Superconformal Chern-Simons Theories and AdS_4/CFT_3 Correspondence

TL;DR

This paper explores superconformal Chern-Simons theories with various supersymmetries, demonstrating their symmetries, dualities to M-theory backgrounds, and the effects of mass deformations, advancing understanding of AdS_4/CFT_3 correspondence.

Contribution

It provides a detailed N=2 superspace formulation of superconformal theories, proves SU(4) R-symmetry in ABJM, and proposes dualities with specific M-theory backgrounds.

Findings

Proved full SU(4) R-symmetry of ABJM theory.

Identified duals of orbifolded theories in M-theory backgrounds.

Studied mass deformations leading to new superconformal theories.

Abstract

We discuss the N=2 superspace formulation of the N=8 superconformal Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson theory, and of the N=6 superconformal Aharony-Bergman-Jafferis-Maldacena U(N)xU(N) Chern-Simons theory. In particular, we prove the full SU(4) R-symmetry of the ABJM theory. We then consider orbifold projections of this theory that give non-chiral and chiral (U(N)xU(N))^n superconformal quiver gauge theories. We argue that these theories are dual to certain AdS_4 x S^7/(Z_n x Z_k) backgrounds of M-theory. We also study a SU(3) invariant mass term in the superpotential that makes the N=8 theory flow to a N=2 superconformal gauge theory with a sextic superpotential. We conjecture that this gauge theory is dual to the U(1)_R x SU(3) invariant extremum of the N=8 gauged supergravity, which was discovered by N. Warner 25 years ago and whose uplifting to 11 dimensions was found more recently.