Integrable Wilson loops

Understand

The generalized quark-antiquark potential of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on S^3 x R calculates the potential between a pair of heavy charged particles separated by an arbitrary angle on S^3 and also an angle in flavor space.

• It can be calculated by a Wilson loop following a prescribed path and couplings, or after a conformal transformation, by a cusped Wilson loop in flat space, hence also generalizing the usual concept of the cusp anomalous dimension.
• In AdS_5 x S^5 this is calculated by an infinite open string.
• I present here an open spin-chain model which calculates the spectrum of excitations of such open strings.