Universal Observables, SUSY RG-Flows and Holography

TL;DR

This paper constructs and analyzes a broad class of supergravity backgrounds dual to 4D SCFTs compactified on a circle, revealing universal features of holographic RG flows and their observables, including Wilson loops and complexity.

Contribution

It introduces new regular supergravity solutions for compactified SCFTs that avoid typical singularities and demonstrates universal factorization of key observables during RG flows.

Findings

Observables factor into UV-CFT and flow-dependent parts.

Universal behavior of holographic RG flows.

Higher-curvature corrections influence observable interpretations.

Abstract

We construct and analyse infinite classes of regular supergravity backgrounds dual to four-dimensional superconformal field theories (SCFTs) compactified on a circle with a supersymmetry-preserving twist. These flows lead to three-dimensional gapped QFTs preserving four supercharges. The solutions arise in Type IIB, Type IIA, and eleven-dimensional supergravity, and generalise known constructions by incorporating deformations that avoid typical singularities associated with the holographic description of the Coulomb branch of the CFT. We examine several observables: Wilson loops, holographic central charges, and complexity. We show they exhibit a universal factorisation, with each observable decomposing into a UV-CFT contribution times a flow-dependent factor. We also explore the parameter regimes where higher-curvature corrections become relevant, affecting the physical interpretation of certain observables. Our findings provide new insights into universal features of holographic RG flows and resolve a puzzle related to complexity in these systems.