanton effects of the VEVs in various representations. Our results are consistent with the worldsheet instanton effects studied from the topological string and a prescription to include the membrane instanton effects by shifting the chemical potential, which has been successful for the partition function.
We compute the expectation value of the 1/2 BPS circular Wilson loop in ABJM theory at two loops in perturbation theory. The result shows perfect agreement with the prediction from localization and the proposed framing factor.
In previous investigations, it was found that four-sided polygonal light-like Wilson loops in ABJM theory calculated to two-loop order have the same form as the corresponding Wilson loop in N = 4 SYM at one-loop order. Here we study light-like polygonal Wilson loops with n cusps in planar three-dimensional Chern-Simons and ABJM theory to two loops. Remarkably, the result in ABJM theory precisely agrees with the corresponding Wilson loop in N = 4 SYM at one-loop order for arbitrary n. In particular, anomalous conformal Ward identites allow for a so-called remainder function of conformal cross r…
We study instanton corrections to the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of 1/6 BPS Wilson loops in ABJM theory from the Fermi gas approach. We mainly consider Wilson loops in the fundamental representation and winding Wilson loops, but we also initiate the study of Wilson loops with two boundaries. We find that the membrane instanton corrections to the Wilson loop VEV are determined by the refined topological string in the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit, and the pole cancellation mechanism between membrane instantons and worldsheet instantons works also in the Wilson loop VEVs as in the case of the p…
We study light-like polygonal Wilson loops in three-dimensional Chern-Simons and ABJM theory to two-loop order. For both theories we demonstrate that the one-loop contribution to these correlators cancels. For pure Chern-Simons, we find that specific UV divergences arise from diagrams involving two cusps, implying the loss of finiteness and topological invariance at two-loop order. Studying those UV divergences we derive anomalous conformal Ward identities for n-cusped Wilson loops which restrict the finite part of the latter to conformally invariant functions. We also compute the four-cusp Wi…
We consider BPS Wilson loops in planar ABJM theory, wound multiple times around the great circle. We compute the expectation value of the 1/6-BPS and 1/2-BPS Wilson loops to three- and two-loop order in perturbation theory, respectively, dealing with the combinatorics of multiple winding via recursive relations. For the 1/6-BPS Wilson loop we perform the computation at generic framing and at framing 1 we find agreement with the localization result. For the 1/2-BPS Wilson loop we compute the expectation value at trivial framing and by comparison with the matrix model expression we extract the f…
We consider general supersymmetric Wilson loops in ABJM model, i.e. Chern-Simons-matter theory in 2+1 dimensions with N=6 supersymmetry. They are so-called Zarembo-type: the Wilson loops of our interest have generic contours in spacetime, but the scalar field coupling is arranged accordingly so that there are unbroken supersymmetries. Based on the supermatrix formulation of Wilson loops by Drukker and Trancanelli, we construct explicitly 1/6-BPS Wilson loops and check that their expectation value is protected using perturbation up to two loops. We also study the dual string configuration in Ad…
We compute the vacuum expectation values of $1/6$ supersymmetric Wilson loops in higher dimensional representations of the gauge group in ABJM theory. We present results for the $m$-symmetric and $m$-antisymmetric representations by exploiting standard matrix model techniques. At leading order, in the saddle point approximation, our expressions reproduce holographic results from both D6 and D2 branes corresponding to the antisymmetric and symmetric representations, respectively. We also compute 1/N corrections to the leading saddle point results.
In this paper we construct a light-like polygonal Wilson loop in N=6 superspace for ABJM theory. We then use it to obtain constraints on its two- and three-loop bosonic version, by focusing on higher order terms in the $θ$ expansion. The Grassmann expansion of the three-loop answer contains integrals which may be elliptic polylogarithms. Our results take their simplest form when expressed in terms of OSp(6|4) supertwistors.
We investigate several aspects of BPS latitude Wilson loops in gauge theories in three dimensions with $\mathcal{N}\ge 4$ supersymmetry. We derive a matrix model for the bosonic latitude Wilson loop in ABJM using supersymmetric localization, and show how to extend the computation to more general Chern-Simons-matter theories. We then define latitude type Wilson and vortex loop operators in theories without Chern-Simons terms, and explore a connection to the recently derived superalgebra defining local Higgs and Coulomb branch operators in these theories. Finally, we identify a BPS loop operator…
As holographic description of BPS Wilson loops in ${\cal N}=3$ flavored ABJM theory with $N_f=k=1$, BPS M2-branes in $AdS_4\times N(1, 1)$ are studied in details. Two $1/3$-BPS membrane configurations are found. One of them is dual to the $1/3$-BPS Wilson loop of Gaiotto-Yin type. The regulated membrane action captures precisely the leading exponential behavior of the vacuum expectation values of $1/3$-BPS Wilson loops in the strong coupling limit, which was computed before using supersymmetric localization technique. Moreover, there is no BPS membrane with more supersymmetries in the backgrou…
I consider three-point functions of twist-one operators in ABJM at weak coupling. I compute the structure constant of correlators involving one twist-one un-protected operator and two protected ones for a few finite values of the spin, up to two-loop order. As an application I enforce a limit on the gauge group ranks, in which I relate the structure constant for three chiral primary operators to the expectation value of a supersymmetric Wilson loop. Such a relation is then used to perform a successful five-loop test on the matrix model conjectured to describe the supersymmetric Wilson loop.
We study operator insertions into 1/2 BPS Wilson loops in N = 6 ABJM theory and investigate their two-point correlators. In this framework, the energy emitted by a heavy moving probe can be exactly obtained from some two-point coefficients of bosonic and fermionic insertions. This allows us to confirm an early proposal for computing the Bremsstrahlung function in terms of certain supersymmetric circular Wilson loops, whose value might be accessible to localization techniques. In the derivation of this result we also elucidate the structure of protected multiplets in the relevant superconformal…
We revisit the computation of the two-loop light-like tetragonal Wilson loop for three dimensional pure Chern-Simons and N=6 Chern-Simons-matter theory, within dimensional regularization with dimensional reduction scheme. Our examination shows that, contrary to prior belief, the result respects maximal transcendentality as is the case of the four-point scattering amplitude of the theory. Remarkably, the corrected result matches exactly the scattering amplitude both in the divergent and in the finite parts, constants included.
The holographic configurations dual to Wilson loops in higher rank representations in the ABJM theory are described by branes with electric flux along their world volumes. In particular, D2 and D6 branes with electric flux play a central role as potential dual to totally symmetric and totally antisymmetric representations, respectively. We compute the spectra of excitations of these brane configurations in both, the bosonic and fermionic sectors. We highlight a number of aspects that distinguish these configurations from their D3 and D5 cousins including new peculiar mixing terms in the fluctu…
Budapest University of Technology and Economics（布达佩斯技术与经济大学）；HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics（匈牙利研究与教育网络温格物理研究中心）；Institut de Physique Théorique, Université Paris Saclay, CNRS（巴黎萨克雷大学理论物理研究所，法国国家科学研究中心）
The matrix model of ABJM theory can be formulated in terms of a Fermi gas in an external potential. We show that, in this formalism, vevs of Wilson loops correspond to averages of operators in the statistical-mechanical problem. This makes it possible to calculate these vevs at all orders in 1/N, up to exponentially small corrections, and for arbitrary Chern-Simons coupling, by using the WKB expansion. We present explicit results for the vevs of 1/6 and the 1/2 BPS Wilson loops, at any winding number, in terms of Airy functions. Our expressions are shown to reproduce the low genus results obta…
We explore the low-energy dynamics of 1/2-BPS heavy particles coupled to the ABJM model via the Higgsing of M2-branes, with focus on physical understanding of the recently discovered 1/2-BPS Wilson loop operators. The low-energy theory of 1/2-BPS heavy particles turns out to have the U(N|N) supergauge symmetry, which explains the novel structure of the 1/2-BPS Wilson loop operator as a holonomy of a U(N|N) superconnection. We show that the supersymmetric transformation of the Wilson loop operator can be identified as a fermionic supergauge transformation, which leads to their invariance under …
We introduce a new purely bosonic, $\frac{1}{6}$ BPS Wilson loop for ABJM theory on $S^3$ that couples scalar fields to a latitude at an angle $θ$ on $S^2\in\mathbb{C}P^3$. Through localization of this operator, we relate the expansion of the cusp anomalous dimension at small cusp angles to the logarithmic derivative of the ABJM Wilson loop. This defines, non-perturbatively in the 't Hooft coupling, the bremsstrahlung function $B(λ)$ describing in three dimensions the soft radiation of a $W$-boson undergoing a sudden change in trajectory. We compare our results for $B(λ)$ to the known weak/str…
We compute the 1-loop partition function for strings in $AdS_4\times\mathbb{CP}^3$, whose worldsheets end along a line with small cusp angles in the boundary of AdS. We obtain these 1-loop results in terms of the vacuum energy for on-shell modes. Our results verify the proposal by Lewkowycz and Maldacena in arXiv:1312.5682 for the exact Bremsstrahlung function up to the next to leading order in the strong coupling expansion. The agreement is observed for cusps distorting either the 1/2 BPS or the 1/6 BPS Wilson line.
We propose a new formalism to study the ABJM matrix model. Contrary to expressing the fractional brane background with the Wilson loops in the open string formalism, we formulate the Wilson loop expectation value from the viewpoint of the closed string background. With this new formalism, we can prove some duality relations in the matrix model.
For N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theories in three dimensions, by a direct superspace Feynman diagram approach, we compute the two-loop four-point scattering amplitude with external chiral matter fields. We find that the result is in perfect agreement with the two-loop result for a light-like four-polygon Wilson loop. This is a nontrivial evidence of the scattering amplitudes/Wilson loop duality in three dimensions. Moreover, both the IR divergent and the finite parts of our two-loop result agree with a BDS-like ansatz for all-loop amplitudes where the scaling function is given in te…
In this paper we construct and classify novel Drukker-Trancanelli (DT) type BPS Wilson loops along infinite straight lines and circles in $\mathcal N=2,3$ quiver superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theories, Aharony-Bergman-Jafferis-Maldacena (ABJM) theory, and $\mathcal N=4$ orbifold ABJM theory. Generally we have four classes of Wilson loops, and all of them preserve the same supersymmetries as the BPS Gaiotto-Yin (GY) type Wilson loops. There are several free complex parameters in the DT type BPS Wilson loops, and for two classes of Wilson loops in ABJM theory and $\mathcal N=4$ orbifold ABJ…
We analyse a light-like cusped Wilson loop in N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory at both weak and strong coupling in light-cone gauge. At the second order in the 't Hooft coupling $λ$ the correct cusp anomalous dimension $Γ_{\rm cusp}=-ϕ/ 2 λ^2$ is recovered through a deformation of the contour that takes both rays of the cusp slightly off of the light-cone. The strong coupling behaviour is addressed by means of the Bethe-Salpeter equation for ladders of tree-level gauge propagators and ladders of one-loop corrected gauge propagators. It turns out that, as might be expected, the contributi…
We investigate the exact results for circular 1/4 and 1/2 BPS Wilson loops in the $d=3$ ${\mathcal N}=4$ super Chern-Simons-matter theory that could be obtained by orbifolding Aharony-Bergman-Jafferis-Maldacena (ABJM) theory. The partition function of the ${\mathcal N}=4$ orbifold ABJM theory has been computed previously in the literature. In this paper, we re-derive it using a slightly different method. We calculate the vacuum expectation values of the circular 1/4 BPS Wilson loops in fundamental representation and of circular 1/2 BPS Wilson loops in arbitrary representations. We use both the…
We consider the Bremsstrahlung function associated to a 1/6-BPS Wilson loop in ABJM theory, with a cusp in the couplings to scalar fields. We non-trivially extend its recent four-loop computation at weak coupling to include non-planar corrections. We have recently proposed a conjecture relating this object to supersymmetric circular Wilson loops with multiple windings, which can be computed via localization. We find agreement between this proposal and the perturbative computation of the Bremsstrahlung function, including color sub-leading corrections. This supports the conjecture and hints at …
In this paper we study the Bremsstrahlung functions for the 1/6 BPS and the 1/2 BPS Wilson lines in ABJM theory. First we use a superconformal defect approach to prove a conjectured relation between the Bremsstrahlung functions associated to the geometric ($B^φ_{1/6}$) and R-symmetry ($B^θ_{1/6}$) deformations of the 1/6 BPS Wilson line. This result, non-trivially following from a defect supersymmetric Ward identity, provides an exact expression for $B^θ_{1/6}$ based on a known result for $B^φ_{1/6}$. Subsequently, we explore the consequences of this relation for the 1/2 BPS Wilson line and, u…
Recently, Kapustin, Willett and Yaakov have found, by using localization techniques, that vacuum expectation values of Wilson loops in ABJM theory can be calculated with a matrix model. We show that this matrix model is closely related to Chern-Simons theory on a lens space with a gauge supergroup. This theory has a topological string large N dual, and this makes possible to solve the matrix model exactly in the large N expansion. In particular, we find the exact expression for the vacuum expectation value of a 1/6 BPS Wilson loop in the ABJM theory, as a function of the 't Hooft parameters, a…
We study local operator insertions on 1/2-BPS line defects in ABJM theory. Specifically, we consider a class of four-point correlators in the CFT$_1$ with SU$(1, 1|3)$ superconformal symmetry defined on the 1/2-BPS Wilson line. The relevant insertions belong to the short supermultiplet containing the displacement operator and correspond to fluctuations of the dual fundamental string in AdS$_4 \times \mathbb{C}\textrm{P}^3$ ending on the line at the boundary. We use superspace techniques to represent the displacement supermultiplet and we show that superconformal symmetry determines the four-po…
In ABJ(M) theory, we propose a matrix model for the exact evaluation of BPS Wilson loops on a latitude circular contour, so providing a new weak-strong interpolation tool. Intriguingly, the matrix model turns out to be a particular case of that computing torus knot invariants in $U(N_1|N_2)$ Chern-Simons theory. At weak coupling we check our proposal against a three-loop computation, performed for generic framing, winding number and representation. The matrix model is amenable of a Fermi gas formulation, which we use to systematically compute the strong coupling and genus expansions. For the f…
Budapest University of Technology and Economics（布达佩斯技术与经济大学）；HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics（匈牙利研究与教育网络温格物理研究中心）；Institut de Physique Théorique, Université Paris Saclay, CNRS（巴黎萨克雷大学CNRS理论物理研究所）
Recent progresses in the computation of quantum string corrections to holographic Wilson loops are extended to the case of strings in $AdS_{4}\times CP^{3}$. For this, the ratio of 1/2-BPS circular and 1/6-BPS latitude fermionic Wilson loops in ABJM is considered at strong coupling by studying the corresponding semiclassical string partition functions. Explicit evaluation of fluctuation determinants using phaseshifts and diffeomorphism invariant regulators leads to exact matching with the recent field theory proposal. Key to this computation is the choice of boundary conditions for massless fe…
We study the three-loop four-point amplitude in ABJM theory. We determine the dual conformal invariant integrals with highest number of propagators and fix their coefficients by two-particle cuts. Evaluating such a combination of integrals in dimensional regularization we provide evidence for exponentiation of the amplitude, including the finite terms. In addition we show that the three-loop amplitude can be expressed in terms of classical polylogarithms of uniform degree of transcendentality.
In $\mathcal N \geq 2$ superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theories we construct the infinite family of Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) Wilson loops featured by constant parametric couplings to scalar and fermion matter, including both line Wilson loops in Minkowski spacetime and circle Wilson loops in Euclidean space. We find that the connection of the most general BPS Wilson loop cannot be decomposed in terms of double-node connections. Moreover, if the quiver contains triangles, it cannot be interpreted as a supermatrix inside a superalgebra. However, for particular choices of the param…
We consider the link average of the half-BPS Wilson loop operators in N = 6 superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theory, which is called ABJM theory. We show that this loop average is reduced to a (super)matrix integral by the localization method, in a similar way to the bosonic U(N) Chern-Simons theory. Using this matrix integral, we compute the two- and three-link averages with an operator formalism inspired by a three-dimensional topological field theory. We obtain a factorization of the link average, and the Verlinde formula in a sector of supergroup representations. We also propose a refine…
The large-$N$ limit of ABJM theory is holographically dual to M-theory on AdS$_4\times S^7/\mathbb{Z}_k$. The 3-sphere partition function has been obtained via localization, and its leading behavior $F_{\text{ABJM}}^{(0)}\sim k^{1/2}N^{3/2}$ is exactly reproduced in the dual theory by tree-level supergravity. We extend this comparison to the sub-leading $\mathcal O(N^0)$ order by computing the one-loop supergravity free energy as a function of $k$ and comparing it with the ABJM result. Curiously, we find that the expressions do not match, with $F_{\text{SUGRA}}^{(1)}\sim k^6$, while $F_{\text{…
We compute the two-loop Sudakov form factor in three-dimensional N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory, using generalised unitarity. As an intermediate step, we derive the non-planar part of the one-loop four-point amplitude in terms of box integrals. Our result for the Sudakov form factor is given by a single non-planar tensor integral with uniform degree of transcendentality, and is in agreement with the known infrared divergences of two-loop amplitudes in ABJM theory. We also discuss a number of interesting properties satisfied by related three-dimensional integral functions.
In this paper we present the first analytic computation of the six-point two-loop amplitude of ABJM theory. We show that the two-loop amplitude consist of corrections proportional to two distinct local Yangian invariants which can be identified as the tree- and the one-loop amplitude respectively. The two-loop correction proportional to the tree-amplitude is identical to the one-loop BDS result of N=4 SYM plus an additional remainder function, while the correction proportional to the one-loop amplitude is finite. Both the remainder and the finite correction are dual conformal invariant, which …
We present a new Fermi gas formalism for the ABJ matrix model. This formulation identifies the effect of the fractional M2-brane in the ABJ matrix model as that of a composite Wilson loop operator in the corresponding ABJM matrix model. Using this formalism, we study the phase part of the ABJ partition function numerically and find a simple expression for it. We further compute a few exact values of the partition function at some coupling constants. Fitting these exact values against the expected form of the grand potential, we can determine the grand potential with exact coefficients. The res…
The partition function of N=6 supersymmetric Chern-Simons-matter theory (known as ABJM theory) on S^3, as well as certain Wilson loop observables, are captured by a zero dimensional super-matrix model. This super-matrix model is closely related to a matrix model describing topological Chern-Simons theory on a lens space. We explore further these recent observations and extract more exact results in ABJM theory from the matrix model. In particular we calculate the planar free energy, which matches at strong coupling the classical IIA supergravity action on AdS_4 x CP^3 and gives the correct N^{…
We derive an exact algebraic identity between the two-loop four-point amplitude in ABJM theory and the corresponding one-loop amplitude in N=4 SYM theory. This identity generalizes previous partial results to an exact relation valid at all orders in the IR regulator. Moreover, it allows to conjecture an exact iterative expression for the complete three dimensional amplitude in terms of the BDS ansatz for the four dimensional one, indicating that the strict relation between the two amplitudes experimented at two loops might propagate to all orders. In particular, an almost complete expression f…
We compute the null cusp anomalous dimension of ABJM theory at strong coupling up to two-loop order. This is done by evaluating corrections to the corresponding superstring partition function, weighted by the $AdS_4\times \mathbb{CP}^3$ action in AdS light-cone gauge. We compare our result, where we use an anomalous shift in the $AdS_4$ radius, with the cusp anomaly of $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM, and extract the two-loop contribution to the non-trivial integrable coupling $h(λ)$ of ABJM theory. It coincides with the strong coupling expansion of the exact expression for $ h(λ)$ recently conjectured by…
We prove the integrability of the two-loop open spin chain Hamiltonian from ABJM determinant like operators given in arXiv:1809.09941. By explicitly constructing R-matrices and K-matrices, we successfully obtain the two-loop Hamiltonian from the double row transfer matrices. This proves the integrability of our two-loop Hamiltonian. Based on the vacuum eigenvalues of the transfer matrices, we make a conjecture on the eigenvalues of the transfer matrices for general excited states. Bethe ansatz equations are simply obtained from the analytic conditions at the superficial poles of the eigenvalue…
The ABJM model is a superconformal Chern-Simons theory with N=6 supersymmetry which is believed to be integrable in the planar limit. However, there is a coupling dependent function that appears in the magnon dispersion relation and the asymptotic Bethe ansatz that is only known to leading order at strong and weak coupling. We compute this function to four loops in perturbation theory by an explicit Feynman diagram calculation for both the ABJM model and the ABJ extension. We find that all coefficients have maximal transcendentality. We then compute the four-loop wrapping correction for a scal…
In ABJ(M) theory a generalized cusp can be constructed out of the 1/6 BPS Wilson line by introducing an angle $φ$ in the spacial contour and/or an angle $θ$ in the internal R-symmetry space. The small angles limits of its anomalous dimension are controlled by corresponding Bremsstrahlung functions. In this note we compute the internal space $θ$-Bremsstrahlung function to four loops at weak coupling in the planar limit. Based on this result, we propose an all order conjecture for the $θ$-Bremsstrahlung function.
We evaluate ABJM observables at two loops, for any value of the rank N of the gauge group. We compute the color subleading contributions to the four-point scattering amplitude in ABJM at two loops. Contrary to the four dimensional case, IR divergent N-subleading contributions are proportional to leading poles in the regularization parameter. We then exploit the non-planar calculation for the amplitude to derive an expression for the two-loop Sudakov form factor at any N. In the planar limit the result coincides with the one recently obtained in literature by using Feynman diagrams and unitarit…
For three dimensional N=6 superconformal field theories we compute one-loop scattering amplitudes for any number of external particles. We focus on a particular subsector of N=2 invariant superamplitudes for which the ordinary perturbative evaluation becomes very easy. The result we obtain is in general non-vanishing. For six external particles our findings are sufficient for determining the complete expression of the N=6 superamplitude at this order. We discuss the symmetries of the result and its anomalous variation under superconformal generators.
We present the three-loop calculation of the Bremsstrahlung function associated to the 1/2-BPS cusp in ABJM theory, including color subleading corrections. Using the BPS condition we reduce the computation to that of a cusp with vanishing angle. We work within the framework of heavy quark effective theory (HQET) that further simplifies the analytic evaluation of the relevant cusp anomalous dimension in the near-BPS limit. The result passes nontrivial tests, such as exponentiation, and is in agreement with the conjecture made in [1] for the exact expression of the Bremsstrahlung function, based…
We study the spectrum of anomalous dimensions of short operators in planar ABJM theory at two loops. Specifically we develop a method for solving the OSp(6|4) Bethe ansatz equations for a certain class of unpaired length-4 states with arbitrarily high number of excitations, and apply it to identify three new sequences of rational eigenvalues. Results for low-lying paired states in the OSp(4|2) sector are obtained by direct diagonalization of the spin chain Hamiltonian. We also study the SL(2|1) sector and identify the set of states that corresponds to the SL(2)-like Bethe ansatz of Gromov and …
