Aspects of AdS/BCFT

TL;DR

This paper extends holographic models of boundary conformal field theories (BCFTs) to new geometries, establishes a holographic g-theorem, and confirms scaling properties of one-point functions, with an example embedding in string theory.

Contribution

It constructs gravity duals for BCFTs on various geometries, proves a holographic g-theorem in any dimension, and provides a string theory embedding example.

Findings

Holographic g-theorem proven in any dimension.

Boundary central charge decreases along RG flows.

Holographic one-point functions match field theory scaling.

Abstract

We expand the results of arXiv:1105.5165, where a holographic description of a conformal field theory defined on a manifold with boundaries (so called BCFT) was proposed, based on AdS/CFT. We construct gravity duals of conformal field theories on strips, balls and also time-dependent boundaries. We show a holographic g-theorem in any dimension. As a special example, we can define a `boundary central charge' in three dimensional conformal field theories and our holographic g-theorem argues that it decreases under RG flows. We also computed holographic one-point functions and confirmed that their scaling property agrees with field theory calculations. Finally, we give an example of string theory embedding of this holography by inserting orientifold 8-planes in AdS(4)xCP(3).