In this introductory review we discuss dynamical tests of the AdS_5 x S^5 string/N=4 super Yang-Mills duality. After a brief introduction to AdS/CFT we argue that semiclassical string energies yield information on the quantum spectrum of the string in the
degeneratedstringcon guration.
πt=κτρ=0γ=
˙ t=√
=
=√√2π˙=coshρt222π√2˙1 φ
˙2 φ˙1=sinγcosψφ√J:=J1+J2.2π˙2=0,sin2γsin2ψφ
HenceclassicallyE=J.Onemaynowconsiderquantum uctuationsaroundthisµsolution,i.e.Xµ=Xsolution(τ)+1
λ
E=√√
λheld xed.Thislimitofalargequantum
numbersuppressesallthehigherloopcontributionsbeyondone-loop,i.e.
E J=E2(κ)+1 J→∞E4(κ)+... →E2(κ).J(9)
Hencethequadraticapproximationbecomesexact!Thisquadratic uctuationac-tion(includingthefermions)isnothingbuttheIIBsuperstringinaplanewavebackground
[6],whicharisesfromtheAdS5×S5geometrythroughaso-calledPen-roselimit(see[29,30]forthisconstruction).Thequantizationofthisstringmodel