Large N limit of SYM theories with 16 supercharges from superstrings on Dp-brane backgrounds

We investigate the holographic correspondence between (p + 1)-dimensional (0 less than or equal to p less than or equal to 4) SYM theories with 16 supercharges and superstring theories on the near-horizon limit of Dp-brane backgrounds. We take an approach to holography based on the tunneling picture and study superstring with Euclidean world-sheet. We obtain the amplitude in a semi-classical approximation around a null geodesic which connects two-points on the boundary of the spacetime. As an extension of the analysis of hep-th/0308024, we study the fermionic sector of the superstring. For p not equal 3, we do not have world-sheet supersymmetry, and the energies of bosonic and fermionic fluctuations do not match. By interpreting the superstring amplitudes as correlators of gauge theory operators with large R-charge J, we obtain gauge theory two-point functions including those of fermionic operators. Our approach yields results consistent with the previous supergravity analysis for the D0-branes, including the subleading part in J. Our prediction from holography is that the two-point functions for the supergravity modes are power-law behaved, even for the non-conformal (p not equal 3) SYM theories. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.