On the Possibility of Demonstrating Confinement in Non-Supersymmetric Theories by Deforming Confining Supersymmetric Theories

Abstract

We review arguments that supersymmetric QCD with $N$ colors and $N_f \ge 0$ massive quarks confines. We explain that this remains the case for small soft breakings and small supersymmetric masses for any quarks. These results continue to hold at large $N$. We then consider these theories with large soft breakings -- real QCD -- describing the problem in terms of the direct computation of the linear potential between a heavy quark and antiquark. We provide naive arguments that confinement persists, and then give a more general treatment. The features required for the naive arguments are generally believed to hold at large $N$. Extending them to finite $N$ requires only mild assumptions.