Janus Configurations, Chern-Simons Couplings, And The Theta-Angle in N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory

TL;DR

This paper extends the Janus configuration in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory to include spatially varying theta-angles and gauge couplings, revealing connections to new 3D Chern-Simons theories with N=4 supersymmetry.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized Janus setup with variable theta-angle and links it to novel three-dimensional N=4 Chern-Simons theories and D3-NS5 systems with a theta-angle.

Findings

Existence of generalized Janus configurations with variable theta-angle.

Discovery of new 3D N=4 Chern-Simons theories.

Insights into D3-NS5 systems with a theta-angle.

Abstract

We generalize the half-BPS Janus configuration of four-dimensional N=4 super Yang-Mills theory to allow the theta-angle, as well as the gauge coupling, to vary with position. We show that the existence of this generalization is closely related to the existence of novel three-dimensional Chern-Simons theories with N=4 supersymmetry. Another closely related problem, which we also elucidate, is the D3-NS5 system in the presence of a four-dimensional theta-angle.