Gravitating spinning strings in AdS3

Abstract In the AdS/CFT correspondence, single trace operators of large-N gauge theories at large spin J can be described by classical spinning strings, giving a geometric and classical description of their spectrum at strong coupling. We observe that in AdS3 these strings have significant gravitational back-reaction at sufficiently large spin, since the gravitational force does not decay at long distances. We construct solutions for folded spinning strings coupled to gravity in AdS3 and compute their spectrum, corresponding to the leading Regge trajectory of Virasroro primary operators. These solutions exist only below a maximal spin J < J max, and as J → J max the solution approaches an extremal rotating BTZ black hole.