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Scalar potentials, propagators and global symmetries in AdS/CFT

We study the transition of a scalar field in a fixed $AdS_{d+1}$ background between an extremum and a minimum of a potential. We first prove that two conditions must be met for the solution to exist. First, the potential involved cannot be generic, i.e. a fine-tuning of their parameters is mandatory. Second, at least in some region its second derivative must have a negative upper limit which depends only on the dimensionality $d$. We then calculate the boundary propagator for small momenta in two different ways: first in a WKB approximation, and second with the usual matching method, generalizing the known calculation to arbitrary order. Finally, we study a system with spontaneously broken non-Abelian global symmetry, and show in the holographic language why the Goldstone modes appear.