PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Lattice measurements of spatial correlation functions of the operators FF andFF-dual in thermal SU(3) gauge theory have revealed a clear difference betweenthe two channels at "intermediate" distances, x ~ 1/(pi T). This is at oddswith the AdS/CFT limit which predicts the results to coincide. On the otherhand, an OPE analysis at short distances (x << 1/(pi T)) as well as effectivetheory methods at long distances (x >> 1/(pi T)) suggest differences. Here westudy the situation at intermediate distances by determining the time-averagedspatial correlators through a 2-loop computation. We do find unequal results,however the numerical disparity is small. Apart from theoretical issues, afuture comparison of our results with time-averaged lattice measurements mightalso be of phenomenological interest in that understanding the convergence ofthe weak-coupling series at intermediate distances may bear on studies of thethermal broadening of heavy quarkonium resonances.