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We study 1/2-BPS Wilson loop operators in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on $d$-dimensional spheres. Their vacuum expectation values can be computed at large $N$ through supersymmetric localisation. The holographic duals are given by back-reacted spherical D-branes. For $d\neq 4$, the resulting theories are non-conformal and correspondingly, the dual geometries do not possess an asymptotic AdS region. The main aim of this work is to compute the holographic Wilson loops by evaluating the partition function of a probe fundamental string and M2-brane in the dual geometry, focusing on the next-to-leading order. Along the way, we highlight a variety of issues related to the presence of a non-constant dilaton. In particular, the structure of the divergences of the one-loop partition functions takes a non-universal form in contrast to examples available in the literature. We devise a general framework to treat the divergences, successfully match the sub-leading scaling with $\lambda$ and $N$, and provide a first step towards obtaining the numerical prefactor., Comment: 68 pages, 4 figures

We analyse the backreacted geometry corresponding to a stack of M5-branes wrapped on a spindle, with a view towards precision tests of the dual $\mathcal{N} = 1$ superconformal field theory. We carefully study the singular loci of the uplifted geometry and show that these correspond to $\mathbf{C}^3/\mathbf{Z}_n$ conical singularities. Therefore, these solutions present one of the first explicit realisations of honest locally $\mathcal{N} = 1$ preserving punctures in class $\mathcal{S}$. Additionally, we study the symmetries and anomalies of the dual field theory through anomaly inflow and compute a variety of holographic observables including dimensions of BPS operators. This work paves the way for advancements in the study and identification of the precise dual field theories., Comment: 43 pages including appendices

The holomorphic twist provides a powerful framework to study minimally protected sectors in supersymmetric quantum field theories. We investigate the algebraic structure underlying the holomorphic twist of $\mathcal{N} = 1$ superconformal field theories in four dimensions. In particular, in holomorphically twisted theories the flavour and conformal symmetry algebras are enhanced to infinite-dimensional higher Kac Moody and higher Virasoro symmetry algebras respectively. We explicitly compute the binary and ternary $\lambda$-brackets and clarify their relation with the underlying infinite-dimensional symmetry algebra. Doing so we show that the central extensions of said symmetry algebras precisely encode the conformal anomalies $a$ and $c$ as well as the flavour central charges of the physical four-dimensional theory. This parallels the familiar story in two dimensions where the conformal anomaly $c$ is encoded in the central extension of the Virasoro algebra., Comment: 23 + 22 pages

We construct new supersymmetric solutions corresponding to M5-branes wrapped on a topological disc by turning on additional scalars in the background. The presence of such scalar fields breaks one of the U(1) isometries of the internal space, explicitly realising the breaking by the Stuckelberg mechanism observed previously. In addition, we construct a consistent truncation of maximal seven-dimensional gauged supergravity on the disc to five-dimensional Romans' SU (2) x U(1) gauged supergravity, allowing us to construct a plethora of new supergravity solutions corresponding to more general states in the dual SCFTs as well as solutions corresponding to M5-branes wrapping four-dimensional orbifolds., Comment: Minor typos fixed. Version accepted for publication in JHEP

Three-dimensional $\mathcal{N} = 4$ superconformal field theories contain 1d topological sectors consisting of twisted linear combinations of half-BPS local operators that can be inserted anywhere along a line. After a conformal mapping to a round three-sphere, the 1d sectors are now defined on a great circle of $S^3$. We show that the 1d topological sectors are preserved under the squashing of the sphere. For gauge theories with matter hypermultiplets, we use supersymmetric localization to derive an explicit description of the topological sector associated with the Higgs branch. Furthermore, we find that the dependence of the 1d correlation functions on the squashing parameter $b$ can be removed after appropriate rescalings. One can introduce real mass and Fayet-Iliopolous parameters that, after appropriate rescalings, modify the 1d theory on the squashed sphere precisely as they do on the round sphere. In addition, we also show that when a generic 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$ theory is deformed by real mass parameters, this deformation translates into a universal deformation of the corresponding 1d theory., Comment: 42+20 pages

We study the importance of spin structures as defining data for 11d supergravity backgrounds of the form AdS$_4\times S^7/\mathbf{Z}_k$ with a free orbifold action. For a generic choice of the orbifold action, there is only one spin structure that preserves invariant Killing spinors. There are, however, orbifold actions that allow for more than one spin structure with preserved Killing spinors. In these cases the two different spin structures should lead to distinct holographically dual 3d SCFTs with different amounts of supersymmetry. We illustrate this phenomenon by studying the KK spectrum of 11d supergravity on AdS$_4\times S^7/\mathbf{Z}_4$. For one choice of spin structure this background is dual to the 3d $\mathcal{N}=6$ ABJM theory at level $k=4$. For the alternative choice of spin structure our results suggest that the holographic dual is a different 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ SCFT and we discuss some of its properties., Comment: $2^5$ pages, $2^4$ tables, $2^1$ spin structures

We consider compactifications of massive IIA supergravity on a six-sphere. This setup is known to give rise to non-supersymmetric AdS$_4$ vacua preserving SO$(7)$ as well as G$_2$ residual symmetry. Both solutions have a round $S^6$ metric and are supported by the Romans' mass and internal $F_6$ flux. While the SO$(7)$ invariant vacuum is known to be perturbatively unstable, the G$_2$ invariant one has been found to have a fully stable Kaluza-Klein spectrum. Moreover, it has been shown to be protected against brane-jet instabilities. Motivated by these results, we study possible bubbling solutions connected to the G$_2$ vacuum, representing non-perturbative instabilities of the latter. We indeed find an instability channel represented by the nucleation of a bubble of nothing dressed up with a homogeneous D2 brane charge distribution in the internal space. Our solution generalizes to the case where $S^6$ is replaced by any six-dimensional nearly-K\"ahler manifold., Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures. Published version

We study marginal deformations of a class of three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ SCFTs that admit a holographic dual description in massive type IIA supergravity. We compute the dimension of the conformal manifold in these SCFTs and identify a special submanifold with enhanced flavor symmetry. We show how to apply the TsT transformation of Lunin-Maldacena to construct explicit supersymmetric AdS$_4$ solutions of massive type IIA supergravity with non-trivial internal fluxes that are the holographic dual of these marginal deformations. Finally, we also briefly comment on a class of RG flows between some of these SCFTs that also admit a holographic realization., Comment: 26 pages

Every six-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=(2,0)$ SCFT on $\mathbf{R}^6$ contains a set of protected operators whose correlation functions are controlled by a two-dimensional chiral algebra. We provide an alternative construction of this chiral algebra by performing an $\Omega$-deformation~of a topological-holomorphic twist of the $\mathcal{N}=(2,0)$ theory on $\mathbf{R}^6$ and restricting to the cohomology of a specific supercharge. In addition, we show that the central charge of the chiral algebra can be obtained by performing equivariant integration of the anomaly polynomial of the six-dimensional theory. Furthermore, we generalize this construction to include orbifolds of the $\mathbf{R}^4$ transverse to the chiral algebra plane.

Large classes of AdS$_p$ supergravity backgrounds describing the IR dynamics of $p$-branes wrapped on a Riemann surface are determined by a solution to the Liouville equation. The regular solutions of this equation lead to the well-known wrapped brane supergravity solutions associated with the constant curvature metric on a compact Riemann surface. We show that some singular solutions of the Liouville equation have a physical interpretation as explicit point-like brane sources on the Riemann surface. We uncover the details of this picture by focusing on $\mathcal{N}=1$ theories of class $\mathcal{S}$ arising from M5-branes on a punctured Riemann surface. We present explicit AdS$_5$ solutions dual to these SCFTs and check the holographic duality by showing the non-trivial agreement of 't Hooft anomalies., Comment: 58 pages, 8 figures

Using supersymmetric localization we compute the free energy and BPS Wilson loop vacuum expectation values for planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on $S^d$ in the strong coupling limit for $2\leq d<6$. The same calculation can also be performed in supergravity using the recently found spherical brane solutions. We find excellent agreement between the two sets of results. This constitutes a non-trivial precision test of holography in a non-conformal setting. The free energy of maximal SYM on $S^6$ diverges in the strong coupling limit which might signify the onset of little string theory. We show how this divergence can be regularized both in QFT and in supergravity. We also consider $d=7$ with a small negative 't Hooft coupling and show that the free energy and Wilson loop vacuum expectation value agree with the results from supergravity after addressing some subtleties., Comment: 58 pages

We construct new solutions of ten-dimensional supergravity with sixteen supercharges which describe the backreaction of D$p$-branes with spherical worldvolume. These solutions are holographically dual to the $(p+1)$-dimensional maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on $S^{p+1}$. The finite size of the sphere provides an IR cut-off for the gauge theory which is manifested in the supergravity solution as a smooth cap-off of the geometry. In the UV the size of the sphere plays no role and the backgrounds asymptote to the well-known supergravity solutions that describe the near-horizon limit of flat D$p$-branes. We compute the on-shell action of our spherical brane solutions and show that it is in agreement with recent supersymmetric localization results for the free energy of maximal SYM theory on $S^{p+1}$., Comment: 57 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor corrections, appendix added