Aspects of topologically gauged M2-branes with six supersymmetries: towards a 'sequential AdS/CFT'?

Preprint, 2012

Abstract: In this note we review the construction of topologically gauged M2 branes with 6 supersymmetries and discuss some of its properties. This is done using the 3- algebra formulation thereby covering all possible gauge groups. We will elaborate upon 1) the fundamental identity and its solutions noting, provided these gauged theories describe stacks of branes, the case of a single brane, 2) the chiral point solution to the field equations (occuring even for a single brane) that breaks the superconformal symmetries down to those of AdS3 (TMG) supergravity, 3) physical parameters and how they scale in the compactification from 11d to 10d and give rise to matter theories in curved space-times, and finally 4) a more speculative comment on ”sequential AdS/CFT”. Here we propose that the superconformal symmetry breaking in topologically gauged theories leads to the sequence AdS4/CFT3 → AdS3/CFT2 and that the higgsing in the 3d boundary theory is related to a change of foliation in the AdS4 bulk theory.