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A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 3rd October 2013. / A complete understanding of quantum gravity remains an open problem. However, the AdS/CFT correspondence which relates quantum eld theories that enjoy conformal symmetry to theories of (quantum) gravity is proving to be a useful tool in shedding light on this formidable problem. Recently developed group representation theoretic methods have proved useful in understanding the large N; but non-planar limit of N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. In this work, we study operators that are dual to excited giant gravitons, which corresponds to a sector of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory that is described by a large N; but non-planar limit. After a brief review of the work done in the su (2) sector, we compute the spectrum of anomalous dimensions in the su (2) sector of the Leigh-Strassler deformed theory. The result resembles the spectrum of a shifted harmonic oscillator. We then explain how to construct restricted Schur polynomials built using both fermionic and bosonic elds which transform in the adjoint of the gauge group U (N) : We show that these operators diagonalise the free eld two point function to all orders in 1=N: As an application of our new operators, we study the action of the one-loop dilatation operator in the su (2,3) sector in a large N; but non-planar limit of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory. As in the su (2) case, the resulting spectrum matches the spectrum of a set of decoupled oscillators. Finally, in an appendix, we study the action of the one-loop dilatation operator in an sl (2) sector of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory. Again, the resulting spectrum matches that of a set of harmonic oscillators. In all these cases, we nd that the action of the dilatation operator is diagonalised by a double coset ansatz.

One of the key goals of string theory is to provide a uni cation of general relativity and quantum eld theory. In the pursuit of this goal it has become clear that the di erent string theories that have been discovered so far are all in fact, partial descriptions of a single theory. At strong coupling a new theory, called M-theory, is the correct description. M-theory includes gravitons, M2-branes and M5-branes. Up to now, the correct description of the M5-brane is outstanding. In this project some proposals for this theory are studied. In particular, there is a proposal that D=5 maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory can be used to provide a description of the world volume physics of the M5-brane. According to this proposal, instantons in D=5 maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory are graviton excitations of the M theory. In this M.Sc dissertation the instanton solutions of D=5 maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory are explored, with the goal of testing the above proposal. The dissertation begins with a review of the uses of instantons in quantum mechanics. In particular, instantons are used to account for tunneling e ects within a path integral approach to quantum mechanics. The lifting of ground state degeneracies as well as the estimation of the lifetime of unstable states using instantons is developed. The quantization of gauge theories is reviewed in detail. The relevance of instantons for a semi-classical study of Yang-Mills theory is explained. Finally, the relevance of instantons for D = 5 maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is considered.

The study of scattering amplitudes in quantum eld theories (QFTs) is equally important for high energy phenomenology and for theoretical understanding of fundamental physics. Over the last 15 years there has been an explosion of new techniques, inspired by Witten's celebrated twistor string theory [1]. The N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory (SYM) provides a playground for applying and extending these methods, heavily constrained by spacetime, internal and hidden symmetries. Recently, Cachazo, He and Yuan proposed an algebraic construction of scattering amplitudes at tree level in various QFTs, based on the solution of certain scattering equations [2]. This formula was later extended to tree-level form factors of Tr(F2 SD) in four dimensional Yang-Mills theory [3]. In this thesis we show how this result may be naturally supersymmetrised, and derived from a dual connected formulation. Moreover, we relate our results to a geometric construction of form factors via the Grassmannian [4]. Finally, we argue that ambitwistor string theory provides a natural way to lift the result to arbitrary dimensions, paving the way for loop-level results. In complementary work, it was shown that the subleading soft behaviour of tree-level amplitudes in gauge theory and gravity is universal [5{7]. This unexpected property is related to extended symmetries of the theory acting at null in nity. Moreover, the hidden structure provides additional information relevant for resummation of physical observables. In this thesis, we extend the known results to one-loop level in N = 4 SYM, arguing that IR divergences introduce anomaly terms through nite order in the regulator. We constrain these terms using dual superconformal symmetry, and derive explicit formulae in the MHV and NMHV sectors. This thesis contains documentation for two Mathematica packages, illustrating the original calculations we have performed.

The study of scattering amplitudes in the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (N = 4 SYM) is a thriving field of research. Since the reformulation of perturbative gauge theory as a twistor string theory by Witten, this area has witnessed a flurry of activity, leading to the discovery of a multitude of novel techniques, such as recursion relations and MHV diagrams, collectively referred to as on-shell methods. In parallel, many previously hidden properties and rich mathematical structures have been found, a powerful example of such being the dual superconformal symmetry. It is natural to ask whether this understanding can be extended to phenomenologically relevant theories as well as other quantities. The goal of the present work is to apply the modern on-shell methods to calculations of form factors, with particular focus on those which are relevant for describing Higgs production in QCD from the point of view of an effective field theory. Specifically, our analysis will be carried out in supersymmetric gauge theories at two-loop level and will consist of several steps. We focus first on operators in the SU(2j3) closed subsector of N = 4 SYM, in particular two non-protected, dimension-three operators. We then move on to consider the trilinear operator Tr(F3) and a related descendant of the Konishi operator which contains Tr(F3), also in N =4 SYM. Finally, we concentrate on two-loop form factors of these two operators in theories with less-than-maximal supersymmetry. The result of our investigation shows an emergence of a small number of universal building blocks, ultimately related to the two-loop form factor of a trilinear half-BPS operator. This finding suggests that the most complicated, maximally transcendental part of Higgs plus multi-gluon amplitudes in QCD can be equivalently computed in a remarkably simple way by considering form factors of half-BPS operators in N =4 SYM.

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In this thesis we consider the N=1 super Yang-Mills theory on S5 with a single hypermultiplet in the adjoint representation. We argue that there is a critical value of the hypermultiplet mass M=3/2r, where r is the radius of S5, for which the free energy vanishes, and we study the model in the proximity of this value. For large N we provide analytical results for the free energy and the eigenvalue density in the weak and strong coupling limits, and in one case we solve the saddle point equation using a technique introduced by Hoppe. We present numerical results to show where each approximation is justified, and to explore the regimes where the model cannot be solved analytically. Based on the numerical results, we argue that in most cases the behaviour of the model is better understood in terms of an effective coupling constant λ'=λM. For small M the model simplifies to one whose kernel is non-singular. This simplified model shows a peculiar peak structure in the eigenvalue distribution, with the number of peaks growing as the effective coupling is increased. We interpret this as a series of phase transitions as M approaches 3/2r.

In this work aspects of the classical Connes-Lott non-commutative standard model are examined. In particular the relationship between the chiral structure of the standard model and the condition of Poincaré Duality is investigated. Then the natural prediction of an additional force in the non-commutative standard model is explained and the consequences calculated. Finally the attempts at grand unification within the non-commutative framework are reviewed and extended.