Wei-Shui Xu

Using gauge theory/string duality, we calculated the jet quenching parameter $\hat{q}$ of the Sakai-Sugimoto model in various phases. Being different from the $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory where $\hat{q}\propto T^3$, we find that $\hat{q}\propto T^4/T_d$, where $T_d$ is the critical temperature of the confined/deconfined phase transition. By analyzing the $\hat{q}$ in different phases of this theory, we get better understanding about some statements in previous works, such as the non-universality and the explanation of discrepancies between the theory predictions and experiments.

We construct a D2-D8-$\bar{D8}$ configuration in string theory, it can be described at low energy by two dimensional field theory. In the weak coupling region, the low energy theory is a nonlocal generalization of Gross-Neveu(GN) model which dynamically breaks the chiral flavor symmetry $U(N_f)_L \times U(N_f)_R$ at large $N_c$ and finite $N_f$. However, in the strong coupling region, we can use the SUGRA/Born-Infeld approximation to describe the low energy dynamics of the system. Also, we analyze the low energy dynamics about the configuration of wrapping the one direction of D2 brane on a circle with anti-periodic boundary condition of fermions. The fermions and scalars on D2 branes get mass and decouple from the low energy theory. The IR dynamics is described by the $QCD_2$ at weak coupling. In the opposite region, the dynamics has a holographic dual description. And we have discussed the phase transition of chiral symmetry breaking at finite temperature. Finally, after performing T-duality, this configuration is related to some other brane configurations.

The dissipative dynamics of a heavy quark passing through charged thermal plasmas of strongly coupled ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory is studied using AdS/CFT. We compute the linear response of the dilaton field to a test string in the rotating near-extremal D3 brane background, finding the momentum space profile of $<\textrm{tr}F^{2}>$ numerically. Our results naively support the wake picture discussed in hep-th/0605292, provided the rotation parameter is not too large.