In this note, we derive a Mellin space version of the Lorentzian inversion formula for CFTs by explicitly integrating over the cross-ratios in $d=2$ and $d=4$ spacetime dimensions. We use the simplicity of the Mellin representation of Witten diagrams and the double discontinuity to find the OPE coefficients and anomalous dimensions of double-trace primaries in large $N$ CFTs to order $\frac{1}{N^4}$. We find that our results match analytically at order $\frac{1}{N^2}$, and numerically at order $\frac{1}{N^4}$ with existing literature.
The fundamental ingredients that build the observables in conformal field theory are the spectrum of operators and the OPE coefficients, or equivalently, the two- and three-point functions of the theory. Recently an inversion formula solving the OPE coefficients by a convolution over the light-cone double-discontinuities of the correlator has been found by Simon Caron-Huot. Taking into account that the same OPE data determine the Mellin amplitude representation of the correlator, motivate us to look for an analogous inversion formula in Mellin space, which we develops partially on this paper.
We study tools of the conformal bootstrap in simplifying limits, primarily a limit of large operator dimensions and small cross-ratios corresponding to non-relativistic physics in AdS. We show that T-channel conformal blocks give the classical limit of correlation functions to linear order in an interaction potential. We use the Lorentzian inversion formula to compute anomalous dimensions due to T-channel exchanges and compare with time-independent perturbation theory in AdS. These calculations include new results not restricted to any limit, including anomalous dimensions from stress-tensor e…
Caron-Huot has recently given an interesting formula that determines OPE data in a conformal field theory in terms of a weighted integral of the four-point function over a Lorentzian region of cross-ratio space. We give a new derivation of this formula based on Wick rotation in spacetime rather than cross-ratio space. The derivation is simple in two dimensions but more involved in higher dimensions. We also derive a Lorentzian inversion formula in one dimension that sheds light on previous observations about the chaos regime in the SYK model.
We present a Lorentzian inversion formula valid for any defect CFT that extracts the bulk channel CFT data as an analytic function of the spin variable. This result complements the already obtained inversion formula for the corresponding defect channel, and makes it now possible to implement the analytic bootstrap program for defect CFT, by going back and forth between both channels. A crucial role in our derivation is played by the Calogero-Sutherland description of defect blocks which we review. As first applications we obtain the large-spin limit of bulk CFT data necessary to reproduce the …
We study heavy-light four-point function by employing Lorentzian inversion formula, where the conformal dimension of heavy operator is as large as central charge $C_T\rightarrow\infty$. We implement the Lorentzian inversion formula back and forth to reveal the universality of the lowest-twist multi-stress-tensor $T^k$ as well as large spin double-twist operators $[\mathcal{O}_H\mathcal{O}_L]_{n',J'}$. In this way, we also propose an algorithm to bootstrap the heavy-light four-point function by extracting relevant OPE coefficients and anomalous dimensions. By following the algorithm, we exhibit…
We study the stress tensor multiplet four-point function in the 3d maximally supersymmetric ABJ(M) theory with Chern-Simons level $k=2$, which in the large $N$ limit is holographically dual to weakly coupled M-theory on $AdS_4\times S^7/\mathbb{Z}_2$. We use the Lorentzian inversion to compute the 1-loop correction to this holographic correlator coming from Witten diagrams with supergravity $R$ and the first higher derivative correction $R^4$ vertices, up to a finite number of contact terms that contribute to low spins where the inversion formula does not converge. We find a precise match with…
We compute anomalous dimensions of higher spin operators in Conformal Field Theory at arbitrary space-time dimension by using the OPE inversion formula of \cite{Caron-Huot:2017vep}, both from the position space representation as well as from the integral (viz. Mellin) representation of the conformal blocks. The Mellin space is advantageous over the position space not only in allowing to write expressions agnostic to the space-time dimension, but also in that it replaces tedious recursion relations in terms of simple sums which are easy to perform. We evaluate the contributions of scalar and sp…
We derive a Lorentzian OPE inversion formula for the principal series of $sl(2,\mathbb{R})$. Unlike the standard Lorentzian inversion formula in higher dimensions, the formula described here only applies to fully crossing-symmetric four-point functions and makes crossing symmetry manifest. In particular, inverting a single conformal block in the crossed channel returns the coefficient function of the crossing-symmetric sum of Witten exchange diagrams in AdS, including the direct-channel exchange. The inversion kernel exhibits poles at the double-trace scaling dimensions, whose contributions mu…
We study the spectrum and OPE coefficients of the three-dimensional critical O(2) model, using four-point functions of the leading scalars with charges 0, 1, and 2 ($s$, $ϕ$, and $t$). We obtain numerical predictions for low-twist OPE data in several charge sectors using the extremal functional method. We compare the results to analytical estimates using the Lorentzian inversion formula and a small amount of numerical input. We find agreement between the analytic and numerical predictions. We also give evidence that certain scalar operators lie on double-twist Regge trajectories and obtain est…
In the AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$ correspondence, physical interest attaches to understanding Virasoro conformal blocks at large central charge and in a kinematical regime of large Lorentzian time separation, $t\sim c$. However, almost no analytical information about this regime is presently available. By employing the Wilson line representation we derive new results on conformal blocks at late times, effectively resumming all dependence on $t/c$. This is achieved in the context of "light-light" blocks, as opposed to the richer, but much less tractable, "heavy-light" blocks. The results exhibit an initia…
We calculate the two-mass QCD contributions to the massive operator matrix element $A_{gg,Q}$ at $\mathcal{O} (α_s^3)$ in analytic form in Mellin $N$- and $z$-space, maintaining the complete dependence on the heavy quark mass ratio. These terms are important ingredients for the matching relations of the variable flavor number scheme in the presence of two heavy quark flavors, such as charm and bottom. In Mellin $N$-space the result is given in the form of nested harmonic, generalized harmonic, cyclotomic and binomial sums, with arguments depending on the mass ratio. The Mellin inversion of the…
We use large spin perturbation theory and the Lorentzian inversion formula to compute order-$\varepsilon$ corrections to mixed correlators in the $O(n)$ Wilson-Fisher CFT in $4 - \varepsilon$ dimensions. In particular, we find the scaling dimensions and averaged OPE coefficients appearing in all correlators involving $φ$ and $φ^2$, for $φ^2$ in both the singlet and symmetric traceless representations of $O(n)$. We extend some computations to the next order, and find order-$\varepsilon^2$ data for a number of quantities for the Ising case at $n = 1$. Along the way, we discuss several interestin…
We generalize the computation of anomalous dimension and correction to OPE coefficients at finite conformal spin considered recently in \cite{arXiv:1806.10919, arXiv:1808.00612} to arbitrary space-time dimensions. By using the inversion formula of Caron-Huot and the integral (Mellin) representation of conformal blocks, we show that the contribution from individual exchanges to anomalous dimensions and corrections to the OPE coefficients for "double-twist" operators $[\mathcal{O}_1\mathcal{O}_2]_{Δ,J}$ in $s-$channel can be written at finite conformal spin in terms of generalized Wilson polynom…
We investigate models of (1+d)-D Lorentzian semi-random lattices with one random (space-like) direction and d regular (time-like) ones. We prove a general inversion formula expressing the partition function of these models as the inverse of that of hard objects in d dimensions. This allows for an exact solution of a variety of new models including critical and multicritical generalized (1+1)-D Lorentzian surfaces, with fractal dimensions $d_F=k+1$, k=1,2,3,..., as well as a new model of (1+2)-D critical tetrahedral complexes, with fractal dimension $d_F=12/5$. Critical exponents and universal …
In this note we report an improved determination of the scaling dimensions and OPE coefficients of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the 3d Ising model using the conformal bootstrap. We also show how this data can be used as input to the Lorentzian inversion formula, finding good agreement between analytic calculations and numerical extremal spectra once mixing effects are resolved.
We derive the Cutkosky rules for conformal field theories (CFTs) at weak and strong coupling. These rules give a simple, diagrammatic method to compute the double-commutator that appears in the Lorentzian inversion formula. We first revisit weakly-coupled CFTs in flat space, where the cuts are performed on Feynman diagrams. We then generalize these rules to strongly-coupled holographic CFTs, where the cuts are performed on the Witten diagrams of the dual theory. In both cases, Cutkosky rules factorize loop diagrams into on-shell sub-diagrams and generalize the standard S-matrix cutting rules. …
We investigate the heavy-light four-point function up to double-stress-tensor, supplementing 1910.06357. By using the OPE coefficients of lowest-twist double-stress-tensor in the literature, we find the Regge behavior for lowest-twist double-stress-tensor in general even dimension within the large impact parameter regime. In the next, we perform the Lorentzian inversion formula to obtain both the OPE coefficients and anomalous dimensions of double-twist operators $[\mathcal{O}_H\mathcal{O}_L]_{n,J}$ with finite spin $J$ in $d=4$. We also extract the anomalous dimensions of double-twist operato…