# A counterexample to the a-'theorem'

@article{Shapere2008ACT,
title={A counterexample to the a-'theorem'},
author={Alfred Shapere and Yuji Tachikawa},
journal={Journal of High Energy Physics},
year={2008},
volume={2008},
pages={020-020}
}
• Published 19 September 2008
• Physics
• Journal of High Energy Physics
We exhibit a renormalization group flow for a four-dimensional gauge theory along which the conformal central charge a increases. The flow connects the maximally superconformal point of an = 2 gauge theory with gauge group SU(N+1) and Nf = 2N flavors in the ultraviolet, to a strongly-coupled superconformal point of the SU(N) gauge theory with Nf = 2N massless flavors in the infrared. Our example does not contradict the proof of the a-theorem via a-maximization, due to the presence of accidental…
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