Representation dependence of k-strings in pure Yang-Mills theory via supersymmetry

We exploit a conjectured continuity between super Yang-Mills on R-3 x S-1 and pure Yang-Mills to study k-strings in the latter theory. As expected, we find that Wilson-loop correlation functions depend on the N-ality of a representation R to the leading order. However, the next-to-leading order correction is not universal and is given by the group characters, in the representation R, of the permutation group. We also study W-bosons in super Yang-Mills. We show that they are deconfined on the string world sheet, and therefore, they can change neither the string N-ality nor its tension. This phenomenon mirrors the fact that soft gluons do not screen probe charges with nonzero N-ality in pure Yang-Mills. Finally, we comment on the scaling law of k-strings in super Yang-Mills and compare our findings with strings in Seiberg-Witten theory, deformed Yang-Mills theory, and holographic studies that were performed in the ' t Hooft large-N limit.