Phase transitions of large-N two-dimensional Yang–Mills and generalized Yang–Mills theories in the double scaling limit

Abstract

The large-N behavior of Yang–Mills and generalized Yang–Mills theories in the double-scaling limit is investigated. By the double-scaling limit, it is meant that the area of the manifold on which the theory is defined, is itself a function of N. It is shown that phase transitions of different orders occur, depending on the functional dependence of the area on N. The finite-size scalings of the system are also investigated. Specifically, the dependence of the dominant representation on A, for large but finite N is determined.