The spatial string tension in the deconfined phase of SU(N) gauge theory and gauge/string duality

The spatial string tension of an SU(N) gauge theory without quarks is calculated using gauge/string duality for 1.2Tc⩽T⩽3Tc. The result is remarkably consistent with the available lattice data for N=2,3. Some evidence is found that to leading order the large distance physics of a string can be described by a five-dimensional geometry without a need for an internal space.