Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Wilson lines are fundamental probes of gauge theories. We show that, in sufficiently rich representations, they support a large new class of operator insertions. For half-BPS lines in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM, some have the quantum numbers of the displacement supermultiplet and define natural defect deformations. By relating their beta-functions to chiral ring OPE coefficients, we show that these deformations are marginally irrelevant, meaning the half-BPS line is IR stable for all representations. We connect these deformations to multidimensional RG flows and find evidence for new conformal line defects.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163993227