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In this paper we present a beautifully consistent web of evidence for the existence of interacting 4d rank-1 $\mathcal{N}=2$ SCFTs obtained from gauging discrete subgroups of global symmetries of other existing 4d rank-1 $\mathcal{N}=2$…

We study 2d $SU(N)$ QCD with an adjoint Dirac fermion. Assuming that the IR limit of the massless theory is captured by a WZW coset CFT, we show that this CFT can be decomposed into a sum of distinct CFTs, each representing a superselection…

M5 branes probing D-type singularities give rise to 6d (1,0) SCFTs with $SO \times SO$ flavor symmetry known as D-type conformal matter theories. Gauging the diagonal $SO$-flavor symmetry leads to a little string theory with an intrinsic…

Wilson loops are calculated within the AdS/CFT correspondence by finding a classical solution to the string equations of motion in AdS_5 x S^5 and evaluating its action. An important fact is that this sigma-model used to evaluate the Wilson…

We investigate gauge/gravity duality for gauge theories in de Sitter space. More precisely, we study a five-dimensional consistent truncation of type IIB supergravity, which encompasses a wide variety of gravity duals of strongly coupled…

We study twisted circle compactification of 6d $(2,0)$ SCFTs to 5d $\mathcal{N} = 2$ supersymmetric gauge theories with non-simply-laced gauge groups. We provide two complementary approaches towards the BPS partition functions, reflecting…

We study the central charges and levels of 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ superconformal field theories that are dual to four- and five-dimensional BPS black holes in compactifications of type IIB string theory on a K3 surface. They arise from…

It has been shown that the non-Abelian vortex string in 4D $\mathcal{N}=2$ SQCD with the U(2) gauge group and $N_f=4$ flavors becomes a critical superstring. Its 10D target space is a product of the flat 4D space and an internal noncompact…

We revisit the symmetries of massless two-dimensional adjoint QCD with gauge group $SU(N)$. The dynamics is not sufficiently constrained by the ordinary symmetries and anomalies. Here we show that the theory in fact admits $\sim 2^{2N}$…

Compactification of Type IIB superstring on an $AdS_5 \times S^5/\Gamma$ background leads to SU(N) gauge field theories with prescribed matter representations. In the 't Hooft limit of large N such theories are conformally finite. For…

We explore 6d (1,0) superconformal field theories with SU(3) and SU(2) gauge symmetries which cascade after Higgsing to the E-string theory on a single M5 near an $E_8$ wall. Specifically, we study the 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ gauge theories…

This talk begins with some history and basic facts about string theory and its connections with strong interactions. Comparisons of stacks of Dirichlet branes with curved backgrounds produced by them are used to motivate the AdS/CFT…

We construct multiple embeddings of all solutions of $d=5$ minimal (un)gauged supergravity into massive Type IIA supergravity. The internal spaces and warpings of such embeddings are the same as those of the $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric…

We study the SU(3)-invariant relevant deformation of D=4 N=4 SU(N) gauge theory at large N using the AdS/CFT correspondence. At low energies, we obtain a nonsupersymmetric gauge theory with three left-handed quarks in the adjoint of SU(N).…

We study holographic RG flow solutions within four-dimensional $N=4$ gauged supergravity obtained from type IIA and IIB string theories compactified on $T^6/\mathbb{Z}_2\times \mathbb{Z}_2$ orbifold with gauge, geometric and non-geometric…

This is a set of lectures on the gauge/string duality and non-critical strings, with a particular emphasis on the discretized, or matrix model, approach. After a general discussion of various points of view, I describe the recent…

We investigate dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in vector-like gauge theories in $D$ dimensions with ($D-4$) compactified extra dimensions, based on the gap equation (Schwinger-Dyson equation) and the effective potential for the bulk…

We propose a graph-based approach to 5d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) based on their realization as M-theory compactifications on singular elliptic Calabi--Yau threefolds. Field-theoretically, these 5d SCFTs descend from 6d…

We consider pure SU(N) gauge theories defined on an orbifold lattice, analogous to the S^1/Z_2 gauge theory orbifolds of the continuum, which according to the perturbative analysis do not have a Higgs phase. Non-perturbatively the…

We study the null dipole deformation of N=4 super Yang-Mills theory, which is an example of a potentially solvable "dipole CFT": a theory that is non-local along a null direction, has non-relativistic conformal invariance along the…