SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions:: Further results -: art. no. 097502

We calculate the string tension and part of the mass spectrum of SU(4) and SU(6) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions using lattice techniques. We combine these new results with older results for N-c=2,...,5 so as to obtain more accurate extrapolations to N-c=infinity. The qualitative conclusions of the earlier work are unchanged: SU(N-c) theories in 2+1 dimensions are linearly confining as N-c-->infinity; the limit is achieved by keeping g(2)N(c) fixed; SU(3), and even SU(2), are "close" to SU(infinity). We obtain more convincing evidence than before that the leading large-N-c correction is O(1/N-c(2)). We look for the multiplication of states that one expects in simple flux loop models of glueballs, but find no evidence for this.