1-N EXPANSION IN TWO-DIMENSIONAL LATTICE GAUGE-THEORY

We use the method of orthonormal polynomials to investigate the large N limit of the two-dimensional lattice gauge theory. The 1/N2 and 1/N4 corrections to the vacuum energy and the expectation value of the Wilson loop operator are calculated in the low temperature phase (γ ≡g2 N < 2). These corrections diverge at the transition point. In the high temperature phase we show that there are only corrections which fall exponentially as N becomes large, and hence there are no 1/N corrections in this phase. © 1980 American Institute of Physics.