Vortex loop operators, M2-branes and holography

2008/10/31 by Nadav Drukker, Jaume Gomis, Donovan Young
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Brane cosmology #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Gauge theory #Geometry #Loop (graph theory) #Mathematical analysis #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Scalar (mathematics) #Singularity #Spacetime #Supergravity #Supersymmetry #Theoretical physics #Vortex #Wilson loop #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1126-6708/2009/03/004

published as JHEP 0903:004,2009 · 62 pages; v2 references added; v3 resolved remaining issue regarding odd k, version to appear in JHEP; v4 correction to VEV calculation in sec. 3

openalex publication_date 2009/03/02 · arxiv created 2010/01/28 · arxiv updated 2010/02/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We construct vortex loop operators in the three-dimensional N = 6 supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory recently constructed by Aharony, Bergman, Jafferis and Maldacena. These disorder loop operators are specified by a vortex-like singularity for the scalar and gauge fields along a one dimensional curve in spacetime. We identify the 1/2, 1/3 and 1/6 BPS loop operators in the Chern-Simons theory with excitations of M-theory corresponding to M2-branes ending along a curve on the boundary of AdS₄ x S⁷/Z_k. The vortex loop operators can also be given a purely geometric description in terms of regular "bubbling" solutions of eleven dimensional supergravity which are asymptotically AdS₄ x S⁷/Z_k.

Citations

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