Phase transitions in a three-dimensional analogue of Klebanov-Strassler

Understand

We use top-down holography to study the thermodynamics of a one-parameter family of three-dimensional, strongly coupled Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theories with M-theory duals.

• For generic values of the parameter, the theories exhibit a mass gap but no confinement, meaning no linear quark-antiquark potential.
• For two specific values of the parameter they flow to an infrared fixed point or to a confining vacuum, respectively.
• As in the Klebanov-Strassler solution, on the gravity side the mass gap is generated by the smooth collapse to zero size of a cycle in the internal geometry.