Extremal vs. Non-Extremal Correlators with Giant Gravitons

Understand

We consider extremal and non-extremal three-point functions of two giant gravitons and one point-like graviton using Schur polynomials in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory and holographically, using a semiclassical Born-Infeld analysis as well as bubbling geometries.

• For non-extremal three-point functions our computations using all three approaches are in perfect agreement.
• For extremal correlators we find that our results from the bubbling geometry analysis agree with existing results from the gauge theory.
• The semiclassical Born-Infeld computation for the extremal case is known to give a different answer, which we interpret as a manifestation of the known subtlety of holography for extremal correlators.