Line defects as brane boxes in Gaiotto-Maldacena geometries

Abstract

We construct a new family of AdS2× S2× S2 solutions to Type IIA supergravity with 4 supercharges acting with non-Abelian T-duality on the recent class constructed in [1]. We focus on a particular solution in this class asymptoting locally to an AdS5 Gaiotto-Maldacena geometry. This solution allows for a line defect interpretation within the 4d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 2 SCFT dual to this geometry, that we study in detail. We show that the defect branes, consisting on a non-trivial intersection of D2-D4-NS5-F1 branes, can be interpreted as baryon vertices within the 4d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 2 SCFT, whose backreaction gives rise to the AdS2 solution. We construct the explicit quiver quantum mechanics that flows in the IR to the dual SCQM, and show that it can be embedded within the quiver CFT associated to the AdS5 solution. The quiver quantum mechanics arises from a brane box set-up of D2-branes stretched between perpendicular NS5-branes, that we construct from the AdS2 solution. We provide non-trivial checks of our proposed duality. Our construction provides one further example of the successful applications of non-Abelian T-duality to holography, in this case in providing a very non-trivial connection between AdS2 solutions, line defects and brane boxes.