Non-supersymmetric infrared perturbations to the warped deformed conifold

TL;DR

This paper investigates non-supersymmetric perturbations of the warped deformed conifold, focusing on anti-D3-branes' backreaction, flux singularities, and geometric squashing, providing insights into non-supersymmetric gauge/gravity duals.

Contribution

It presents the first analysis of non-supersymmetric, isometry-preserving perturbations to the Klebanov-Strassler solution, including the backreaction of smeared anti-D3-branes.

Findings

Anti-D3-branes induce flux singularities due to background flux.

Anti-D3-branes cause geometric squashing of the internal space.

Non-supersymmetric perturbations affect the gravitino mass.

Abstract

We analyze properties of non-supersymmetric isometry-preserving perturbations to the infrared region of the warped deformed conifold, i.e. the Klebanov Strassler solution. We discuss both perturbations that "squash" the geometry, so that the internal space is no longer conformally Calabi-Yau, and perturbations that do not squash the geometry. Among the perturbations that we discuss is the solution that describes the linearized near-tip backreaction of a smeared collection of anti-D3-branes positioned in the deep infrared. Such a configuration is a candidate gravity dual of a non-supersymmetric state in a large-rank cascading gauge theory. Although anti-D3-branes do not directly couple to the 3-form flux, we argue that, due to the presence of the background imaginary self-dual flux, anti-D3-branes in the Klebanov-Strassler geometry necessarily produce singular non-imaginary self-dual flux. Moreover, since conformally Calabi-Yau geometries cannot be supported by non-imaginary self-dual flux, the anti-D3-branes squash the geometry as our explicit solution shows. We also briefly discuss supersymmetry-breaking perturbations at large radii and the effect of the non-supersymmetric perturbations on the gravitino mass.