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 apply this conformal partial wave decomposition to the scalar box integral in $d = 4$ dimensions.
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）
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…
By solving the two variable differential equations which arise from finding the eigenfunctions for the Casimir operator for $O(d,2)$ succinct expressions are found for the functions, conformal partial waves, representing the contribution of an operator of arbitrary scale dimension $Δ$ and spin $\ell$ together with its descendants to conformal four point functions for $d=4$, recovering old results, and also for $d=6$. The results are expressed in terms of ordinary hypergeometric functions of variables $x,z$ which are simply related to the usual conformal invariants. An expression for the confor…
In the framework of metric-like approach, totally symmetric arbitrary spin bosonic conformal fields propagating in flat space-time are studied. Depending on the values of conformal dimension, spin, and dimension of space-time, we classify all conformal field as long, partial-short, short, and special conformal fields. An ordinary-derivative (second-derivative) Lagrangian formulation for such conformal fields is obtained. The ordinary-derivative Lagrangian formulation is realized by using double-traceless gauge fields, Stueckelberg fields, and auxiliary fields. Gauge-fixed Lagrangian invariant …
Massless scattering amplitudes in four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime can be Mellin transformed to correlation functions on the celestial sphere at null infinity called celestial amplitudes. We study various properties of massless four-point scalar and gluon celestial amplitudes such as conformal partial wave decomposition, crossing relations and optical theorem. As a byproduct, we derive the analog of the single and double soft limits for all gluon celestial amplitudes.
We present an explicit momentum space computation of the four-point function of the energy-momentum tensor in 4 spacetime dimensions for the free and conformally invariant theory of a scalar field. The result is obtained by explicit evaluation of the Feynman diagrams by tensor reduction. We work by embedding the scalar field theory in a gravitational background consistently with conformal invariance in order to derive all the terms the correlator consists of and all the Ward identities implied by the requirements of general covariance and anomalous Weyl symmetry. We test all these identities n…
We revisit the problem of performing conformal block decomposition of exchange Witten diagrams in the crossed channel. Using properties of conformal blocks and Witten diagrams, we discover infinitely many linear relations among the crossed channel decomposition coefficients. These relations allow us to formulate a recursive algorithm that solves the decomposition coefficients in terms of certain seed coefficients. In one dimensional CFTs, the seed coefficient is the decomposition coefficient of the double-trace operator with the lowest conformal dimension. In higher dimensions, the seed coeffi…
We study the momentum-space 4-point correlation function of identical scalar operators in conformal field theory. Working specifically with null momenta, we show that its imaginary part admits an expansion in conformal blocks. The blocks are polynomials in the cosine of the scattering angle, with degree $\ell$ corresponding to the spin of the intermediate operator. The coefficients of these polynomials are obtained in a closed-form expression for arbitrary spacetime dimension $d > 2$. If the scaling dimension of the intermediate operator is large, the conformal block reduces to a Gegenbauer po…
In conformal field theory in Minkowski momentum space, the 3-point correlation functions of local operators are completely fixed by symmetry. Using Ward identities together with the existence of a Lorentzian operator product expansion (OPE), we show that the Wightman function of three scalar operators is a double hypergeometric series of the Appell $F_4$ type. We extend this simple closed-form expression to the case of two scalar operators and one traceless symmetric tensor with arbitrary spin. Time-ordered and partially-time-ordered products are constructed in a similar fashion and their rela…
We show how conformal partial waves (or conformal blocks) of spinor/tensor correlators can be related to each other by means of differential operators in four dimensional conformal field theories. We explicitly construct such differential operators for all possible conformal partial waves associated to four-point functions of arbitrary traceless symmetric operators. Our method allows any conformal partial wave to be extracted from a few "seed" correlators, simplifying dramatically the computation needed to bootstrap tensor correlators.
A nontrivial conformally invariant model is obtained via generalization the method of obtaining conformally invariant models in $2D$ Euclidean space to the Euclidean space with dimension $D>2$. This method was previously developed by E.S. Fradkin and M.Ya. Palchik (see [7] and reference therein). The partial wave expansion of a four-point function $\langle j_μ(x_{1})j_ν(x_{2})φ(x_{3})φ(x_{4})\rangle$ containing two conserved vector fields $j_μ$ and two scalars $φ$ of dimension $ d $ in a $D$ -dimensional Euclidean space is considered. The requirement of the absence the vector operator of the d…
We elaborate on the structure of the conformal anomaly effective action up to 4-th order, in an expansion in the gravitational fluctuations $(h)$ of the background metric, in the flat spacetime limit. For this purpose we discuss the renormalization of 4-point functions containing insertions of stress-energy tensors (4T), in conformal field theories in four spacetime dimensions with the goal of identifying the structure of the anomaly action. We focus on a separation of the correlator into its transverse/traceless and longitudinal components, applied to the trace and conservation Ward identitie…
We study the parity-odd sector of 3-point functions comprising of scalar operators and conserved currents in conformal field theories in momentum space. We use momentum space conformal Ward identities as well as spin-raising and weight-shifting operators to fix the form of these correlators. We discuss in detail the regularisation of divergences and their renormalisation using specific counter-terms.
In the first part, we concentrate on CFTs in coordinate space. We lay the foundations of Conformal Field Theory and we also demonstrate a method where by using the embedding formalism we can derive up to n-point scalar conformal correlators. We proceed with our analysis in momentum space and we illustrate the theory of the conformal anomalies. We move on to analyse the renormalization of the correlators through counterterms followed by a discussion of the anomaly action. In the second part of the thesis. we derive and analyze the conformal Ward identities (CWIs) of a tensorial 4-point function…
We propose a method to holographically compute the conformal partial waves in any decomposition of correlation functions of primary operators in conformal field theories using open Wilson network operators in the holographic gravitational dual. The Wilson operators are the gravitational ones where gravity is written as a gauge theory in the first order Hilbert-Palatini formalism. We apply this method to compute the global conformal blocks and partial waves in 2d CFTs reproducing many of the known results.
After a brief outline of general aspects of conformal field theories in coordinate space, in a first part we review the solution of the conformal constraints of three- and four-point functions in momentum space in dimensions $d\geq 2$, in the form of conformal Ward identities (CWI's). We center our discussion on the analysis of correlators containing stress-energy tensors $(T)$, conserved currents $(J)$, and scalar operators $(O)$. For scalar four-point functions, we briefly discuss our method for determining the dual conformal solutions of such equations, identified only by the CWI's, and rel…
We study conformal Ward-Takahashi identities for two-point functions in $d(\geq3)$-dimensional finite-temperature conformal field theory. We first show that the conformal Ward-Takahashi identities can be translated into the intertwining relations of conformal algebra $\mathfrak{so}(2,d)$. We then show that, at finite temperature, the intertwining relations can be translated into the recurrence relations for two-point functions in complex momentum space. By solving these recurrence relations, we find the momentum-space two-point functions that satisfy the Kubo-Martin-Schwinger thermal equilibri…
We present a comprehensive analysis of the implications of conformal invariance for 3-point functions of the stress-energy tensor, conserved currents and scalar operators in general dimension and in momentum space. Our starting point is a novel and very effective decomposition of tensor correlators which reduces their computation to that of a number of scalar form factors. For example, the most general 3-point function of a conserved and traceless stress-energy tensor is determined by only five form factors. Dilatations and special conformal Ward identities then impose additional conditions on…
We explore AdS/CFT correspondence between geodesic Witten diagrams and conformal blocks (conformal partial waves) with an external symmetric traceless tensor field. We derive an expression for the conformal partial wave with an external spin-1 field and show that this expression is equivalent to the amplitude of the geodesic Witten diagram. We also show the equivalence by using conformal Casimir equation in embedding formalism. Furthermore, we extend the construction of the amplitude of the geodesic Witten diagram to an external arbitrary symmetric traceless tensor field. We show our construct…
We study solutions of the Klein-Gordon, Maxwell, and linearized Einstein equations in $\mathbb{R}^{1,d+1}$ that transform as $d$-dimensional conformal primaries under the Lorentz group $SO(1,d+1)$. Such solutions, called conformal primary wavefunctions, are labeled by a conformal dimension $Δ$ and a point in $\mathbb{R}^d$, rather than an on-shell $(d+2)$-dimensional momentum. We show that the continuum of scalar conformal primary wavefunctions on the principal continuous series $Δ\in \frac d2+ i\mathbb{R}$ of $SO(1,d+1)$ spans a complete set of normalizable solutions to the wave equation. In …
Osp(N|4) supermultiplets as conformal superfields on \partial AdS_4 and the generic form of N=2, D=3 gauge theories
在本文中，我们填补了一个必要的空白，以实现在AdS_4 x X ^7上紧化的超引力的卡鲁扎·克莱因谱与生活在M2-膜的世界体积上的超共形场论之间的明确比较。在代数方面，我们考虑超代数Osp（N| 4）研究了它的不可约表示的双重解释，即在体粒子态的超多重态和在边界上的共形超场。在拉格朗日场论方面，我们使用流变学而不是超场技术，构造了N=2，d=3的规范理论的一般形式。实际上，超共形多重态在合适的规范理论中被认为是复合算符。
We study conformal partial waves (CPWs) in Mellin space with totally symmetric external operators of arbitrary integer spin. The exchanged spin is arbitrary, and includes mixed symmetry and (partially)-conserved representations. In a basis of CPWs recently introduced in arXiv:1702.08619, we find a remarkable factorisation of the external spin dependence in their Mellin representation. This property allows a relatively straightforward study of inversion formulae to extract OPE data from the Mellin representation of spinning 4pt correlators and in particular, to extract closed-form expressions f…
We study the spectrum of multiple non-Abelian anyons in a harmonic trap. The system is described by Chern-Simons theory, coupled to either bosonic or fermionic non-relativistic matter, and has an SO(2,1) conformal invariance. We describe a number of special properties of the spectrum, focussing on a class of protected states whose energies are dictated by their angular momentum. We show that the angular momentum of a bound state of non-Abelian anyons is determined by the quadratic Casimirs of their constituents.
I investigate the higher-derivative conformal theory which shows how the Nambu-Goto and Polyakov strings can be told apart. Its energy-momentum tensor is conserved, traceless but does not belong to the conformal family of the unit operator. To implement conformal invariance in this case, I develop the new technique that explicitly accounts for the quantum equation of motion and results in singular products. I show that the conformal transformations generated by such a nonprimary energy-momentum tensor form a Lie algebra with a central extension which in the path-integral formalism gives a loga…
We present a Feynman integral representation for the general momentum-space scalar $n$-point function in any conformal field theory. This representation solves the conformal Ward identities and features an arbitrary function of $n(n-3)/2$ variables which play the role of momentum-space conformal cross-ratios. It involves $(n-1)(n-2)/2$ integrations over momenta, with the momenta running over the edges of an $(n-1)$-simplex. We provide the details in the simplest non-trivial case (4-point functions), and for this case we identify values of the operator and spacetime dimensions for which singula…
