The Linear Dilaton: from the Clockwork Mechanism to Its Supergravity Embedding

Abstract

In this talk we review the minimal embedding in $$\mathcal{N} = 2$$ , $$D = 5$$ supergravity of a five–dimensional dilaton–gravity theory that serves as a toy model for the holographic dual of six–dimensional little string theory. Interestingly, the toy model also arises in the continuum version of the clockwork mechanism that was recently proposed as a means of addressing the hierarchy problem in a new way. Via a $$U(1)$$ gauging that can account for the dilaton potential, it turns out that the linear dilaton background that is present in the holographic dual induces partial supersymmetry breaking in the supergravity theory.