The string/gauge theory correspondence in QCD

Abstract

Ideas about a duality between gauge fields and strings have been around for many decades. During the last ten years, these ideas have taken a much more concrete mathematical form. String descriptions of the strongly coupled dynamics of semi-realistic gauge theories, exhibiting confinement and chiral symmetry breaking, are now available. These provide remarkably simple ways to compute properties of the strongly coupled quark-gluon fluid phase, and also shed new light on various phenomenological models of hadron fragmentation. We present a review and highlight some exciting recent developments.

Lectures presented by KP at the 45th Winter School on Theoretical Physics, February 2007, Schladming, Austria; v3: minor corrections, typos fixed, references added