Speaker
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Abstract
We study topological operators that generate continuous symmetries in the context of holography. We show that such operators can be universally modeled as solitonic branes in the supergravity bulk, whose ends are anchored on the conformal boundary with a finite separation. This holographic realization mirrors the field-theoretic regularization of symmetry operators in terms of objects with finite thickness and tension. We further discuss how these objects measure the charge of Wilson lines ending on the boundary. Despite sharing similar low-energy physics, the top-down descriptions of such hanging branes generally differ, depending on the UV completion of the bulk theory, and on the geometric origins of the symmetries involved. We provide systematic prescriptions for constructing the hanging branes as certain bound states in Type IIB string theory and M-theory setups.