The a-theorem and conformal symmetry breaking in holographic RG flows
arXiv:1207.0006 · doi:10.1007/JHEP03(2013)063
Abstract
We study holographic models describing an RG flow between two fixed points driven by a relevant scalar operator. We show how to introduce a spurion field to restore Weyl invariance and compute the anomalous contribution to the generating functional in even dimensional theories. We find that the coefficient of the anomalous term is proportional to the difference of the conformal anomalies of the UV and IR fixed points, as expected from anomaly matching arguments in field theory. For any even dimensions the coefficient is positive as implied by the holographic a-theorem. For flows corresponding to spontaneous breaking of conformal invariance, we also compute the two-point functions of the energy-momentum tensor and the scalar operator and identify the dilaton mode. Surprisingly we find that in the simplest models with just one scalar field there is no dilaton pole in the two-point function of the scalar operator but a stronger singularity. We discuss the possible implications.
50 pages. v2: minor changes, added references, extended discussion. v3: we have clarified some of the calculations and assumptions, results unchanged. v4: published version in JHEP
References in corpus (12)
- Minkowski-space correlators in AdS/CFT correspondence: recipe and applications
- Holographic c-theorems in arbitrary dimensions
- Seeing a c-theorem with holography
- Hidden supersymmetry of domain walls and cosmologies
- Spontaneous Breaking of Conformal Invariance and Trace Anomaly Matching
- Deconstructing holographic liquids
- Gauge/Gravity Duality and Warped Resolved Conifold
- Hamilton-Jacobi method for Domain Walls and Cosmologies
- Algebraic Classification of Weyl Anomalies in Arbitrary Dimensions
- The CFT-interpolating Black Hole in Three Dimensions
- Limit Cycles in Four Dimensions
- Baryonic branches and resolutions of Ricci-flat Kahler cones