Interpolating Wilson loops and enriched RG flows

Abstract

We study new $1/24$ BPS circular Wilson loops in ABJ(M) theory, which are defined in terms of several parameters that continuously interpolate between previously known $1/6$ BPS loops (both bosonic and fermionic) and $1/2$ BPS fermionic loops. We compute the expectation value of these operators up to second order in perturbation theory using a one-dimensional effective field theory approach. Within dimensional regularization, we find non-trivial $\beta$-functions for the parameters, which are marginally relevant deformations triggering RG flows from a UV fixed point represented by the $1/6$ BPS bosonic loop to an IR fixed point represented by a $1/2$ BPS fermionic loop. Generically, along all flows at least one supercharge of the theory is preserved, so that we refer to them as enriched RG flows. In particular, fixed points are connected through $1/6$ BPS fermionic operators. This holds at framing zero, which is a consequence of the regularization scheme employed. We also establish a g-theorem, relating the expectation values of the Wilson loops corresponding to the UV and IR fixed points of the flow, and discuss the one-dimensional defect SCFT living on the Wilson loop contour.

45 pages, 13 figures. v2: changes in sec 5 and other minor changes

References in corpus (15)

• N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theories, M2-branes and their gravity duals
• Fractional M2-branes
• Notes on SUSY Gauge Theories on Three-Sphere
• Supersymmetric Wilson loops on S^3
• Wilson Loops in Superconformal Chern-Simons Theory and Fundamental Strings in Anti-de Sitter Supergravity Dual
• Supersymmetric Wilson Loops in N=6 Super Chern-Simons-matter theory
• More supersymmetric Wilson loops
• Wilson loops: From four-dimensional SYM to two-dimensional YM
• BPS Wilson loops and Bremsstrahlung function in ABJ(M): a two loop analysis
• 1/2-BPS Wilson Loops and Vortices in ABJM Model
• Phases of Wilson Lines in Conformal Field Theories
• New BPS Wilson loops in $\mathcal{N}\text{= 4}$ circular quiver Chern-Simons-matter theories
• Conformal and non-conformal hyperloop deformations of the 1/2 BPS circle
• Classifying BPS bosonic Wilson loops in 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$ Chern-Simons-matter theories
• Interpolating Boundary Conditions on $Ad{S}_2$

Cited by in corpus (7)

• RG flows on two-dimensional spherical defects
• Wilson-loop One-point Functions in ABJM Theory
• Interpolating Bremsstrahlung function in ABJM
• 1d Conformal Field Theory and Dispersion Relations
• Bootstrap of the defect 1/2 BPS Wilson lines in N=4 Chern-Simons-matter theories
• Framing fermionic Wilson loops in ABJ(M)
• Boundary bound states and integrable Wilson loops in ABJM