Vacua and RG flows in N = 9 three dimensional gauged supergravity

Abstract

We study some vacua of N = 9 three dimensional gauged supergravity. The theory contains sixteen scalar fields parametrizing the exceptional coset space $\frac{{{F_{4\left( { - 20} \right)}}}}{{{\text{SO}}(9)}}$. Various supersymmetric and some non-supersymmetric AdS₃ vacua are found in both compact and non-compact gaugings with gauge groups SO(p) × SO(9 − p) for p = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, G ₂₍₋₁₄₎ × SL(2) and Sp(1, 2) × SU(2). We also study many RG flow solutions, both analytic and numerical, interpolating between supersymmetric AdS₃ critical points in this theory. All the flows considered here are driven by a relevant operator of dimension $\Delta = \frac{3}{2}$. This operator breaks conformal symmetry as well as supersymmetry and drives the CFT in the UV to another CFT in the IR with lower supersymmetries.