AdS RG-flow and the super-Yang-Mills cascade

We study the 5-dimensional SUGRA AdS duals of N = 4, N = 2 and N = 1 super- Yang-Mills theories. To sequentially break the N = 4 theory mass terms are introduced that correspond, via the duality, to scalar VEVs in the SUGRA. W e determine the appropriate scalar potential and study solutions of the equ ations of motion that correspond to RG flows in the field theories. Analysi s of the potential at the end of the RG flows distinguishes the hows approp riate to the field theory expectations. As already identified in the litera ture, the dual to the N = 2 theory has Rows corresponding to the moduli spa ce of the field theory. When the N = 2 theory is broken to N = 1 the single Row corresponding to the singular point on the N = 2 moduli space is picke d our as the vacuum. As the N = 2 breaking mass scale is increased the vacu um deforms smoothly to previously analysed N = 1 Rows. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.