Branes for Higgs phases and exact conformal field theories

We consider multicenter supergravity solutions corresponding to Higgs phases of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories with Z_N symmetric vacua. In certain energy regimes, we find a description in terms of a generalized wormhole solution that corresponds to the SL(2,R)/U(1) \times SU(2)/U(1) exact conformal field theory. We show that U-dualities map these backgrounds to purely gravitational ones and comment on the relation to the black holes arising from intersecting D1 and D5 branes. We also discuss supersymmetric properties of the various solutions and the relation to 2-dim solitons, on flat space, of the reduced axion-dilaton-gravity equations. Finally, we address the problem of understanding other supergravity solutions from the multicenter ones. As prototype examples we use rotating D3 branes and NS5 and D5 branes associated to non-Abelian duals of 4-dim hyper-Kahler metrics with SO(3) isometry.Comment: 14 pages, latex; v2: a few typos corrected and a reference added. Version to appear in JHE

Stability issues with baryons in AdS/CFT

We consider baryon vertices within the gauge/gravity correspondence for a class of curved backgrounds. The holographic description based on the N=4 SYM theory for SU(N) allows classical solutions representing bound states of k-quarks with k less than or equal to N. We construct the corresponding classical configurations and perform a stability analysis. We present the details for the theory at the conformal point and at finite temperature and show that there is a critical value of k, below which there is instability. This may also arise when the baryon reaches a critical size. We also extend our treatment to magnetically charged baryon vertices.Comment: v1: 22 Pages, 4 figures; v2: A reference corrected and a reference adde

PP-waves from rotating and continuously distributed D3-branes

We study families of PP-wave solutions of type-IIB supergravity that have (light-cone) time dependent metrics and RR five-form fluxes. They arise as Penrose limits of supergravity solutions that correspond to rotating or continuous distributions of D3-branes. In general, the solutions preserve sixteen supersymmetries. On the dual field theory side these backgrounds describe the BMN limit of N=4 SYM when some scalars in the field theory have non-vanishing expectation values. We study the perturbative string spectrum and in several cases we are able to determine it exactly for the bosons as well as for the fermions. We find that there are special states for particular values of the light-cone constant P_+.Comment: 23 pages, Latex. v2: a few extra remarks and aesthetic changes, version to appear in JHE

String effects and field theory puzzles with supersymmetry

We investigate field theory puzzles occuring in the interplay between supersymmetry and duality in the presense of rotational isometries (also known as non-triholomorphic in hyper-Kahler geometry). We show that T-duality is always compatible with supersymmetry, provided that non-local world-sheet effects are properly taken into account. The underlying superconformal algebra remains the same, and T-duality simply relates local with non-local realizations of it. The non-local realizations have a natural description using parafermion variables of the corresponding conformal field theory. We also comment on the relevance of these ideas to a possible resolution of long standing problems in the quantum theory of black holes.Comment: 16 pages, Latex; contribution to the proceedings of the 5th Hellenic school and workshops on elementary particle physics, Corfu, 3-24 September 199

Toda fields of SO(3) hyper-Kahler metrics and free field realizations

The Eguchi-Hanson, Taub-NUT and Atiyah-Hitchin metrics are the only complete non-singular SO(3)-invariant hyper-Kahler metrics in four dimensions. The presence of a rotational SO(2) isometry allows for their unified treatment based on solutions of the 3-dim continual Toda equation. We determine the Toda potential in each case and examine the free field realization of the corresponding solutions, using infinite power series expansions. The Atiyah-Hitchin metric exhibits some unusual features attributed to topological properties of the group of area preserving diffeomorphisms. The construction of a descending series of SO(2)-invariant 4-dim regular hyper-Kahler metrics remains an interesting question.Comment: A few typos have been corrected; final versio

Poisson-Lie T-Duality beyond the classical level and the renormalization group

In order to study quantum aspects of \s-models related by Poisson--Lie T-duality, we construct three- and two-dimensional models that correspond, in one of the dual faces, to deformations of $S^3$ and $S^2$. Their classical canonical equivalence is demonstrated by means of a generating functional, which we explicitly compute. We examine how they behave under the renormalization group and show that dually related models have the same 1-loop beta functions for the coupling and deformation parameters. We find non-trivial fixed points in the ultraviolet, where the theories do not become asymptotically free. This suggests that the limit of Poisson--Lie T-duality to the usual Abelian and non-Abelian T-dualities does not exist quantum mechanically, although it does so classically.Comment: 13 pages, latex; v2: references and a note are added. Version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Novel all loop actions of interacting CFTs: Construction, integrability and RG flows

We construct the all loop effective action representing, for small couplings, simultaneously self and mutually interacting current algebra CFTs realized by WZW models. This non-trivially generalizes our previous works where such interactions were, at the linear level, not simultaneously present. For the two coupling case we prove integrability and calculate the coupled RG flow equations. We also consider non-Abelian T-duality type limits. Our models provide concrete realisations of integrable flows between exact CFTs and exhibit several new features which we discuss in detail.Comment: 33 pages, 4 figures, typos corrected in version 2, version published in Nucl. Phys.

Generalized Duality and Singular Strings in Higher Dimensions

Deformations of gauged WZW actions are constructed for any pair $(G,H)$ by taking different embeddings of the gauge group $H\subset G$ as it acts on the left and right of the group element $g$. This leads to models that are dual to each other, generalizing the axial/vector duality of the two dimensional black hole manifold. The classical equations are completely solved for any pair $(G,H)$ and in particular for the anti de Sitter string based on $SO(d- 1,2)/SO(d-1,1)$ for which the normal modes are determined. Duality is demonstrated for models that have the same set of normal modes. Concentrating on $SO(2,2)/SO(2,1)$, the metric and dilaton fields of the $d=3$ string as well as some of the dual generalizations are obtained. They have curvature singularities and represent new singular solutions of Einstein's general relativity in three dimensions.Comment: 17 page

Integrable flows between exact CFTs

We explicitly construct families of integrable $\sigma$-model actions smoothly interpolating between exact CFTs. In the ultraviolet the theory is the direct product of two current algebras at levels $k_1$ and $k_2$. In the infrared and for the case of two deformation matrices the CFT involves a coset CFT, whereas for a single matrix deformation it is given by the ultraviolet direct product theories but at levels $k_1$ and $k_2-k_1$. For isotropic deformations we demonstrate integrability. In this case we also compute the exact beta-function for the deformation parameters using gravitational methods. This is shown to coincide with previous results obtained using perturbation theory and non-perturbative symmetries.Comment: 1+27 pages, text improvements, version published in JHE