Dynamics of SU(N) Supersymmetric Gauge Theory

We study the physics of the Seiberg-Witten and Argyres-Faraggi-Klemm-Lerche-TheisenYankielowicz solutions of D = 4, N = 2 and N = 1 SU(N) supersymmetric gauge theory. The N = 1 theory is confining and its effective Lagrangian is a spontaneously broken U(1)N−1 abelian gauge theory. We identify some features of its physics which see this internal structure, including a spectrum of different string tensions. We discuss the limit N → ∞, identify a scaling regime in which instanton and monopole effects survive, and give exact results for the crossover from weak to strong coupling along a scaling trajectory. We find a large hierarchy of mass scales in the scaling regime, including very light W bosons, and the absence of weak coupling. The light W ’s leave a novel imprint on the effective dual magnetic theory. The effective Lagrangian appears to be inadequate to understand the conventional large N limit of the confining N = 1 theory.