Spectral curves, emergent geometry, and bubbling solutions for Wilson loops

Abstract

We study the supersymmetric circular Wilson loops of N = 4 super Yang-Mills in large representations of the gauge group. In particular, we obtain the spectral curves of the matrix model which captures the expectation value of the loops. These spectral curves are then proven to be precisely the hyperelliptic surfaces that characterize the bubbling solutions dual to the Wilson loops, thus yielding an example of a geometry emerging from an eigenvalue distribution. We finally discuss the Wilson loop expectation value from the matrix model and from supergravity. © 2008 SISSA.