M2-branes on Orbifolds of the Cone over Q^{1,1,1}

TL;DR

This paper explores the duality between specific M2-brane gauge theories and AdS_4 geometries involving orbifolds of Q^{1,1,1} and related manifolds, analyzing spectra, symmetries, and moduli spaces.

Contribution

It introduces new Chern-Simons quiver gauge theories for M2-branes on orbifolds of Q^{1,1,1} and proposes dualities with corresponding AdS_4 geometries, including spectral and symmetry analyses.

Findings

Matching of chiral operators with Kaluza-Klein harmonics

Identification of orbifold actions preserving symmetries

Support for duality conjectures through moduli space calculations

Abstract

We study the N=2 supersymmetric Chern-Simons quiver gauge theory recently introduced in arXiv:0809.3237 to describe M2-branes on a cone over the well-known Sasaki-Einstein manifold Q^{1,1,1}. For Chern-Simons levels (k,k,-k,-k) we argue that this theory is dual to AdS_4 x Q^{1,1,1}/Z_k. We derive the Z_k orbifold action and show that it preserves geometrical symmetry U(1)_R x SU(2) x U(1), in agreement with the symmetry of the gauge theory. We analyze the simplest gauge invariant chiral operators, and show that they match Kaluza-Klein harmonics on AdS_4 x Q^{1,1,1}/Z_k. This provides a test of the gauge theory, and in particular of its sextic superpotential which plays an important role in restricting the spectrum of chiral operators. We proceed to study other quiver gauge theories corresponding to more complicated orbifolds of Q^{1,1,1}. In particular, we propose two U(N)^4 Chern-Simons gauge theories whose quiver diagrams are the same as in the 4d theories describing D3-branes on a complex cone over F_0, a Z_2 orbifold of the conifold (in 4d the two quivers are related by the Seiberg duality). The manifest symmetry of these gauge theories is U(1)_R x SU(2) x SU(2). We argue that these gauge theories at levels (k,k,-k,-k) are dual to AdS_4 x Q^{2,2,2}/Z_k. We exhibit calculations of the moduli space and of the chiral operator spectrum which provide support for this conjecture. We also briefly discuss a similar correspondence for AdS_4 x M^{3,2}/Z_k. Finally, we discuss resolutions of the cones and their dual gauge theories.