($0,6$) AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$ and surface defects

Abstract

We explore a new class of AdS$_3$ solutions in massive type IIA supergravity preserving $\mathcal{N} = (0,6)$ supersymmetry and realising an $\mathfrak{osp}(6|2)$ superconformal algebra. These solutions exhibit an SO(6)-symmetric internal space constructed from a $\mathbb{CP}^3$, and are fully specified by a single cubic function controlling the fluxes and warping. We propose a brane box configuration underlying the solutions from which we construct a two-dimensional quiver gauge theory whose anomaly structure and central charge we analyse, and from which we can realise Seiberg-like dualities as large gauge transformations. The brane box configuration suggests an interpretation of the solutions as dual to surface defects within the ABJ(M) theory. Our findings provide a concrete setting for exploring holography beyond the ABJM vacuum. Remarkably, no explicit field theories are currently known to realise $\mathcal{N} = (0,6)$ supersymmetry in two dimensions, making our setup a promising and largely unexplored direction for field-theoretic investigations.