Minimal Distances Between SCFTs

Understand

We study lower bounds on the minimal distance in theory space between four-dimensional superconformal field theories (SCFTs) connected via broad classes of renormalization group (RG) flows preserving various amounts of supersymmetry (SUSY).

• For N=1 RG flows, the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) endpoints of the flow can be parametrically close.
• On the other hand, for RG flows emanating from a maximally supersymmetric SCFT, the distance to the IR theory cannot be arbitrarily small regardless of the amount of (non-trivial) SUSY preserved along the flow.
• The case of RG flows from N=2 UV SCFTs is more subtle.