Genus-one string amplitudes from conformal field theory

Abstract

Abstract We explore and exploit the relation between non-planar correlators in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super-Yang-Mills, and higher-genus closed string amplitudes in type IIB string theory. By conformal field theory techniques we construct the genus-one, four-point string amplitude in AdS5 × S 5 in the low-energy expansion, dual to an $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 super-Yang-Mills correlator in the ’t Hooft limit at order 1/c 2 in a strong coupling expansion. In the flat space limit, this maps onto the genus-one, four-point scattering amplitude for type II closed strings in ten dimensions. Using this approach we reproduce several results obtained via string perturbation theory. We also demonstrate a novel mechanism to fix subleading terms in the flat space limit of AdS amplitudes by using string/M-theory.