1/N expansion of circular Wilson loop in N=2 superconformal SU(N) x SU(N) quiver

Abstract

Localization approach to N = 2 superconformal SU(N) × SU(N) quiver theory leads to a non-Gaussian two-matrix model representation for the expectation value of BPS circular SU(N) Wilson loop ⟨W⟩. We study the subleading 1/N2 term in the large N expansion of ⟨W⟩ at weak and strong coupling. We concentrate on the case of the symmetric quiver with equal gauge couplings which is equivalent to the ℤ2 orbifold of the SU(2N) N = 4 SYM theory. This orbifold gauge theory should be dual to type IIB superstring in AdS5 × (S5/ℤ2). We present a string theory argument suggesting that the 1/N2 term in ⟨W⟩ in the orbifold theory should have the same strong-coupling asymptotics λ3/2 as in the N = 4 SYM case. We support this prediction on the gauge theory side by a numerical study of the localization matrix model. We also find a relation between the 1/N2 term in the Wilson loop expectation value and the derivative of the free energy of the orbifold gauge theory on 4-sphere.