On marginal deformations and non-integrability

Abstract

We study the interplay between a particular marginal deformation of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory, the β deformation, and integrability in the holographic setting. Using modern methods of analytic non-integrability of Hamiltonian systems, we find that, when the β parameter takes imaginary values, classical string trajectories on the dual background become non-integrable. We expect the same to be true for generic complex β parameter. By exhibiting the Poincar´e sections and phase space trajectories for the generic complex β case, we provide numerical evidence of strong sensitivity to initial conditions. Our findings agree with expectations from weak coupling that the complex β deformation is non-integrable and provide a rigorous argument beyond the trial and error approach to non-integrability.