Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 152, 113-138 (2007)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2007-00379-0

The string/gauge theory correspondence in QCD^*

¹ Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.195, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands
² Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

Corresponding authors: k.peeters@phys.uu.nl marija.zamaklar@durham.ac.uk

Abstract

Ideas about a duality between gauge fields and strings have been around for many decades. During the last ten years, these ideas have taken a much more concrete mathematical form. String descriptions of the strongly coupled dynamics of semi-realistic gauge theories, exhibiting confinement and chiral symmetry breaking, are now available. These provide remarkably simple ways to compute properties of the strongly coupled quark-gluon fluid phase, and also shed new light on various phenomenological models of hadron fragmentation. We present a review and highlight some exciting recent developments.