High Energy Theory Seminar

Quantum field theory on curved space has long been studied for its interesting phenomenology, and in more recent years as a means to obtain exact results in supersymmetric theories. In this talk I will describe the holographic dual for N=4 SYM coupled to massive N=2 flavors on AdS_4 and S^4, which reveals an interesting phase structure in both cases. I will discuss a topology-changing phase transition for S^4 and -- to firmly establish probe-brane constructions as an extra ingredient in AdS/CFT -- confront holographic computations with exact field theory results obtained using supersymmetric localization.