More CFTs and RG flows from deforming M2/M5-brane horizon

Near-horizon geometry of coincident M2-branes at a conical singularity is related to M-theory on AdS₄ times an appropriate seven-dimensional manifold X₇. For X₇ = N^0,1,0, squashing deformation is known to lead to spontaneous (super)symmetry breaking from script N = (3,0) to script N = (0,1) in gauged AdS₄ supergravity. Via AdS/CFT correspondence, it is interpreted as renormalization group flow of strongly coupled three-dimensional field theory with SU(3) × SU(2) global symmetry. The flow interpolates between script N = (0,1) fixed point in the UV to script N = (3,0) fixed point in the IR. Evidences for the interpretation are found both from critical points of the supergravity scalar potential and from conformal dimension of relevant chiral primary operators at each fixed point. We also analyze cases with X₇ = SO(5)/SO(3)_max,V_5,2(R),M^1,1,1,Q^1,1,1 and find that there is no non-trivial renormalization group flows. We extend the analysis to Englert type vacua of M-theory. By analyzing de Wit-Nicolai potential, we find that deformation of S⁷ gives rise to renormalization group flow from script N = 8, SO(8) invariant UV fixed point to script N = 1, G₂ invariant IR fixed point. For AdS₇ supergravity relevant for near-horizon geometry of coincident M5-branes, we also point out a non-trivial renormalization group flow from script N = 1 superconformal UV fixed point to non-supersymmetric IR fixed point.