Non-perturbative effects in AdS5 × S5 string theory and d = 4 SUSY Yang-Mills

Abstract

We show that five-dimensional anti de-Sitter space remains a solution to low-energy type IIB supergravity when the leading higher-derivative corrections to the classical supergravity (which are non-perturbative in the string coupling) are included. Furthermore, at this order in the low energy expansion of the IIB theory the graviton two-point and three-point functions in AdS5 × S5 are shown not to be renormalized and a precise expression is obtained for the four-graviton and related S-matrix elements. By invoking Maldacena's conjectured connection between IIB superstring theory and supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory corresponding statements are obtained concerning correlation functions of the energy-momentum tensor and related operators in the large-N Yang-Mills theory. This leads to interesting non-perturbative statements and insights into the rôle of instantons in the gauge theory.