A note on the holographic interpretation of string theory backgrounds with varying flux

TL;DR

This paper explores the holographic interpretation of string theory backgrounds with varying flux, focusing on four-dimensional supersymmetric theories and proposing a Higgs mechanism explanation for flux variations in N=2 cases.

Contribution

It offers a new interpretation of varying flux in N=2 supersymmetric theories as a Higgs mechanism, challenging the duality cascade explanation used for N=1 theories.

Findings

Varying flux in N=2 theories corresponds to gauge group reduction via Higgs mechanism.

No duality cascade needed to explain flux variation in N=2 cases.

Potential applicability of Higgs interpretation to other vacua of the same theory.

Abstract

We discuss the field theory interpretation (via holographic duality) of some recently-discovered string theory solutions with varying flux, focusing on four dimensional theories with N=2 supersymmetry and with N=1 supersymmetry which arise as the near-horizon limits of "fractional D3-branes". We argue that in the N=2 case the best interpretation of the varying flux in field theory is via a Higgs mechanism reducing the rank of the gauge group, and that there is no need to invoke a duality to explain the varying flux in this case. We discuss why a similar interpretation does not seem to apply to the N=1 case of Klebanov and Strassler, which was interpreted as a "duality cascade". However, we suggest that it might apply to different vacua of the same theory, such as the one constructed by Pando Zayas and Tseytlin.