Related papers: Continuous symmetry defects and brane/anti-brane s…
We provide a comprehensive overview of the current status of higher-codimension defect systems. We review the holographic description and field theoretic properties of codimension-2 defects within the framework of defect Conformal Field…
A holographic description of chiral symmetry breaking in the pattern of QCD is reviewed. D7 brane probes are used to include quark fields in a simple non-supersymmetric deformation of the AdS/CFT Correspondence. The axial symmetry breaking…
Conformal symmetry is broken in physical QCD; nevertheless, one can use conformal symmetry as a template, systematically correcting for its nonzero $\beta$ function as well as higher-twist effects. For example, commensurate scale relations…
We review a class of integrable, supersymmetric defect conformal field theories which have holographic duals in the form of probe brane models. Our main examples are defect versions of N=4 SYM and ABJM theory, both involving a domain wall…
We present a large and universal class of new boundary states which break part of the chiral symmetry in the underlying bulk theory. Our formulas are based on coset constructions and they can be regarded as a non-abelian generalization of…
We construct supersymmetric K field theories (i.e., theories with a non-standard kinetic term) in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions such that the bosonic sector just consists of a nonstandard kinetic term plus a potential. Further, we study the…
An infinite class of analytic AdS_7 x S^3 solutions has recently been found. The S^3 is distorted into a "crescent roll" shape by the presence of D8-branes. These solutions are conjectured to be dual to a class of "linear quivers", with a…
We examine effective field theories (EFTs) with a continuum sector in the presence of gravity. We first explain, via arguments based on central charge and species scale, that an EFT with a free continuum cannot consistently couple to…
We study the anomalies of two-dimensional BPS defects in six-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ superconformal field theories. Using a holographic description of these defects furnished by probe D4-branes in AdS${}_7$ solutions of…
We review recent progress in the study of line defects in three-dimensional Chern-Simons-matter superconformal field theories, notably the ABJM theory. The first part is focused on kinematical defects supporting a topological sector of the…
We explore the possibilities of breaking conformal symmetry spontaneously by introducing flavour branes into conformal holographic backgrounds in the probe limit. A prototype model of such a mechanism is based on placing D7 - anti-D7…
The study of discrete gauge symmetries in field theory and string theory is often carried out by embedding them into continuous symmetries. Many symmetries however do not seem to admit such embedding, for instance discrete isometries given…
Four-dimensional N=4 super Yang-Mills, with a codimension-one defect breaking half of the supersymmetry, arises as the field theory description of the D3/D5 intersection in the holographic limit. This is one of the earliest, most…
We study a defect conformal field theory describing D3-branes intersecting over two space-time dimensions. This theory admits an exact Lagrangian description which includes both two- and four-dimensional degrees of freedom, has (4,4)…
Gravitational properties of a hedge-hog type topological defect in two extra dimensions are considered in General Relativity employing a vector as the order parameter. The developed macroscopic theory of phase transitions with spontaneous…
We propose and study a new holographic duality between a non-supersymmetric defect conformal field theory (dCFT) and its gravity dual. On the gravity side, the defect is realised by a novel solution of a D5 probe brane embedded in the…
Spontaneous symmetry breaking is a cornerstone of modern physics, defining a wealth of phenomena in condensed-matter and high-energy physics, and beyond. It requires an infinite number of degrees of freedom, and even then, for continuous…
We construct a set of non-rational conformal field theories that consist of deformations of Toda field theory for sl(n). Besides conformal invariance, the theories still enjoy a remnant infinite-dimensional affine symmetry. The case n=3 is…
We compute the holographic entanglement entropy contribution from planar two-dimensional defects in six-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=(2,0)$ superconformal field theory, holographically dual to probe M2- and M5-branes in $AdS_7 \times S^4$. In…
It has recently been conjectured that the AdS_5/SYM_4 correspondence can be generalized away from the conformal limit, to a duality between supergravity on the full asymptotically flat three-brane background and a theory characterized as…