Flavor brane on the baryonic branch of moduli space

We study an extra flavor in the cascading SU((k+1)M)xSU(k M) gauge theory by adding probe D7-brane to the geometry. By finding a solution to the kappa-symmetry equation we establish that the D7-brane is mutually supersymmetric with the background everywhere on the baryonic branch of moduli space. We also discuss possible applications of this result.Comment: 15 pages; v2 typo corrected, references adde

Integrable twists in AdS/CFT

A class of marginal deformations of four-dimensional N=4 super Yang-Mills theory has been found to correspond to a set of smooth, multiparameter deformations of the S^5 target subspace in the holographic dual on AdS_5 x S^5. We present here an analogous set of deformations that act on global toroidal isometries in the AdS_5 subspace. Remarkably, certain sectors of the string theory remain classically integrable in this larger class of so-called gamma-deformed AdS_5 x S^5 backgrounds. Relying on studies of deformed su(2)_gamma models, we formulate a local sl(2)_gamma Lax representation that admits a classical, thermodynamic Bethe equation (based on the Riemann-Hilbert interpretation of Bethe's ansatz) encoding the spectrum in the deformed AdS_5 geometry. This result is extended to a set of discretized, asymptotic Bethe equations for the twisted string theory. Near-pp-wave energy spectra within sl(2)_gamma and su(2)_gamma sectors provide a useful and stringent test of such equations, demonstrating the reliability of this technology in a wider class of string backgrounds. In addition, we study a twisted Hubbard model that yields certain predictions of the dual beta-deformed gauge theory.Comment: v2: references and clarifications added, 46 page

Attractive Holographic Baryons

We propose a holographic model of baryon interactions based on non-supersymmetric D7-anti-D7 flavor branes embedded in the Klebanov-Strassler background. The baryons are D3-branes wrapping the 3-sphere of the conifold with M strings connecting the D3 and the flavor branes. Depending on the location of the latter there are two possibilities: the D3 either remains separate from the flavor branes or dissolves in them and becomes a flavor instanton. The leading order interaction between the baryons is a competition between the attraction and the repulsion due to the sigma and omega mesons. The lightest 0++ particle sigma is a pseudo-Goldstone boson associated with the spontaneous breaking of scale invariance. In a certain range of parameters it is parametrically lighter than any other massive state. As a result at large distances baryons attract each other. At short distances the potential admits a repulsive core due to an exchange of the omega vector meson. We discuss baryon coupling to glueballs, massive mesons and pions and point out the condition for the model to have a small binding energy.Comment: 36 pages, 4 figure

Wilson Loops in Superconformal Chern-Simons Theory and Fundamental Strings in Anti-de Sitter Supergravity Dual

We study Wilson loop operators in three-dimensional, N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory dual to IIA superstring theory on AdS4 x CP3. Novelty of Wilson loop operators in this theory is that, for a given contour, there are two linear combinations of Wilson loop transforming oppositely under time-reversal transformation. We show that one combination is holographically dual to IIA fundamental string, while orthogonal combination is set to zero. We gather supporting evidences from detailed comparative study of generalized time-reversal transformations in both D2-brane worldvolume and ABJM theories. We then classify supersymmetric Wilson loops and find at most 1/6-supersymmetry. We next study Wilson loop expectation value in planar perturbation theory. For circular Wilson loop, we find features remarkably parallel to circular Wilson loop in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions. First, all odd loop diagrams vanish identically and even loops contribute nontrivial contributions. Second, quantum corrected gauge and scalar propagators take the same form as those of N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. Combining these results, we propose that expectation value of circular Wilson loop is given by Wilson loop expectation value in pure Chern-Simons theory times zero-dimensional Gaussian matrix model whose variance is specified by an interpolating function of `t Hooft coupling. We suggest the function interpolates smoothly between weak and strong coupling regime, offering new test ground of the AdS/CFT correspondence.Comment: v1. 34 pages, 11 figures: v2. major revision, all loop proof added 42 pages, 11 figure

Chiral Symmetry Breaking and External Fields in the Kuperstein-Sonnenschein Model

A novel holographic model of chiral symmetry breaking has been proposed by Kuperstein and Sonnenschein by embedding non-supersymmetric probe D7 and anti-D7 branes in the Klebanov-Witten background. We study the dynamics of the probe flavours in this model in the presence of finite temperature and a constant electromagnetic field. In keeping with the weakly coupled field theory intuition, we find the magnetic field promotes spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry whereas the electric field restores it. The former effect is universally known as the "magnetic catalysis" in chiral symmetry breaking. In the presence of an electric field such a condensation is inhibited and a current flows. Thus we are faced with a steady-state situation rather than a system in equilibrium. We conjecture a definition of thermodynamic free energy for this steady-state phase and using this proposal we study the detailed phase structure when both electric and magnetic fields are present in two representative configurations: mutually perpendicular and parallel.Comment: 50 pages, multiple figures, minor typo fixed, references adde

Back-reaction of Non-supersymmetric Probes: Phase Transition and Stability

We consider back-reaction by non-supersymmetric D7/anti-D7 probe branes in the Kuperstein-Sonnenschein model at finite temperature. Using the smearing technique, we obtain an analytical solution for the back-reacted background to leading order in N_f/N_c. This back-reaction explicitly breaks the conformal invariance and introduces a dimension 6 operator in the dual field theory which is an irrelevant deformation of the original conformal field theory. We further probe this back-reacted background by introducing an additional set of probe brane/anti-brane. This additional probe sector undergoes a chiral phase transition at finite temperature, which is absent when the back-reaction vanishes. We investigate the corresponding phase diagram and the thermodynamics associated with this phase transition. We also argue that additional probes do not suffer from any instability caused by the back-reaction, which suggests that this system is stable beyond the probe limit.Comment: 56 pages, 8 figures. References updated, improved discussion on dimension eight operato

Assessing a candidate IIA dual to metastable supersymmetry-breaking

We analyze the space of linearized non-supersymmetric deformations around a IIA solution found by Cvetic, Gibbons, Lu and Pope (CGLP) in hep-th/0101096. We impose boundary conditions aimed at singling out among those perturbations those describing the backreaction of anti-D2 branes on the CGLP background. The corresponding supergravity solution is a would-be dual to a metastable supersymmetry-breaking state. However, it turns out that this candidate bulk solution is inevitably riddled with IR divergences of its flux densities and action, whose physical meaning and implications for models of string cosmology call for further investigation.Comment: 33 pages. v2: reference added, clarifications in the introductio

A-D-E Quivers and Baryonic Operators

We study baryonic operators of the gauge theory on multiple D3-branes at the tip of the conifold orbifolded by a discrete subgroup Gamma of SU(2). The string theory analysis predicts that the number and the order of the fixed points of Gamma acting on S^2 are directly reflected in the spectrum of baryonic operators on the corresponding quiver gauge theory constructed from two Dynkin diagrams of the corresponding type. We confirm the prediction by developing techniques to enumerate baryonic operators of the quiver gauge theory which includes the gauge groups with different ranks. We also find that the Seiberg dualities act on the baryonic operators in a non-Abelian fashion.Comment: 46 pages, 17 figures; v2: minor corrections, note added in section 1, references adde

Double-helix Wilson loops: case of two angular momenta

Recently, Wilson loops with the shape of a double helix have played an important role in studying large spin operators in gauge theories. They correspond to a quark and an anti-quark moving in circles on an S3 (and therefore each of them describes a helix in RxS3). In this paper we consider the case where the particles have two angular momenta on the S3. The string solution corresponding to such Wilson loop can be found using the relation to the Neumann-Rosochatius system allowing the computation of the energy and angular momenta of the configuration. The particular case of only one angular momentum is also considered. It can be thought as an analytic continuation of the rotating strings which are dual to operators in the SL(2) sector of N=4 SYM.Comment: 30 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX. v2: Small corrections, reference adde

D-branes Wrapped on Fuzzy del Pezzo Surfaces

We construct classical solutions in quiver gauge theories on D0-branes probing toric del Pezzo singularities in Calabi-Yau manifolds. Our solutions represent D4-branes wrapped around fuzzy del Pezzo surfaces. We study the fluctuation spectrum around the fuzzy CP^2 solution in detail. We also comment on possible applications of our fuzzy del Pezzo surfaces to the fuzzy version of F-theory, dubbed F(uzz) theory.Comment: 1+42 pages, 9 figures v2: references added v3: statements on the structure of the Yukawa couplings weakened. published versio