Spatially modulated and supersymmetric mass deformations of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 SYM

Abstract

Abstract We study mass deformations of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4, d = 4 SYM theory that are spatially modulated in one spatial dimension and preserve some residual supersymmetry. We focus on generalisations of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 1∗ theories and show that it is also possible, for suitably chosen supersymmetric masses, to preserve d = 3 conformal symmetry associated with a co-dimension one interface. Holographic solutions can be constructed using D = 5 theories of gravity that arise from consistent truncations of SO(6) gauged supergravity and hence type IIB supergravity. For the mass deformations that preserve d = 3 superconformal symmetry we construct a rich set of Janus solutions of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 SYM theory which have the same coupling constant on either side of the interface. Limiting classes of these solutions give rise to RG interface solutions with $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 SYM on one side of the interface and the Leigh-Strassler (LS) SCFT on the other, and also to a Janus solution for the LS theory. Another limiting solution is a new supersymmetric AdS4× S1× S5 solution of type IIB supergravity.