We suggest a certain type of conformal $n$-point function of scalar primaries where the scalar operators share the same scaling dimension. The conformal correlation functions are obtained in momentum space, and we show that they satisfy the conformal Ward identities.
We give a general definition of the conformal anomaly for theories that are not classically Weyl invariant and show that this definition yields a quantity that is both finite and local. As an example we study the conformal anomaly for a non-minimally coupled massless scalar and show that our definition coincides with results obtained using the heat kernel method.
Within recently proposed scenario which explains flatness of the spectrum of scalar cosmological perturbations by a combination of conformal and global symmetries, we discuss the effect of weak breaking of conformal invariance. We find that the scalar power spectrum obtains a small tilt which depends on both the strength of conformal symmetry breaking and the law of evolution of the scale factor.
We compute the conformal blocks associated with scalar-scalar-fermion-fermion 4-point functions in 3D CFTs. Together with the known scalar conformal blocks, our result completes the task of determining the so-called `seed blocks' in three dimensions. Conformal blocks associated with 4-point functions of operators with arbitrary spins can now be determined from these seed blocks by using known differential operators.
We study the conformal properties of pseudo-scalar (parity-odd) operators in four-dimensional field theory. Such operators include the topological term in a gauge theory and the Yukawa coupling. We show that a single operator of this type cannot be a conformal primary on its own. This is only possible for certain mixtures of pseudo-scalar operators like the chiral Lagrangian of ${\cal N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills theory. We examine the detailed mechanism of conformal symmetry breakdown and derive an anomalous conformal Ward identity. We explore a possible link between this conformal anomaly and the …
d3 and d5 maximally SUSY gauged supergravity is considered in the parametrization (flow) of full scalar coset where the kinetic term for scalars takes the standard field theory form and the bulk potential is an arbitrary one subject to consistent parametrization. From such SG duals we calculate d2 and d4 holographic conformal anomaly which depends on bulk scalars potential. AdS/CFT correspondence suggests that such SG side conformal anomaly should be identified with (non-perturbative) QFT conformal anomaly (taking account of radiative corrections) for the theory living on the boundary of AdS s…
We use the correspondence between scalar field theory on $AdS_{d+1}$ and a conformal field theory on $R^d$ to calculate the 3- and 4-point functions of the latter. The classical scalar field theory action is evaluated at tree level.
We argue that conformal invariance is a common thread linking several scalar effective field theories that appear in the double copy and scattering equations. For a derivatively coupled scalar with a quartic ${\cal O}(p^4)$ vertex, classical conformal invariance dictates an infinite tower of additional interactions that coincide exactly with Dirac-Born-Infeld theory analytically continued to spacetime dimension $D=0$. For the case of a quartic ${\cal O}(p^6)$ vertex, classical conformal invariance constrains the theory to be the special Galileon in $D=-2$ dimensions. We also verify the conform…
Theories containing infinite number of higher spin fields require a particular definition of summation over spins consistent with their underlying symmetries. We consider a model of massless scalars interacting (via bilinear conserved currents) with conformal higher spin fields in flat space. We compute the tree-level four-scalar scattering amplitude using a natural prescription for summation over an infinite set of conformal higher spin exchanges and find that it vanishes (modulo delta-function terms having support on measure-zero domain in phase space). Independently, we show that this vanis…
We show that, in any space-time dimension, the on-shell (electric) conformal Carrollian scalar can be interpreted as the flat-space limit of the singleton representation of the conformal algebra. In fact, a recently proposed higher-spin algebra for Minkowski spacetime amounts to the Poincaré enveloping algebra on the corresponding module. This higher-spin algebra is a contraction of that entering Vasiliev's equations, which can be constructed analogously from the singleton representation of the conformal algebra. We also show that the higher-spin extension of the Poincaré algebra we consider i…
We present a systematic derivation of the form of correlators of N operators in a Conformal Field Theory in d>2 dimensions and the exchange-symmetry constraints that the functions of the dimensionless cross-ratios obey for N>3.
We show that a massive scalar field on a 2-dimensional Anti-De Sitter space can be mapped by means of a time-dependent canonical transformation into a massless free field theory when the mass square of the field is equal to minus the curvature of the background metric. We also provide the (hidden) conformal symmetry of the massive scalar field.
The trace anomaly for free propagation in the context of a conformally invariant scalar field theory defined on a curved manifold of positive constant curvature with boundary is evaluated through use of an asymptotic heat kernel expansion. In addition to their direct physical significance the results are also of relevance to the holographic principle and to Quantum Cosmology.
We show that the one-loop on-shell four-point scattering amplitude of massless $ϕ^4$ scalar field theory in 4D Minkowski space time, when Mellin transformed to the Celestial sphere at infinity, transforms covariantly under the global conformal group ($SL(2,C)$) on the sphere. The unitarity of the four-point scalar amplitudes is recast into this Mellin basis. We show that the same conformal structure also appears for the two-loop Mellin amplitude. Finally we comment on some universal structure for all loop four-point Mellin amplitudes specific to this theory.
Bootstrap equations for conformal correlators that mimic the early theory of conformal bootstrap are written down in frames of the AdS/CFT approach. The simplified version of these equations, that may be justified if Schwinger-Keldysh formalism is used in AdS/CFT instead of conventional Feynman-Witten diagrams technique, permits to calculate values of conformal dimensions in the $O(N)$ symmetric model with conformal or composite Hubbard-Stratonovich field.
The discrepancy between the anomaly found by Bousso and Hawking (hep-th/9705236) and that of other workers is explained by the omission of a zero mode contribution to the effective action.
General principles of quantum field theory imply that there exists an operator product expansion (OPE) for Wightman functions in Minkowski momentum space that converges for arbitrary kinematics. This convergence is guaranteed to hold in the sense of a distribution, meaning that it holds for correlation functions smeared by smooth test functions. The conformal blocks for this OPE are conceptually extremely simple: they are products of 3-point functions. We construct the conformal blocks in 2-dimensional conformal field theory and show that the OPE in fact converges pointwise to an ordinary func…
Energy momentum tensors of higher-derivative free scalar conformal field theories in flat spacetime are discussed. Two algorithms for the computation of energy momentum tensors are described, which accomplish different goals: the first is brute-force and highlights the complexity of the energy momentum tensors, while the second displays some features of their geometric origin as variations of Weyl invariant curved-space actions. New compact expressions for energy momentum tensors are given and specific obstructions to defining them as conformal primary operators in some spacetime dimensions ar…
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Napoli（意大利国家核物理研究所（INFN）那不勒斯分部）；University of Southampton（南安普顿大学）；Indian Institute of Technology Indore（印度理工学院印多尔分校）
The hierarchy of conformally coupled scalars with the increasing scaling dimensions $Δ_{k}=k-d/2$, $k=1,2,3,... $ connected with the $k$-th Euler density in the corresponding space-time dimensions $d\geq 2k$ is proposed. The corresponding conformal invariant Lagrangian with the $k$-th power of Laplacian for the already known cases $k=1,2$ is reviewed, and the subsequent case of $k=3$ is completely constructed and analyzed.
The decomposition of 4-point correlation functions into conformal partial waves is a central tool in the study of conformal field theory. We compute these partial waves for scalar operators in Minkowski momentum space, and find a closed-form result valid in arbitrary space-time dimension $d \geq 3$ (including non-integer $d$). Each conformal partial wave is expressed as a sum over ordinary spin partial waves, and the coefficients of this sum factorize into a product of vertex functions that only depend on the conformal data of the incoming, respectively outgoing operators. As a simple example,…
We analyze the problem of the existing ambiguities in the conformal anomaly in theories with external scalar field in curved backgrounds. In particular, we consider the anomaly of self-interacting massive scalar field theory and of Yukawa model in the massless conformal limit. In all cases the ambiguities are related to finite renormalizations of a local non-minimal terms in the effective action. We point out the generic nature of this phenomenon and provide a general method to identify the theories where such an ambiguity can arise.
The higher spin interaction currents for the conformally coupled scalar in $AdS_{4}$ space for both regular and irregular boundary condition corresponding to the free and interacting critical point of the boundary O(N) sigma model are constructed. The explicit form of the linearized interaction of the scalar and spin two and four gauge fields in the $AdS_{D}$ space using Noether's procedure for the corresponding spin two and four linearized gauge and generalized Weyl transformations are obtained.
Totally symmetric arbitrary spin conformal fields propagating in the flat space of even dimension greater than or equal to four are studied. For such fields, we develop a general ordinary-derivative light-cone gauge formalism and obtain restrictions imposed by the conformal algebra symmetries on interaction vertices. We apply our formalism for the detailed study of conformal scalar and vector fields. For such fields, all parity-even cubic interaction vertices are obtained. The cubic vertices obtained are presented in terms of dressing operators and undressed vertices. We show that the undresse…
All conformal correlation functions of 3 scalar primary operators are constructed in an axiomatic way, relying only on conformal symmetry and causality. The construction makes use of the R-product and its analyticity properties in Minkowski momentum space. The R-product is completely determined by a system of partial differential equations (the Ward identities for conformal transformations) and a boundary condition (permutation symmetry), up to an OPE coefficient. Wightman functions and time-ordered products are then derived from the R-product using operator identities, and the Schwinger funct…
Using AdS/CFT correspondence we found the conformal anomaly from d3 and d5 gauged supergravity with single scalar (dilaton) and the arbitrary scalar potential on AdS-like scalar-gravitational background. Such dilatonic gravity action describes the special RG flows in extended gauged SG when scalars lie in one-dimensional submanifold of complete scalars space. This dilaton-dependent conformal anomaly corresponds to dual non-conformal (gauge) QFT (which is classically conformally invariant) with account of radiative corrections. Equations of motion in d5 gauged supergravity put some restrictions…
In this paper we consider matter fields in a gravitational background in order to compute the breaking of the conformal current at one-loop order. Standard perturbative calculations of conformal symmetry breaking expressed by the non-zero trace of the energy-momentum tensor have shown that some violating terms are regularization dependent, which may suggest the existence of spurious breaking terms in the anomaly. Therefore, we perform the calculation in a momentum space regularization framework in which regularization dependent terms are judiciously parametrized. We compare our results with th…
We establish a correspondence between a conformally invariant complex scalar field action (with a conformal self-interaction potential) and the action of a phantom scalar field minimally coupled to gravity (with a cosmological constant). In this correspondence, the module of the complex scalar field is used to relate conformally the metrics of both systems while its phase is identified with the phantom scalar field. At the level of the equations, the correspondence allows to map solution of the conformally non-linear Klein-Gordon equation with vanishing energy-momentum tensor to solution of a …
We investigate a version of fixed scalars for non-dilatonic branes which correspond to dilatations of the brane world-volume. We obtain a cross-section whose world-volume interpretation falls out naturally from an investigation of the breaking of conformal invariance by the irrelevant Born-Infeld corrections to Yang-Mills theory. From the same irrelevant world-volume operator we obtain the leading correction to the cross-sections of minimal scalars. This correction can be obtained in supergravity via an improved matching of inner and outer solutions to the minimal wave equation.
We propose field equations for the conformal higher spin system in three dimensions coupled to a conformal scalar field with a sixth order potential. Both the higher spin equation and the unfolded equation for the scalar field have source terms and are based on a conformal higher spin algebra which we treat as an expansion in multi-commutators. Explicit expressions for the source terms are suggested and subjected to some simple tests. We also discuss a cascading relation between the Chern-Simons action for the higher spin gauge theory and an action containing a term for each spin that generali…
We complete the proof of "Feynman rules" for constructing $M$-point conformal blocks with external and internal scalars in any topology for arbitrary $M$ in any spacetime dimension by combining the rules for the blocks (based on their Witten diagram interpretation) with the rules for the construction of conformal cross ratios (based on OPE flow diagrams). The full set of Feynman rules leads to blocks as power series of the hypergeometric type in the conformal cross ratios. We then provide a proof by recursion of the Feynman rules which relies heavily on the first Barnes lemma and the decomposi…
The DBI and special galileon theories exhibit a conformal symmetry at unphysical values of the spacetime dimension. We find the Lagrangian form of this symmetry. The special conformal transformations are non-linearly realized on the fields, even though conformal symmetry is unbroken. Commuting the conformal transformations with the extended shift symmetries, we find new symmetries, which when taken together with the conformal and shift symmetries close into a larger algebra. For DBI this larger algebra is the conformal algebra of the higher dimensional bulk in the brane embedding view of DBI. …
We present a detailed analysis of a scalar conformal four-point function obtained from AdS/CFT correspondence. We study the scalar exchange graphs in AdS and discuss their analytic properties. Using methods of conformal partial wave analysis, we present a general procedure to study conformal four-point functions in terms of exchanges of scalar and tensor fields. The logarithmic terms in the four-point functions are connected to the anomalous dimensions of the exchanged fields. Comparison of the results from AdS graphs with the conformal partial wave analysis, suggests a possible general form f…
We compute $d$-dimensional scalar six-point conformal blocks in the two possible topologies allowed by the operator product expansion. Our computation is a simple application of the embedding space operator product expansion formalism developed recently. Scalar six-point conformal blocks in the comb channel have been determined not long ago, and we present here the first explicit computation of the scalar six-point conformal blocks in the remaining inequivalent topology. For obvious reason, we dub the other topology the snowflake channel. The scalar conformal blocks, with scalar external and e…
We compute conformal correlation functions with spinor, tensor, and spinor-tensor primary fields in general dimensions with Euclidean and Lorentzian metrics. The spinors are taken to be Dirac spinors, which exist for any dimensions. For this, the embedding space formalism is employed and the polarisation spinors are introduced to simplify the computations. Three-point functions are rewritten in terms of differential operators acting on scalar-scalar-tensor correlation functions. This enables us to determine conformal blocks for four-point functions with scalar and spinor fields by acting the d…
The energy-momentum tensor for a massless conformally coupled scalar field in de Sitter spacetime in the presence of a couple curved branes is investigated. We assume that the scalar field satisfies the Robin boundary condition on the surfaces. Static de Sitter space is conformally related to the Rindler space, as a result we can obtain vacuum expectation values of energy-momentum tensor for conformally invariant field in static de Sitter space from the corresponding Rindler counterpart by the conformal transformation.
The properties of the Das-Popowicz Moyal momentum algebra that we introduce in hep-th/0207242 are reexamined in details and used to discuss some aspects of integrable models and 2d conformal field theories. Among the results presented, we setup some useful convention notations which lead to extract some non trivial properties of the Moyal momentum algebra. We use the particular sub-algebra sl(n)-{Sigma}_{n}^{(0,n)} to construct the sl(2)-Liouville conformal model and its sl(3)-Toda extension. We show also that the central charge, a la Feigin-Fuchs, associated to the spin-2 conformal current of…
We analyse spacetimes with a conformal scalar field source, a cosmological constant and a quartic self-interaction term for the scalar field. We also consider additional matter contents in the form of Maxwell and Yang-Mills fields or radiation fluids. Existence theorems for weakly asymptotically flat spacetimes are given. We give a generalisation of Bekenstein's result [Ann. Phys. 82, 535 (1974)] and use it to derive existence theorems for spacetimes that contain an isotropic singularity. The results are combined to suggest a mathematical setup for Penrose's CCC scenario using a conformal scal…
The present work is the second part of a series of computations for the self-mass-squared of the conformally coupled (CC) scalar interacting with gravitons. This work includes the kinetic-kinetic and kinetic-conformal parts, and thus completes the full scalar self-mass squared at one loop order in de Sitter background when combined with the conformal-conformal part previously evaluated. We use dimensional regularization and renormalize the results by subtracting appropriate counterterms. The self-mass squared is finally ready to quantum-correct the CC scalar field equation so that one can stud…
We study the behavior under conformal transformations of energy and other charges in generic scalar-tensor models. This enables us to conclude that the ADM/AD masses are invariant under field redefinitions mixing metric and scalar despite the permitted slow asymptotic falloff of massless scalars.
We construct conformally scalar NUTty dyon black holes in non-linear electrodynamics (NLE) which possess conformal and duality-rotation symmetries and are characterized by a free dimensionless parameter. The thermodynamic first law of the black hole is formulated. Then we explore the strong gravitational effects of the black hole, mainly focusing on the innermost stable circular orbits (ISCOs) of massive particles and shadows formed by the photons. One of our interesting results is that if the black hole is endowed with a positive real conformal scalar charge rendering it Reissner-Nordström-li…
We discuss the uniqueness of asymptotically flat and static spacetimes in the $n$-dimensional Einstein-conformal scalar system. This theory potentially has a singular point in the field equations where the effective Newton constant diverges. We will show that the static spacetime with the conformal scalar field outside a certain surface $S_p$ associated with the singular point is unique.
We obtain a newly charged BBMB (Bocharova-Bronnikov-Melnikov-Bekenstein) black hole solution from the Einstein-Weyl-Maxwell-conformal (conformally coupled) scalar theory with a positive Weyl coupling parameter $m^2_2$ numerically. This solution has a primary scalar hair, compared to a secondary scalar hair in the charged BBMB black hole solution. The limiting case of $m_2^2\to\infty$ leads to the series form of the charged BBMB black hole solution. However, for $m^2_2<0$, we could not obtain any asymptotically flat black hole solution with scalar hair.
We discuss the uniqueness of the static black hole in the Einstein gravity with a conformally coupled scalar field. In particular, we prove the uniqueness of the region outside of the photon surface, not event horizon.
The C-metric solution of conformal gravity with a conformally coupled scalar field is presented. The solution belongs to the class of Petrov type D spacetimes and is conformal to the standard AdS C-metric appeared in vacuum Einstein gravity. For all parameter ranges, we identify some of the physically interesting static regions and the corresponding coordinate ranges. The solution may contain a black hole event horizon, an acceleration horizon, either of which may be cut by the conformal infinity or be hidden behind the conformal infinity. Since the model is conformally invariant, we also disc…
The trace anomaly for a conformally invariant scalar field theory on a curved manifold of positive constant curvature with boundary is considered. In the context of a perturbative evaluation of the theory's effective action explicit calculations are given for those contributions to the conformal anomaly which emerge as a result of free scalar propagation as well as from scalar self-interactions up to second order in the scalar self-coupling. The renormalisation-group behaviour of the theory is, subsequently, exploited in order to advance the evaluation of the conformal anomaly to third order i…
We study the three dimensional Einstein gravity conformally coupled to a scalar field. Solutions of this theory are geometries with vanishing scalar curvature. We consider solutions with a constant scalar field which corresponds to an infinite Newton's constant. There is a class of solutions with possible curvature singularities which asymptotic symmetries are given by two copies of the Virasoro algebra. We argue that the central charge of the corresponding CFT is infinite. Furthermore, we construct a family of Schwarzschild solutions which can be conformally mapped to the Martinez-Zanelli sol…
We study spherically symmetric soliton solutions in a model with a conformally coupled scalar field as well as in full conformal gravity. We observe that a new type of limiting behaviour appears for particular choices of the self-coupling of the scalar field, i.e. the solitons interpolate smoothly between the Anti-de Sitter vacuum and an uncharged configuration. Furthermore, within conformal gravity the qualitative approach of a limiting solution does not change when varying the charge of the scalar field - contrary to the Einstein-Hilbert case. However, it changes with the scalar self-couplin…
We reexamine the Israel-type proof of the uniqueness theorem of the static spacetime outside the photon surface in the Einstein-conformal scalar system. We derive in a systematic fashion a new divergence identity which plays a key role in the proof. Our divergence identity includes three parameters, allowing us to give a new proof of the uniqueness.
We study Weyl symmetry (local conformal symmetry) in unimodular gravity. It is shown that the Noether currents for both Weyl symmetry and global scale symmetry, identically vanish as in the conformally invariant scalar-tensor gravity. We clearly explain why in the class of conformally invariant gravitational theories, the Noether currents vanish by starting with the conformally invariant scalar-tensor gravity. Moreover, we comment on both classical and quantum-mechanical equivalences among Einstein's general relativity, the conformally invariant scalar-tensor gravity and the Weyl-transverse (W…
Extending Bekenstein's theorem in order to search exact solutions of Einstein-Maxwell-conformal-scalar equations
National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；School of Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学天文学与空间科学学院）
