Spectral flow, spacetime supersymmetry, topological twists, chiral primaries related to marginal deformations, mirror symmetry: these are important consequences of the worldsheet N=2 superconformal symmetry of strings on Calabi-Yau manifolds. To various degrees of certainty, these features were also established when the target is either 7d or 8d with exceptional holonomy G$_2$ or Spin(7) respectively. We show that these are more than mere analogies. We exhibit an underlying symmetry SW(3/2,2) making a bridge between the latter cases and K3 target spaces. Reviewing unitary representations of SW(3/2,2) leads us to speculate on further roles of this algebra in string theory compactifications and on the existence of topologically twisted versions of SW(3/2,2) theories.
We study 1-dimensional chains of ghost-spins with nearest neighbour interactions amongst them, developing further the study of ghost-spins in previous work, defined as 2-state spin variables with indefinite norm. First we study finite ghost-spin chains with Ising-like nearest neighbour interactions: this helps organize and clarify the study of entanglement earlier and we develop this further. Then we study a family of infinite ghost-spin chains with a different Hamiltonian containing nearest neighbour hopping-type interactions. By defining fermionic ghost-spin variables through a Jordan-Wigner…
We study the positivity properties of the leading Regge trajectory in higher-dimensional, unitary, conformal field theories (CFTs). These conditions correspond to higher spin generalizations of the averaged null energy condition (ANEC). By studying higher spin ANEC, we will derive new bounds on the dimensions of charged, spinning operators and prove that if the Hofman-Maldacena bounds are saturated, then the theory has a higher spin symmetry. We also derive new, general bounds on CFTs, with an emphasis on theories whose spectrum is close to that of a generalized free field theory. As an exampl…
Two-dimensional conformal field theories with Virasoro symmetry generically contain a Schwarzian sector. This sector is related to the near-horizon region of the near-extremal BTZ black hole in the holographic dual. In this work we generalize this picture to CFTs with higher spin conserved currents. It is shown that the partition function in the near-extremal limit agrees with that of BF higher spin gravity in AdS$_2$ which is described by a generalized Schwarzian theory. We also provide a spectral decomposition of Schwarzian partition functions via the $\mathcal{W}_N$ fusion kernel and consid…
We systematically study correlators of a generic conformal field theory with a global O(2) symmetry in a sector of large global charge. We focus in particular on three- and four-point correlators with conserved current insertions sandwiched between spinful excited states corresponding to phonons over the large-charge vacuum. We also discuss loop corrections to the scaling dimensions and observe multiple logarithms in even dimensions.
We study a duality, recently conjectured by Klebanov and Polyakov, between higher-spin theories on AdS_4 and O(N) vector models in 3-d. These theories are free in the UV and interacting in the IR. At the UV fixed point, the O(N) model has an infinite number of higher-spin conserved currents. In the IR, these currents are no longer conserved for spin s>2. In this paper, we show that the dual interpretation of this fact is that all fields of spin s>2 in AdS_4 become massive by a Higgs mechanism, that leaves the spin-2 field massless. We identify the Higgs field and show how it relates to the RG …
We provide a new class of exactly solvable superconformal field theories that corresponds to type II compactification on manifolds with exceptional holonomies. We combine N=1 Liouville field and N=1 coset models and construct modular invariant partition functions of strings moving on these manifolds. The resulting theories preserve spacetime supersymmetry. Also we explicitly construct chiral currents in these models to realize consistent string theories.
The scaling dimension of the first excited state in two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) satisfies a universal upper bound. Using the modular bootstrap, we extend this result to CFTs with $W_3$ algebras which are generically dual to higher spin theories in AdS$_3$. Assuming unitarity and modular invariance, we show that the conformal weights $h$, $\bar{h}$ of the lightest charged state satisfy $h < c/12 + O(1)$ and $\bar{h} < \bar{c}/12 + O(1)$ in the limit where the central charges $c$, $\bar{c}$ are large. Furthermore, we show that in this limit any consistent CFT with $W_3$ curre…
Thermal states of quantum systems with many degrees of freedom are subject to a bound on the rate of onset of chaos, including a bound on the Lyapunov exponent, $λ_L\leq 2π/β$. We harness this bound to constrain the space of putative holographic CFTs and their would-be dual theories of AdS gravity. First, by studying out-of-time-order four-point functions, we discuss how $λ_L=2π/β$ in ordinary two-dimensional holographic CFTs is related to properties of the OPE at strong coupling. We then rule out the existence of unitary, sparse two-dimensional CFTs with large central charge and a set of high…
We examine anomalous dimensions of higher spin currents in the critical O(N) scalar model and the Gross-Neveu model in arbitrary d dimensions. These two models are proposed to be dual to the type A and type B Vasiliev theories, respectively. We reproduce the known results on the anomalous dimensions to the leading order in 1/N by using conformal perturbation theory. This work can be regarded as an extension of previous work on the critical O(N) scalars in 3 dimensions, where it was shown that the bulk computation for the masses of higher spin fields on AdS_4 can be mapped to the boundary one i…
We examine rectangular W-algebras with $so(M)$ or $sp(2M)$ symmetry, which can be realized as the asymptotic symmetry of higher spin gravities with restricted matrix extensions. We compute the central charges of the algebras and the levels of $so(M)$ or $sp(2M)$ affine subalgebras by applying the Hamiltonian reductions of $so$ or $sp$ type Lie algebras. For simple cases with generators of spin up to two, we obtain their operator product expansions by requiring the associativity. We further claim that the W-algebras can be realized as the symmetry algebras of dual coset CFTs and provide several…
We analyze the asymptotic symmetry of higher spin gravity with $M \times M$ matrix valued fields, which is given by rectangular W-algebras with su$(M)$ symmetry. The matrix valued extension is expected to be useful for the relation between higher spin gravity and string theory. With the truncation of spin as $s=2,3,\ldots , n$, we evaluate the central charge $c$ of the algebra and the level $k$ of the affine currents with finite $c,k$. For the simplest case with $n=2$, we obtain the operator product expansions among generators by requiring their associativity. We conjecture that the symmetry i…
We apply the method of the large spin bootstrap to analyse fermionic conformal field theories with weakly broken higher spin symmetry. Through the study of correlators of composite operators, we find the anomalous dimensions and OPE coefficients in the Gross-Neveu model in $d=2+\varepsilon$ dimensions and the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa model in $d=4-\varepsilon$ dimensions, based only on crossing symmetry. Furthermore a non-trivial solution in the $d=2+\varepsilon$ expansion is found for a fermionic theory in which the fundamental field is not part of the spectrum. The results are perturbative in $\va…
The method of large spin perturbation theory allows to analyse conformal field theories (CFT) by turning the crossing equations into an algebraic problem. We apply this method to a generic CFT with weakly broken higher spin (HS) symmetry, to the first non-trivial order in the breaking parameter. We show that the spectrum of broken currents, for any value of the spin, follows from crossing symmetry. After discussing a generic model of a single scalar field, we focus on vector models with $O(N)$ global symmetry. We rediscover the spectrum of several models, including the $O(N)$ Wilson-Fisher mod…
We study scalar conformal field theories whose large $N$ spectrum is fixed by the operator dimensions of either Ising model or Lee-Yang edge singularity. Using numerical bootstrap to study CFTs with $S_N\otimes Z_2$ symmetry, we find a series of kinks whose locations approach $(Δ^{\text{Ising}}_σ,Δ^{\text{Ising}}_ε)$ at $N\rightarrow \infty$. Setting $N=4$, we study the cubic anisotropic fixed point with three spin components. As byproducts of our numerical bootstrap work, we discover another series of kinks whose identification with previous known CFTs remains a mystery. We also show that "mi…
The holographic duals of higher spin theories on AdS_3 are described by the large N limit of a family of minimal model CFTs, whose symmetry algebra is equivalent to W(infinity)[lambda]. We study perturbations of these limit theories, and show that they possess a marginal symmetry-preserving perturbation that describes switching on the 1/N corrections. We also test our general results for the specific cases of lambda=0,1, where free field realisations are available.
We present a novel way to organise the finite size spectra of a class of conformal field theories (CFT) with $\mathcal{N}=2$ or (non-linear) $\mathcal{N}=4$ superconformal symmetry. Generalising the spinon basis of the $SU(n)_1$ WZW theories, we introduce supersymmetric spinons $(ϕ^-, ϕ^{+})$, which form a representation of the supersymmetry algebra. In each case, we show how to construct a multi-spinon basis of the chiral CFT spectra. The multi-spinon states are labelled by a collection $\{ n_j \}$ of (discrete) momenta. The state-content for given choice of $\{ n_j \}$ is determined through …
We prove using invariance under the modular $S$- and $ST$-transformations that every unitary two-dimensional conformal field theory (CFT) of only even-spin operators (with no extended chiral algebra and with central charges $c,\tilde{c}>1$) contains a primary operator with dimension $Δ_1$ satisfying $0 < Δ_1 < (c+\tilde{c})/24 + 0.09280...$ After deriving both analytical and numerical bounds, we discuss how to extend our methods to bound higher conformal dimensions before deriving lower and upper bounds on the number of primary operators in a given energy range. Using the AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$ dicti…
We consider CFTs conjectured to be dual to higher spin theories of gravity in AdS_3 and AdS_4. Two dimensional CFTs with W_N symmetry are considered in the lambda=0 (k --> infinity) limit, where they are conjectured to be described by continuous orbifolds. The torus partition function is computed, using reasonable assumptions, and equals that of a free field theory. We find no phase transition at temperatures of order one; the usual Hawking-Page phase transition is removed by the highly degenerate light states associated with conical defect states in the bulk. Three dimensional Chern-Simons-ma…
We propose a duality between the 2d W_N minimal models in the large N 't Hooft limit, and a family of higher spin theories on AdS_3. The 2d CFTs can be described as WZW coset models, and include, for N=2, the usual Virasoro unitary series. The dual bulk theory contains, in addition to the massless higher spin fields, two complex scalars (of equal mass). The mass is directly related to the 't Hooft coupling constant of the dual CFT. We give convincing evidence that the spectra of the two theories match precisely for all values of the 't Hooft coupling. We also show that the RG flows in the 2d C…
A holographic correspondence has been recently developed between higher spin theories in three-dimensional anti-de Sitter space (AdS_3) and two-dimensional Conformal Field Theories (CFTs) with extended symmetries. A class of such dualities involves SL(N,R)\times SL(N,R) Chern-Simons gauge theories in the (2+1)-dimensional bulk spacetime, and CFTs with W_N symmetry algebras on the (1+1)-dimensional boundary. The topological character of the Chern-Simons theory forces one to reconsider standard geometric notions such as black hole horizons and entropy, as well as the usual holographic dictionary…
We study correlation functions of a conserved spin-1 current $J_μ$ in three dimensional Conformal Field Theories (CFTs). We investigate the constraints imposed by permutation symmetry and current conservation on the form of three point functions $\langle J_μJ_ν\mathcal O_{Δ,\ell}\rangle $ and the four point function $\langle J_μJ_νJ_ρJ_σ\rangle $ and identify the minimal set of independent crossing symmetry conditions. We obtain a recurrence relation for conformal blocks for generic spin-1 operators in three dimensions. In the process, we improve several technical points, facilitating the use …
We derive constraints on the operator product expansion of two stress tensors in conformal field theories (CFTs), both generic and holographic. We point out that in large $N$ CFTs with a large gap to single-trace higher spin operators, the stress tensor sector is not only universal, but isolated: that is, $\langle TT{\cal O}\rangle=0$, where ${\cal O}\neq T$ is a single-trace primary. We show that this follows from a suppression of $\langle TT{\cal O}\rangle$ by powers of the higher spin gap, $Δ_{\rm gap}$, dual to the bulk mass scale of higher spin particles, and explain why $\langle TT{\cal …
We consider several aspects of unitary higher-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs). We first study massive deformations that trigger a flow to a gapped phase. Deep inelastic scattering in the gapped phase leads to a convexity property of dimensions of spinning operators of the original CFT. We further investigate the dimensions of spinning operators via the crossing equations in the light-cone limit. We find that, in a sense, CFTs become free at large spin and 1/s is a weak coupling parameter. The spectrum of CFTs enjoys additivity: if two twists tau_1, tau_2 appear in the spectrum, the…
Three-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) with slightly broken higher spin symmetry provide an interesting laboratory to study general properties of CFTs and their roles in the AdS/CFT correspondence. In this work we compute the four-point functions at arbitrary 't Hooft coupling $λ$ in the CFTs with slightly broken higher spin symmetry. We use a bootstrap approach based on the approximate higher spin Ward identity. We show that the bootstrap equation is separated into two parts with opposite parity charges, and it leads to a recursion relation for the $λ$ expansions of the correlation…
Utilizing AdS/CFT correspondence in M-theory, an example of interacting d=3 conformal field theories and renormalization group flow between them is presented. Near-horizon geometry of N coincident M2-branes located on a conical singularity on eight-dimensional hyperkähler manifold or manifold with Spin(7) holonomy is, in large-N limit, AdS4*X7, where X7 is seven-sphere with squashing. Deformation from round $§_7$ to squashed one is known to lead to spontaneous breaking of N=8 local supersymmetry in gauged AdS4 supergravity to N=1, 0. Via AdS/CFT correspondence, it is interpreted as renormaliza…
It was recently proposed that a large N limit of a family of minimal model CFTs is dual to a certain higher spin gravity theory in AdS_3, where the 't Hooft coupling constant of the CFT is related to a deformation parameter of the higher spin algebra. We identify the asymptotic symmetry algebra of the higher spin theory for generic 't Hooft parameter, and show that it coincides with a family of W-algebras previously discovered in the context of the KP hierarchy. We furthermore demonstrate that this family of W-algebras controls the representation theory of the minimal model CFTs in the 't Hoof…
We consider free fermion and free boson CFTs in two dimensions, deformed by a chemical potential $μ$ for the spin-three current. For the CFT on the infinite spatial line, we calculate the finite temperature entanglement entropy of a single interval perturbatively to second order in $μ$ in each of the theories. We find that the result in each case is given by the same non-trivial function of temperature and interval length. Remarkably, we further obtain the same formula using a recent Wilson line proposal for the holographic entanglement entropy, in holomorphically factorized form, associated t…
We study solvable spin chains, one-dimensional massless Dirac fermions, and conformal field theories (CFTs) with sine-square deformation (SSD), in which the Hamiltonian density is modulated by the function $f(x)=\sin^2 (πx/\ell)$, where $x$ is the position and $\ell$ is the length of the system. For the XY chain and the transverse field Ising chain at criticality, it is shown that the ground state of an open system with SSD is identical to that of a uniform chain with periodic boundary conditions. The same holds for the massless Dirac fermions with SSD, corresponding to the continuum limit of …
Theories of anti-commuting scalar fields are non-unitary, but they are of interest both in statistical mechanics and in studies of the higher spin de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory correspondence. We consider an $Sp(N)$ invariant theory of $N$ anti-commuting scalars and one commuting scalar, which has cubic interactions and is renormalizable in 6 dimensions. For any even $N$ we find an IR stable fixed point in $6-ε$ dimensions at imaginary values of coupling constants. Using calculations up to three loop order, we develop $ε$ expansions for several operator dimensions and for the sphere free en…
This paper is part of an effort to gain further understanding of 2D Logarithmic Conformal Field Theories (LCFTs) by exploring their lattice regularizations. While all work so far has dealt with the Virasoro algebra (or the product of left and right Virasoro), the best known (although maybe not the most relevant physically) LCFTs in the continuum are characterized by a W-algebra symmetry, whose presence is powerful, but difficult to understand physically. We explore here the origin of this symmetry in the underlying lattice models. We consider U_q sl(2) XXZ spin chains for q a root of unity, an…
The class of 2d minimal model CFTs with higher spin AdS3 duals is extended to theories with large N=4 superconformal symmetry. We construct a higher spin theory based on the global D(2,1|alpha) superalgebra, and propose a large N family of cosets as a dual CFT description. We also indicate how a non-abelian version of this Vasiliev higher spin theory might give an alternative description of IIB string theory on an AdS3 x S3 x S3 x S1 background.
For expansions in one-dimensional conformal blocks, we provide a rigorous link between the asymptotics of the spectral density of exchanged primaries and the leading singularity in the crossed channel. Our result has a direct application to systems of SL(2,R)-invariant correlators (also known as 1d CFTs). It also puts on solid ground a part of the lightcone bootstrap analysis of the spectrum of operators of high spin and bounded twist in CFTs in d>2. In addition, a similar argument controls the spectral density asymptotics in large N gauge theories.
Fixed points in three dimensions described by conformal field theories with $MN_{m,n}= O(m)^n\rtimes S_n$ global symmetry have extensive applications in critical phenomena. Associated experimental data for $m=n=2$ suggest the existence of two non-trivial fixed points, while the $\varepsilon$ expansion predicts only one, resulting in a puzzling state of affairs. A recent numerical conformal bootstrap study has found two kinks for small values of the parameters $m$ and $n$, with critical exponents in good agreement with experimental determinations in the $m=n=2$ case. In this paper we investigat…
Singularities of Spin(7) manifolds are considered in the worldsheet approach, and it is argued that the internal CFT describing a singular spin(7) has an enhanced ${\cal SW}({3\over 2},{3\over 2},2)$ algebra tensored with ${\cal N}=1$ linear dilaton CFT, much like singular Calabi-Yau CFTs have a ${\cal N}=2$ linear dilaton tensored with a suitable ${\cal N}=2$ SCFT. Upon adding fundamental strings, these vacua are related to $AdS_3$ vacua with ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetry, completing the worldsheet classification of $AdS_3$ vacua with NS flux.
We derive constraints on two-dimensional conformal field theories with higher spin symmetry due to unitarity, modular invariance, and causality. We focus on CFTs with $\mathcal{W}_N$ symmetry in the "irrational" regime, where $c>N-1$ and the theories have an infinite number of higher-spin primaries. The most powerful constraints come from positivity of the Kac matrix, which (unlike the Virasoro case) is non-trivial even when $c>N-1$. This places a lower bound on the dimension of any non-vacuum higher-spin primary state, which is linear in the central charge. At large $c$, this implies that the…
Given a unitary fusion category, one can define the Hilbert space of a so-called ``anyonic spin-chain'' and nearest neighbor Hamiltonians providing a real-time evolution. There is considerable evidence that suitable scaling limits of such systems can lead to $1+1$-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs), and in fact, can be used potentially to construct novel classes of CFTs. Besides the Hamiltonians and their densities, the spin chain is known to carry an algebra of symmetry operators commuting with the Hamiltonian, and these operators have an interesting representation as matrix-product-…
Monopole operators are studied in a large family of quantum critical points between Dirac and topological quantum spin liquids (QSLs): chiral and Z$_{2}$ QSLs. These quantum phase transitions are described by conformal field theories (CFTs): quantum electrodynamics in 2+1 dimensions with 2N flavors of two-component massless Dirac fermions and a four-fermion interaction. For the transition to a chiral spin liquid, it is the Gross-Neveu interaction (QED$_{3}$-GN), while for the transitions to Z$_{2}$ QSLs it is a superconducting pairing term with general spin/valley structure (generalized QED$_{…
We examine the thermodynamic properties of recently constructed black hole solutions in SL(3,R) x SL(3,R) Chern-Simons theory in the presence of a chemical potential for spin-3 charge, which acts as an irrelevant deformation of the dual CFT with W_3 x W_3 symmetry. The smoothness or holonomy conditions admit four branches of solutions describing a flow between two AdS_3 backgrounds corresponding to two different CFTs. The dominant branch at low temperatures, connected to the BTZ black hole, merges smoothly with a thermodynamically unstable branch and disappears at higher temperatures. We confi…
We prove the absence of a mass gap and confinement in the Polyakov model with massless complex fermions in any representation of the gauge group. A $U(1)_{*}$ topological shift symmetry protects the masslessness of one dual photon. This symmetry emerges in the IR as a consequence of the Callias index theorem and abelian duality. For matter in the fundamental representation, the infrared limits of this class of theories interpolate between weakly and strongly coupled conformal field theory (CFT) depending on the number of flavors, and provide an infinite class of CFTs in $d=3$ dimensions. The l…
We introduce topological invariants for gapless systems and study the associated boundary phenomena. More generally, the symmetry properties of the low-energy conformal field theory (CFT) provide discrete invariants, establishing the notion of symmetry-enriched quantum criticality. The charges of nonlocal scaling operators, or more generally of symmetry defects, are topological and imply the presence of localized edge modes. We primarily focus on the $1+1d$ case where the edge has a topological degeneracy, whose finite-size splitting can be exponential or algebraic in system size depending on …
