Phases of a two-dimensional large-Ngauge theory on a torus

Abstract

We consider two-dimensional large N gauge theory with D adjoint scalars on a torus, which is obtained from a D+2-dimensional pure Yang-Mills theory on T^D+2 with D small radii. The two-dimensional model has various phases characterized by the holonomy of the gauge field around noncontractible cycles of the 2-torus. We determine the phase boundaries and derive the order of the phase transitions using a method developed in an earlier work (hep-th/0910.4526), which is nonperturbative in the 't Hooft coupling and uses a 1/D expansion. We embed our phase diagram in the more extensive phase structure of the D+2-dimensional Yang-Mills theory and match with the picture of a cascade of phase transitions found earlier in lattice calculations [4]. We also propose a dual gravity system based on a Scherk-Schwarz compactification of a D2 brane wrapped on a 3-torus and find a phase structure which is similar to the phase diagram found in the gauge theory calculation.