We introduce the software blocks_3d for computing four-point conformal blocks of operators with arbitrary Lorentz representations in 3d CFTs. It uses Zamolodchikov-like recursion relations to numerically compute derivatives of blocks around a crossing-symmetric configuration. It is implemented as a heavily optimized, multithreaded, C++ application. We give performance benchmarks for correlators containing scalars, fermions, and stress tensors. As an example application, we recompute bootstrap bounds on four-point functions of fermions and study whether a previously observed sharp jump can be explained using the "fake primary" effect. We conclude that the fake primary effect cannot fully explain the jump and the possible existence of a "dead-end" CFT near the jump merits further study.
Conformal blocks are the building blocks for correlation functions in conformal field theories. The four-point function is the most well-studied case. We consider conformal blocks for $n$-point correlation functions. For conformal field theories in dimensions $d=1$ and $d=2$, we use the shadow formalism to compute $n$-point conformal blocks, for arbitrary $n$, in a particular channel which we refer to as the comb channel. The result is expressed in terms of a multivariable hypergeometric function, for which we give series, differential, and integral representations. In general dimension $d$ we…
We study CFT2 conformal blocks on a torus and their holographic realization. The classical conformal blocks arising in the regime where conformal dimensions grow linearly with the large central charge are shown to be holographically dual to the geodesic networks stretched in the thermal AdS bulk space. We discuss the n-point conformal blocks and their duals, the 2-point case is elaborated in full detail. We develop various techniques to calculate both quantum and classical conformal block functions. In particular, we show that exponentiated global torus blocks reproduce classical torus blocks …
We derive expressions for conformal blocks involving operators with arbitrary spins in 3-dimensional CFTs. We use previous results on the action of the OPE in the embedding space to derive the conformal blocks. The blocks are given as explicit power series in terms of the conformal cross ratios.
The 4D 4-point scattering amplitude of massless scalars via a massive exchange is expressed in a basis of conformal primary particle wavefunctions. This celestial amplitude is expanded in a basis of 2D conformal partial waves on the unitary principal series, and then rewritten as a sum over 2D conformal blocks via contour deformation. The conformal blocks include intermediate exchanges of spinning light-ray states, as well as scalar states with positive integer conformal weights. The conformal block prefactors are found as expected to be quadratic in the celestial OPE coefficients.
We give a holographic description of global conformal blocks in two dimensional conformal field theory on the sphere and on the torus. We show that the conformal blocks for one-point functions on the torus can be written as Witten diagrams in thermal AdS. This is accomplished by deriving a general conformal Casimir equation for global conformal blocks, and showing that Witten diagrams obey the same equation. We study the semi-classical limit of n-point conformal blocks, and show that these equal the action of a network of bulk world-lines obeying appropriate geodesic equations. We give an alte…
The Gauß hypergeometric function shows a recursive structure which resembles those found in conformal blocks. We compare it with the recursive structure of the conformal block in boundary/crosscap conformal field theories that is obtained from the representation theory. We find that the pole structure perfectly agrees but the recursive structure in the Gauß hypergeometric function is slightly ``off-shell".
We study conformal blocks for thermal one-point-functions on the sphere in conformal field theories of general dimension. These thermal conformal blocks satisfy second order Casimir differential equations and have integral representations related to AdS Witten diagrams. We give an analytic formula for the scalar conformal block in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions. As an application, we deduce an asymptotic formula for the three-point coeffcients of primary operators in the limit where two of the operators are heavy.
Conformal blocks are the central ingredient of the conformal bootstrap programme. We elaborate on our recent observation that uncovered a relation with wave functions of an integrable Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian in order to develop a systematic theory of conformal blocks. Our main goal here is to review central ingredients of the Heckman-Opdam theory for scattering states of Calogero-Sutherland models with special emphasis to the relation with scalar 4-point blocks. We will also discuss a number of direct consequences for conformal blocks, including a new series expansion for blocks of arb…
The leading classical asymptotics of Virasoro conformal blocks on the Riemann sphere with n generic and n-3 "heavy" degenerate field insertions can be described in terms of the geometry of Garnier system describing the monodromy preserving deformations of second order Fuchsian differential equations on an n-punctured sphere. This allows us to characterise the leading classical asymptotics of Virasoro conformal blocks completely, and to clarify in which sense conformal field theory represents a quantisation of the isomonodromic deformation problem.
We describe a prescription for constructing conformal blocks in conformal field theories in any space-time dimension with arbitrary quantum numbers. Our procedure reduces the calculation of conformal blocks to constructing certain group theoretic structures that depend on the quantum numbers of primary operators. These structures project into irreducible Lorentz representations. Once the Lorentz quantum numbers are accounted for there are no further calculations left to do. We compute a multivariable generalization of the Exton function. This generalized Exton function, together with the group…
By performing resummation of small fermion-antifermion pairs within the pentagon form factor program to scattering amplitudes in planar N = 4 superYang-Mills theory, we construct multichannel conformal blocks within the flux-tube picture for N-sided NMHV polygons. This procedure is equivalent to summation of descendants of conformal primaries in the OPE framework. The resulting conformal partial waves are determined by multivariable hypergeometric series of Lauricella-Saran type.
We introduce a full set of rules to directly express all $M$-point conformal blocks in one- and two-dimensional conformal field theories, irrespective of the topology. The $M$-point conformal blocks are power series expansion in some carefully-chosen conformal cross-ratios. We then prove the rules for any topology constructively with the help of the known position space operator product expansion. To this end, we first compute the action of the position space operator product expansion on the most general function of position space coordinates relevant to conformal field theory. These results …
In this note we study CFT$_2$ Virasoro conformal blocks with heavy operators in the large-$c$ limit in the context of AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$ correspondence. We compute the lengths of the holographic Steiner trees dual to the $5$-point and $6$-point conformal blocks using the superlight approximation when one or more dimensions are much less than the others. These results are generalized for $N$-point holographic Steiner trees dual to $(N+1)$-point conformal blocks with superlight weights.
We apply an integral transformation to solutions of a partial differential equation for five-point correlation functions in Liouville theory on a sphere with one degenerate field $V_{-\frac{1}{2b}}$. By repeating this transformation, we can reach a whole lattice of values for the conformal dimensions of the four other operators. Factorizing out the degenerate field leads to integral representations of the corresponding four-point conformal blocks. We illustrate this procedure on the elliptic conformal blocks discovered in a previous publication.
Recently, with the help of Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetry an intriguing relation was found expressing the four-point scalar conformal block of a (d-2)-dimensional CFT in terms of a five-term linear combination of blocks of a d-dimensional CFT, with constant coefficients. We extend this dimensional reduction relation to all higher-point scalar conformal blocks of arbitrary topology restricted to scalar exchanges. We show that the constant coefficients appearing in the finite term higher-point dimensional reduction obey an interesting factorization property allowing them to be determined in terms …
We derive recursive representations in the internal weights of N-point Virasoro conformal blocks in the sphere linear channel and the torus necklace channel, and recursive representations in the central charge of arbitrary Virasoro conformal blocks on the sphere, the torus, and higher genus Riemann surfaces in the plumbing frame.
We study four types of one-point torus blocks arising in the large central charge regime. According to different limits of conformal dimensions we distinguish between the global block, the light block, the heavy-light block, and the linearized classical block. We show that they are not independent and connected to each other by various links. We find that the global, light, and heavy-light blocks correspond to three different contractions of the Virasoro algebra. Also, we formulate the c-recursive representation of the one-point torus blocks which is relevant in the semiclassical approximation…
After deriving the classical Ward identity for the variation of the action under a change of the modulus of the torus we map the problem of the sphere with four sources to the torus. We extend the method previously developed for computing the classical conformal blocks for the sphere topology to the tours topology. We give the explicit results for the classical blocks up to the third order in the nome included and compare them with the classical limit of the quantum conformal blocks. The extension to higher orders is straightforward.
We introduce a method for computing conformal blocks of operators in arbitrary Lorentz representations in any spacetime dimension, making it possible to apply bootstrap techniques to operators with spin. The key idea is to implement the "shadow formalism" of Ferrara, Gatto, Grillo, and Parisi in a setting where conformal invariance is manifest. Conformal blocks in $d$-dimensions can be expressed as integrals over the projective null-cone in the "embedding space" $\mathbb{R}^{d+1,1}$. Taking care with their analytic structure, these integrals can be evaluated in great generality, reducing the c…
On new exact conformal blocks and Nekrasov functions
最近，M。Beccaria和G.马可里尼在规范理论中，这个族的成员的特点是只有有限数量的极点作为中间维度/v. e. v.的函数。另一个显着的性质是，这些共形块/Nekrasov函数可以在耦合展开的所有阶中以封闭形式找到。在本文中，我们使用Zamolodchikov的递归方程系统地考虑这些特殊的共形块。我们猜想该族是无限维的，并描述了相应的参数集。我们进一步应用所开发的技术来证明，四点球面共形块功能类似的精确表达式。我们还研究了有限极块的模变换。
Recursion relations for the sphere $4$-point and torus $1$-point ${\cal W}_3$ conformal blocks, generalizing Alexei Zamolodchikov's famous relation for the Virasoro conformal blocks are proposed. One of these relations is valid for any 4-point conformal block with two arbitrary and two special primaries with charge parameters proportional to the highest weight of the fundamental irrep of $SU(3)$. The other relation is designed for the torus conformal block with a special (in above mentioned sense) primary field insertion. AGT relation maps the sphere conformal block and the torus block to the …
The construction of conformal blocks for the analysis of multipoint correlation functions with $N > 4$ local field insertions is an important open problem in higher dimensional conformal field theory. This is the first in a series of papers in which we address this challenge, following and extending our short announcement in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 021602]. According to Dolan and Osborn, conformal blocks can be determined from the set of differential eigenvalue equations that they satisfy. We construct a complete set of commuting differential operators that characterize multipoint conformal blo…
Conformal blocks play a central role in CFTs as the basic, theory-independent building blocks. However, only limited results are available concerning multipoint blocks associated with the global conformal group. In this paper, we systematically work out the $d$-dimensional $n$-point global conformal blocks (for arbitrary $d$ and $n$) for external and exchanged scalar operators in the so-called comb channel. We use kinematic aspects of holography and previously worked out higher-point AdS propagator identities to first obtain the geodesic diagram representation for the $(n+2)$-point block. Subs…
