Two-loop world-sheet corrections in AdS_5 x S^5 superstring

We initiate the computation of the 2-loop quantum AdS_5 x S^5 string corrections on the example of a certain string configuration in S^5 related by an analytic continuation to a folded rotating string in AdS_5 in the ``long string limit. The 2-loop term in the energy of the latter should represent the subleading strong-coupling correction to the cusp anomalous dimension and thus provide a further check of recent conjectures about the exact structure of the Bethe ansatz underlying the AdS/CFT duality. We use the conformal gauge and several choices of the kappa-symmetry gauge. While we are unable to verify the cancellation of 2d UV divergences we compute the bosonic contribution to the effective action and also determine the non-trivial finite part of the fermionic contribution. Both the bosonic and the fermionic contributions to the string energy happen to be proportional to the Catalans constant. The resulting value for 2-loop superstring prediction for the subleading coefficient a_2 in the scaling function matches the numerical value found in hep-th/0611135 from the BES equation.

Strong-coupling expansion of cusp anomaly and gluon amplitudes from quantum open strings in AdS_5 x S^5

An important ``observable of planar N=4 SYM theory is the scaling function f(lambda) that appears in the anomalous dimension of large spin twist 2 operators and also in the cusp anomaly of light-like Wilson loops. The non-trivial relation between the anomalous dimension and the Wilson interpretations of f(lambda) is well-understood on the perturbative gauge theory side of the AdS/CFT duality. In the first part of this paper we present the dual string-theory counterpart of this relation, to all orders in lambda^(-1/2) expansion. As a check, we explicitly compute the leading 1-loop string sigma model correction to the cusp Wilson loop, reproducing the same subleading coefficient in f(lambda) as found earlier in the spinning closed string case. The same function f(lambda) appears also in the resummed form of the 4-gluon amplitude as discussed at weak coupling by Bern, Dixon and Smirnov and recently found at the leading order at strong coupling by Alday and Maldacena (AM). Here we attempt to extend this approach to subleading order in lambda^(-1/2) by computing the IR singular part of 1-loop string correction to the corresponding T-dual Wilson loop. We discuss explicitly the 1-cusp case and comment on apparent problems with the dimensional regularization proposal of AM when directly applied order by order in strong coupling (inverse string tension) expansion.