Volume 99B, number 1 PHYSICS LETTERS 5 February 1981

THE 1IN EXPANSION

Andrew STROMINGER 1
Institute for TheoreticalPhysics, Universityof California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA

Received 13 October 1980

The validity of the 1/N expansion in field theory is questioned from the point of view of graph counting. A simple an-
satz for the value of each graph in the QCD perturbation series makes it possible to estimate the sum with graph counting
techniques. It is found that the 1IN approximations are more accurate than might have been expected due to the emergence
of a new expansion parameter associated with the graph topology. However, essential non-perturbative features are missed
in any order of the expansion.

The 1IN expansion ,1,2, as used in field theories
with SO(N) or SU(N) symmetries, consists o f group-
ing graphs according to suppression factors o f 1IN. To
first order, the approximation consists of retaining
only those graphs with the lowest power of 1IN. For
most sufficiently complex theories this is a very small
subset o f the complete set of graphs. I show that the
graphs o f higher orders in 1/Nare so much more numer-
ous that, no matter how large N becomes and dispite
their suppression factors, one cannot immediately con-
clude that they can be neglected. The validity o f the 1IN
approximation as an expansion in a small parameter is
therefore not obvious. It depends on the detailed na-
ture of the series in question. However, one can easily
find mechanisms that retain the validity o f the approxi-
mation. I construct a numerical series that has some
elementary features in c o m m o n with the perturbation
series for an S U ( N ) gauge theory. In particular, the
number o f leading terms in 1/N is small, and the extra
factors of 1/N in higher orders are unable to beat out
the increase in the number o f terms for those orders.
When the series is summed, however, it is found that
the 1IN approximation is very good - even when N
is not large. This is due to the emergence of a new
parameter associated with the graph topology. The
summed series has nonperturbative behavior that can-
not be seen in the 1IN expansion. It is conjectured
that these features may occur for the QCD perturba-
tion series as well.
We first dicuss the 1/N expansion from the point
of view o f graph counting. As an example, consider
QCD with N colors, an SU(N) gauge group and no
quarks, although our considerations apply more gener-
ally to any theory in which the fields are in the rotor
(adjoint) representation. In the notation o f 't Hooft
[1 ] the gluon propagators are drawn as two line (see fig.
1) that each carry color or anticolor. The fact that the
interaction is a color singlet means that color lines do
not begin or end at vertices. In order that the 1/N lim-
it may be defined, the coupling constant is chosen to
9 q ~

i Permanent address: Department of Physics, Massachusetts

Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
:~1 The large N limit of two dimensional QCD is discussed in
ref. [1 ]. g g
,2 The large N limit of the h4~4 vector model is investigated in -/-ff ,/-g ,N ,,N
ref. [2]. For excellent reviews of the large N expansion,
see ref. [3]. Fig. 1. Planar graphs.

45
Volume 99B, number 1 PHYSICS LETTERS
g g
Fig. 2. A nonplanar graph.
be g/x/N. The graphs o f lowest order in 1/N turn out
to be those where no color lines cross (see fig. 1).
Since there is a factor of N that comes from summing
over the internal color loop, these graphs are both
O(1) in I/N, although they are different order in g. A
"non-planar" graph such as fig. 2 is suppressed by a
factor o f 1/N 2 because it has only one convoluted
loop. A general graph can be drawn with no propaga-
tors crossing on a surface of genus (number o f han-
dles) H. The genus of a graph means the minimum
genus o f a surface on which the graph can be drawn
with non-intersecting propagators. A graph o f genus
H is suppressed by a factor o f ( 1 / N 2)H. This is often
used to conclude (or suggest the ansatz) that as N
gets large only planar (genus 0) graphs remain.
It has been shown + 3 that the number of ruth order
planar diagrams, for any Green's function, is bounded
from above by K m. K here is a large constant, and rn
is the order o f the interaction. This is a very slow
growth rate. When we go from order m to m + 1, the
number o f graphs increases only b y a constant factor,
regardless of the value of m. I show later that the num-
ber o f genus 1 graphs of order m goes as m2K m-2.
The weighted ratio o f genus 1 to genus 0 graphs is
thus
~enusO ~ Km - NK2- -+ O, as m ~ oo.
genus 1 (m2 /N2)Km-2 m finite statements about its nature are difficult to make.
This situation is depicted in fig. 3. In using the 1IN
approximation to describe QCD, we are extrapolating
from region I (planar dominance) to region II (non-
planar dominance). Additionally Riemann's theorem
tells us that by rearrangement of the terms any series
that is not absolutely convergent (which perturbation
+3 The problem of graph counting was essentially solved in
ref. [4]. It was done for field theories in the rotor represen-
tation in ref. [5 ] and later very elegantly in ref. [6].
46
5 February 1981
m=mj ~ ~
o >
o N
Fig. 3. m is the number of orders of the interaction included,
and N is the order of the invariance group. In region I the non-
planar diagrams outweigh the planar ones, and vice-versa in
region II. The asterisk represents QCD.
theory certainly is not) can be rearranged to converge
to an arbitrary value. It is thus not obvious that the
1/N expansion is good even for large finite N * 4.
It is instructive at this point to make a comparison
with QED. Since the number of graphs of order a m
grows like m m, by these arguments we should turn off
our computers after we have calculated the first 137
orders, at which point the graphs become so numerous
as to outweigh the extra factors of a. However, in the
1IN expansion this occurs at the first order and we
should not even plug in the computer.
The 1/N approximations appear to be extremely
good in some cases, so we expect that this objection
does not apply. A suspicious assumption I have m a d e
is that a large number o f order m genus H graphs im-
plies a large term of order H in the 1IN expansion. In
fact if we assume that the order H term is obtained by
summing a non-convergent series, the converse can be
true. In this case a large asymptotic value o f the terms
o f this series suggests that the final sum may be small,
as can be seen for instance in the Borel expansion
oo
1 - ~ (-x) n , for large positive x .
1 +x n=0
Since even the leading term for the 1/N expansion
o f SU(N) gauge theories has not yet been found, de-
However, consideration of simpler series can elucidate
some features. In the following, such a series is solved
and discussed.
We construct an example of a simple series that
retains some features of the SU(N) perturbation series.
+4 Similar conclusions concerning the non-trivial nature of the
planar approximation are reached using functional methods
in ref. [7].
Volume 99B, number 1 PHYSICS LETTERS 5 February 1981

ANAR APPROXIMATION
A crude but qualitatively correct estimate of the num- r'f', '
ber o f graphs with fixed m and H is derived. We then
assign to each graph a value o f g m N - 2 H , sum the series
and show that the vlanar approximation is the large N
limit.
We first derive an approximate expression for NH,m,
the number o f graphs with m vertices and genus H.
For large rn, and neglecting special symmetries, almost >
0 I 2 3 4 ,5 6 7 H
every genus 1 graph o f order rn + 2 can be uniquely ob-
tained from a planar graph b y the addition o f one prop- Fig. 4. All graphs have values ofm (order of the interaction),
agator and two vertices. Since the number o f propaga- H (genus) above the diagonal. Each column represents one
tors in the genus 0 graph is proportional to the num- term in the 1/N expansion.
ber of vertices it contains, there are about m(rn - 1)/2
m(m - 1) ways of attaching the additional propaga- that the 2 in [(m - 2//)!] - I is crucial; without it there
tor. The constant factors neglected here do not quali- would only be (constant) m graphs o f order m.
tatively affect the final answer. Hence We now weight each graph according to its order m
and genus H. The weighted contribution is * s :
Nm+2,1 = rn(m - 1)Nm, 0 = m ( m - 1)K m . _ 1 m!
WH,m X-2-Hgm(m - 214)! H! K m - z H '
Similarly

Nm+4, 2 = (m + 2)(m + 1)(2!)-1Nm+2,1 for m ~> 2 H . (2)

= (m + 2)(rn + 1)(m)(m - 1 ) ( 2 ! ) - l K m , To generate the 1/N expansion we perform a formal

summation over m obtaining:
where the ( 2 ! ) - l c o m e s from the fact that each genus 2
m!
graph is produced 2! ways by this construction. Con- WH - 1 ~ gm (m 2H)! K m - z H (3)
N 2 H H ! m =2H
tinuing,

(m + 2 H - 2)! K m (m + 2H)! = (gK)m rn!g!

Nm +2H,H = ( m ~ 2) V~-l~. -- ~ H! m! ' m=0

for large m ,
1 - g k H!
so
e - 2g/N(1 - gK),
m! H!Km_2H f o r m ~> 2 H
Nm'H = (m - 2H)! ' '
e is a small expansion parameter (for g = 1, N = 3, e 2
Nm, H = 0 , m <2H. (1) < 0.01). The series in H is asymptotic and is not well
defined for all values o f g and N. To define the sum,
The truncation o f N for 2 H > m (see fig. 4) is due to we look for an integral expression for W --=Z~= 0 WH.
the fact that for a given m, there is an upper limit to We notice
the genus o f the graph. It must be less than the num-
ber o f propagators and H < m / 2 seems reasonable. e-tdt f dte-t(l_at+~_T3(at)2_...)
Our series gives about the right total number o f graphs, f(1 + 2at) 1/2'- 0
0
i.e.
m/2 (2H)!, ',~H
= ~--0 H!-t-~-~ •
Nm,H = O( mm ) ,
H=0 4:5 We could assume a random distribution of signs and say
that WmH grows like Nx/'NmHmH.Again, this would not qua-
which is the case for SU(N) gauge theories. Notice litively affect the final answer.

47
Volume 99B, number 1 PHYSICS LETTERS
Making the identification - a = ~e 2 , we obtain the def-
inition
1 fo dte-t
W= 1 -gK (1 - e2t) 1/2 (4a)
_ i x~_ e_l/e2 erfc(_i/e) (4b)
e(1 - g K )
_~ i ~/Tr e_l/e2
1-gK e g---~ oo
41_gKe
1 2 e - l/e2
0
? eX2 dx (4c)
Expression (a) has a branch point at e = 0. Expression
(c) defines which branch we choose. One sees clearly
here how an imaginary term (possibly signalling in-
stantons or vacuum instability) can arise in the full
summation of perturbation series.
We now see why the series in H (the 1/N expansion)
is not well defined for real e, even in the Borel sense.
In expanding the QCD functional integral in powers of
g to obtain the set of vacuum graphs we may be ex-
panding around a branch point. So we do not necessar-
ily expect a well defined series.
Nevertheless, the 1IN expansion still provides a very
good approximation to the integral form for 14/. For e
small the branch point in the integrand gets pushed off
to infinite t and the imaginary part of W goes to zero.
The e -+ 0 limit of W is exactly (1 - gK) -1, the planar
term. However, we have seen there are essential non-
perturbative features of W that are missed entirely in
the 1IN expansion.
Further, and somewhat surprisingly we notice the
emergence of a new expansion parameter, 1/K, or
more precisely
[2g/N(1 - gK) ] 2 ~ (2INK)2.
Inspection of eq. (3) reveals that the second order
term is down by a factor of (2gZ/N2)(1 - g K ) -2 rel-
ative to the first. Thus it does not matter i f g is large
and N is not large. For SU(N) gauge theories K is at
least 10 [ 4 - 6 ] . K is determined by the asymptotic
behavior of the number of planar graphs, and is a
topological characteristic of the graph theory.
Indeed, unexpected accuracy of the 1IN approxi-
48
5 February 1981
mation has been observed in many instances. The
p-co mass difference is zero in the planar approxima-
tion, and the corrections are naively expected to be of
order 1IN 2 = 1/9 [2,3]. Experimentally the mass differ-
ence is less than 1%. For a more quantitative example,
the large g limit of the ground state energy of the
U(N) invariant matrix anharmonic oscillator has been
calculated by Brezin and Parisi [8]. They find
lira E(N, g) = N2g1/30.58993
× [1 + 0.1179/N 2 + 0.0064/N 4 + O(1/N6)] ,
E(1, g) = gl/30.6633, (5)
whereas the exact answer for N = 1 is known numeri-
cally to be E(1, g) = 0.6679. The coefficients in eq.
(5) show that the 1IN expansion is good even at N = 1.
The series we have summed has similar structure to
the sum of graphs for QCD. It is reasonable to conjec-
ture that a final perturbative solution of QCD will re-
tain the feature of our model that the real expansion
parameter is not 1/N = 7,1 but 1/K2N 2 ~ 10 -3, and
that 1/K 2 in QCD wiil be analogous to 1/4rr in QED.
I would like to tlmnk Sidney Coleman, Roman
Jackiw, Joe Lykken, Nick Manton, Paolo Rossi, and
Rhys Scott for numerous and invaluable suggestions
and criticisms. This material is based upon work sup-
ported by the National Science Foundation under
Grant No. PHY-7727084 and US Department of Ener-
gy (DOE) Contract No. EY-76-C-02-3069.
References
[1] G. 't Hooft, Nucl. Phys. B72 (1974) 461.
[2] S. Coleman, R. Jackiw and H.D. Politzer, Phys. Rev. D10
(1974) 2491.
[3] E. Witten, Baryons in thel/Nexpansion, ICTP Trieste
Summer Workshop (1979);
S. Coleman, 1/N, SLAC-PUB-2484 (March 1980).
[4] W.T. Tutte, Can. J. Math. 4 (1962) 21.
[5] J. Koplik, A. Neveu and S. Nussinov, Nucl. Phys. B123
(1977) 109.
[6] E. Brezin, C. Itzykson, G. Parisi and J.B. Zuber, Commun.
Math. Phys. 59 (19278) 35.
[7] C. Itzykson and J.B. Zuber, J. Math. Phys. 21 (1980) 411.
[8] E. Brezin, private communication.