The exact spectrum and mirror duality of the (AdS5 × S 5) η superstring

Abstract

We discuss the spectrum of a string propagating on η-deformed AdS5 × S5 by treating its worldsheet theory as an integrable quantum field theory. The exact S-matrix of this field theory is given by a qdeformation of the AdS5 × S5 worldsheet S-matrix with a real deformation parameter. By considering mirror (double Wick-rotated) versions of these worldsheet theories, we give the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz description of their exact finite-size spectra. Interestingly, this class of models maps onto itself under the mirror transformation. At the string level, this seems to indicate that the light-cone worldsheet theories of strings on particular pairs of backgrounds are related by a double Wick rotation, a feature we call “mirror duality.” We provide a partial verification of these statements at the level of a sigma model by considering reduced actions and their corresponding (mirror) giant magnon solutions.