More CFTs and RG flows from deforming M2/M5-brane horizon

Near-horizon geometry of coincident M2-branes at a conical singularity is related to M-theory on AdS(4) times an appropriate seven-dimensional manifold X-7. For X-7=N-0,N-1,N-0, squashing deformation is known to lead to spontaneous (super)symmetry breaking from N = (3,0) to N = (0,1) in gauged AdS, supergravity. Via AdS/CFT correspondence, it is interpreted as renormalization group flaw of strongly coupled three-dimensional field theory with SU(3) x SU(2) global symmetry. The flow interpolates between N = (0,1) fixed point in the UV to N = (3,0) fixed point in the IR. Evidences for the interpretation are found both from critical points of the supergravity scalar potential and from conformal dimension of relevant chiral primary operators at each fixed point. We also analyze cases with X-7 = SO(5)/SO(3)(max), V-5,V-2(R),M-1,M-1,M-1, Q(1,1,1) and find that there is no non-trivial renormalization group flows. We extend the analysis to Englert type vacua of M-theory. By analyzing de Wit-Nicolai potential, we find that deformation of S-7 gives rise to renormalization group flow from. N = 8, SO(8) invariant UV fixed point to N = I, G(2) invariant IR fixed point. For AdS(7) supergravity relevant for near-horizon geometry of coincident M5-branes, we also paint out a non-trivial renormalization group Row from N = 1 superconformal UV fixed paint to non-supersymmetric IR fixed point. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All sights reserved.