Abstract
We use the AdS/CFT correspondence to explicitly calculate some of the three-point functions in the planar limit of the 4d \( \mathcal{N} \) = 1 Leigh-Strassler SCFT. This strongly interacting CFT can be obtained as a mass deformation of the 4d \( \mathcal{N} \) = 4 SYM theory and admits a dual description in terms of an AdS5 background of type IIB supergravity. Our analysis is based on the existence of a consistent truncation of the 10d supergravity to a tractable 5d gravitational theory with 10 scalar fields dual to some of the low-lying operators in the spectrum of the LS SCFT. We apply standard holographic techniques to this 10-scalar model to analytically calculate the correlators of interest and thus provide a rare example of explicit three-point functions of scalar non-BPS operators in strongly coupled 4d CFTs. Using superconformal Ward identities we perform several consistency checks of these holographic correlators. As a byproduct of our analysis we discuss some subtleties related to the calculation of extremal correlators in AdS/CFT and the contribution of scalar derivative couplings to the evaluation of Witten diagrams. Our work provides a blueprint for the holographic calculation of other correlators in the LS SCFT and similar top-down holographic models.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge useful discussions with Lorenzo Bianchi, Shai Chester, Henriette Elvang, Friðrik Freyr Gautason, Grisha Korchemsky, Marco Meineri, Krzysztof Pilch, Silviu Pufu, Shlomo Razamat, Slava Rychkov, Henning Samtleben, Inne Van de Plas, Jesse van Muiden, Xi Yin, Kostya Zarembo, and Xinan Zhou. We are grateful to Emanuel Malek and Alessandro Pini for the initial collaboration on this project and for the productive discussions. This work is supported in part by FWO projects G003523N, G094523N, and G0E2723N, as well as by the Odysseus grant G0F9516N from the FWO. NB would like to thank the Institute for Advanced Study Princeton for the warm hospitality and inspiring atmosphere while part of this project was being completed.
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Dedicated to the memory of Ivan T. Todorov. A pioneer of conformal field theory and a giant of Bulgarian science.
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Bobev, N., Paul, H. Holographic correlators beyond maximal supersymmetry. J. High Energ. Phys. 2025, 87 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2025)087
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2025)087