Dynamically Generated Gaps in Holographic Models of Interacting Fermions

Previous investigations have shown that a dynamical gap forms in the holographic theory dual to fermions interacting via a dipole (Pauli) coupling in an AdS$_{d+1}$-Reissner-N\"ordstrom background. We examine the analogous problem in an AdS$_{d+1}$-Schwarzschild geometry with a probe gauge field, finding that the gap persists. Our results suggest that bulk field interactions -- rather than emergent symmetries of the boundary theory -- are the origin of the gap.