We explore the holographic proposal involving spacetimes with linear dilaton asymptotics in three dimensions from a gravity perspective. The holographic dual shares some properties with a symmetric product conformal field theory deformed by a single-trace analogue of the $T \overline{T}$ deformation. We present solutions of ten-dimensional supergravity which interpolate from BTZ black holes in the interior to either a linear dilaton spacetime near infinity, or to flat space. This allows a precise identification of field theory parameters with gravity parameters. The solutions manifestly exhibit the square root structure that is characteristic of $T \overline{T}$-deformed conformal field theories. We compute the mass of the spacetimes using the covariant phase space formalism and find agreement with the square root formula for the case of black holes without spin. We also discuss whether closed string tachyons might play a role when the deformation parameter becomes too large and the vacuum becomes unstable.
We continue our study of string theory in a background that interpolates between $AdS_3$ in the infrared and a linear dilaton spacetime $R^{1,1}\times R_ϕ$ in the UV. This background corresponds via holography to a $CFT_2$ deformed by a certain irrelevant operator of dimension $(2,2)$. We show that for two point functions of local operators in the infrared CFT, conformal perturbation theory in this irrelevant operator has a finite radius of convergence in momentum space, and one can use it to flow up the renormalization group. The spectral density develops an imaginary part above a certain cri…
Irrelevant operators in a CFT modify the usual Weyl transformation of the metric. A metric beta-function turns on, which modifies the Weyl anomalies as well. In this paper, we study the relation between bulk diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformation at the boundary when a massive scalar field, which sources irrelevant operators at the boundary, is coupled to the bulk metric. Considering the effect of the backreaction generated by the scalar field, we provide a holographic description of the boundary metric beta-function and anomalies. Our results represent an additional test of the AdS/CFT corre…
We investigate deformations of Lifshitz holography in $(n+1)$ dimensional spacetime. After discussing the situation for general Lifshitz scaling symmetry parameter $z$, we consider $z=n-1$ and the associated marginally relevant operators. These operators are dynamically generated by a momentum scale $Λ\sim 0$ and correspond to slightly deformed Lifshitz spacetimes via a holographic picture. We obtain renormalization group flow at finite temperature from UV Lifshitz to IR AdS, and evaluate how physical quantities such as the free energy density and the energy density depend on $\log(Λ^z/T)$ in …
We discuss holography for Schrodinger solutions of both topologically massive gravity in three dimensions and massive vector theories in (d+1) dimensions. In both cases the dual field theory can be viewed as a d-dimensional conformal field theory (two dimensional in the case of TMG) deformed by certain operators that respect the Schrodinger symmetry. These operators are irrelevant from the viewpoint of the relativistic conformal group but they are exactly marginal with respect to the non-relativistic conformal group. The spectrum of linear fluctuations around the background solutions correspon…
We consider the non-local operator ${\mathcal T}$ defined in 2-dimensional CFTs by the path integral over a torus with two punctures. Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we study the spectrum and ground state of this operator in holographic such CFTs in the limit of large central charge $c$. In one region of moduli space, we argue that the operator retains a finite gap and has a ground state that differs from the CFT vacuum only by order one corrections. In this region the torus operator is much like the cylinder operator. But in another region of moduli space we find a puzzle. Although our ${\m…
We give a definition of asymptotically locally Lifshitz spacetimes, with boundary data appropriate for a non-relativistic theory on the boundary. Solutions satisfying these boundary conditions are constructed in an asymptotic expansion. We identify the boundary data with sources for dual field theory operators, and give a prescription for calculating the one-point functions of the field theory operators (including the stress tensor) in the presence of arbitrary sources. The divergences in these one-point functions can be cancelled by holographic renormalization, adding counterterms which are l…
In this paper, we study the effective action, the mass spectrum and the first law of entanglement entropy for a novel doubly holographic model called wedge holography. We work out the effective action of quantum gravity on the branes. In the perturbative formulation, it is given by an infinite sum of Pauli-Fierz actions. In the non-perturbative formulation, the effective action is composed of a higher derivative gravity and a matter action. Usually, a higher derivative gravity can be renormalizable but suffers the ghost problem. For our case, since the effective theory on the brane is equivale…
Two-dimensional diffeomorphism symmetry can be described by an operator algebra extension of the well-known Virasoro algebra description of conformal symmetry. Utilizing this extension, this note explains why the conformal symmetry that appears in celestial holography should not be extended to diffeomorphism symmetry, a possibility that several authors have proposed. The description of the two-dimensional diffeomorphism algebra presented here might be useful for other purposes.
We investigate a new approach to holography in asymptotically AdS spacetimes, in which time rather than space is the emergent dimension. By making a sufficiently large T^2-deformation of a Euclidean CFT, we define a holographic theory that lives on Cauchy slices of the Lorentzian bulk. (More generally, for an arbitrary Hamiltonian constraint equation that closes, we show how to obtain it by an irrelevant deformation from a CFT with suitable anomalies.) The partition function of this theory defines a natural map between the bulk canonical quantum gravity theory Hilbert space, and the Hilbert sp…
Holographic RG flows are studied in an Einstein-dilaton theory with a general potential. The superpotential formalism is utilized in order to characterize and classify all solutions that are associated to asymptotically AdS space-times. Such solutions correspond to holographic RG flows and are characterized by their holographic $β$-functions. Novel solutions are found that have exotic properties from a RG point-of view. Some have $β$-functions that are defined patch-wise and lead to flows where the $β$-function changes sign without the flow stopping. Others describe flows that end in non-neigh…
Holography can provide a microscopic interpretation of a gravitational solution as corresponding to a particular CFT state: the asymptotic expansion in gravity encodes the expectation values of operators in the dual CFT state. Such a correspondence is particularly valuable in black hole physics. We study supersymmetric D1-D5-P black holes, for which recently constructed microstate solutions known as "superstrata" provide strong motivation to derive the explicit D1-D5 holographic dictionary for CFT operators of total dimension two. In this work we derive the explicit map between one-point funct…
We study quark-antiquark potential using the AdS/CFT correspondence in the BTZ black hole with non-zero angular momentum. Using explicit form of string configurations relevant to a calculation of the potential we find that the potential exhibits different dependencies on angular momentum values in the Euclidean and the Lorentzian signatures of the BTZ.
We apply the surface/state correspondence proposal of Miyaji et al. to IIB pp-waves and propose that the bulk local operators should be D-instantons. In line with ordinary AdS/CFT correspondence, the bulk local operators in pp-waves also create a hole, or a boundary, in the dual gauge theory as pointed out by H. Verlinde, and by Y. Nakayama and H. Ooguri. We also present simple calculations which illustrate how to extract the spacetime metric from D-instanton states.
We give a group-theoretic interpretation of non-relativistic holography as equivalence between representations of the Schrodinger algebra describing bulk fields and boundary fields. Our main result is the explicit construction of the boundary-to-bulk operators in the framework of representation theory (without specifying any action). Further we show that these operators and the bulk-to-boundary operators are intertwining operators. In analogy to the relativistic case, we show that each bulk field has two boundary fields with conjugated conformal weights. These fields are related by another int…
The structure of the Osborn ("Local Renormalization Group") Equation in the presence of integer dimensional irrelevant operators is studied. We argue that the consistency of the anomalous part of the generating functional requires a beta-function for the metric. The modified form of the Weyl anomalies is calculated.
Quantum renormalization group scheme provides a microscopic understanding of holography through a general mapping between the beta functions of underlying quantum field theories and the holographic actions in the bulk. We show that the Einstein gravity emerges as a long wavelength holographic description for a matrix field theory which has no other operator with finite scaling dimension except for the energy-momentum tensor. We also point out that holographic actions for general large N matrix field theories respect the inversion symmetry along the radial direction in the bulk if the beta func…
We give a group-theoretic interpretation of relativistic holography as equivalence between representations of the anti de Sitter algebra describing bulk fields and boundary fields. Our main result is the explicit construction of the boundary-to-bulk operators for arbitrary integer spin the framework of representation theory. Further we show that these operators and the bulk-to-boundary operators are intertwining operators. In analogy to the de Sitter case, we show that each bulk field has two boundary (shadow) fields with conjugated conformal weights. These fields are related by another intert…
This is a pedagogical review on $\mathrm{T}\overline{\mathrm{T}}$ deformation of two dimensional quantum field theories. It is based on three lectures which the author gave at ITP-CAS in December 2018. This review consists of four parts. The first part is a general introduction to $\mathrm{T}\overline{\mathrm{T}}$ deformation. Special emphasises are put on the deformed classical Lagrangian and the exact solvability of the spectrum. The second part focuses on the torus partition sum of the $\mathrm{T}\overline{\mathrm{T}}$/$\mathrm{J}\overline{\mathrm{T}}$ deformed conformal field theories and …
We initiate the study of multi-field inflation using holography. Bulk light scalar fields correspond to nearly marginal operators in the boundary theory and the dual quantum field theory is a deformation of a CFT by such operators. We compute the power spectra of adiabatic and entropy perturbations in a simple model and find that the adiabatic curvature perturbation is not conserved in the presence of entropy perturbations but becomes conserved when the entropy perturbations are set to zero or the model is effectively a single scalar model, in agreement with expectations from cosmological pert…
We study a class of dilatation invariant BPS surface operators in 4-dimensional N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory and their holographic duals in type IIB string theory in AdS_5 x S^5. First we take an example of 1/4 BPS surface operator and study it in detail from the holographic point of view. The gravity dual of this surface operator is a D3-brane characterized by a holomorphic submanifold. The supersymmetry and vacuum expectation value are checked in both the gauge theory side and the gravity side. We also calculate the correlation functions with the chiral primary operators in both sides and fin…
Asymptotically AdS wormhole solutions are considered in the context of holography. Correlation functions of local operators on distinct boundaries are studied. It is found that such correlators are finite at short distances. Correlation functions of non-local operators (Wilson loops) on distinct boundaries are also studied, with similar conclusions. Deformations of the theory with multi-trace operators on distinct boundaries are considered and studied. As a consequence of these results, the dual theory is expected to factorize in the UV, and the two sectors to be coupled by a soft non-local in…
We compute one-loop corrections to the OPE of gluons in the celestial conformal field theory corresponding to Yang-Mills coupled to arbitrary matter. We exploit universal hard/soft factorization to derive an IR finite OPE for the hard gluon operators. This OPE involves logarithms and operators that resemble logarithmic partners of primary operators. We derive an exact all-loop OPE in a limit of the Higgs-regulated planar $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory.
We show that a $3d$ sourced conformal Carrollian field theory has the right kinematic properties to holographically describe gravity in $4d$ asymptotically flat spacetime. The external sources encode the leaks of gravitational radiation at null infinity. The Ward identities of this theory are shown to reproduce those of the $2d$ celestial CFT after relating Carrollian to celestial operators. This suggests a new set of interplays between gravity in asymptotically flat spacetime, sourced conformal Carrollian field theory and celestial CFT.
In this paper, we study the effects of high-order operators on the non-relativistic Lifshitz holography in the framework of the Hořava-Lifshitz (HL) theory of gravity, which naturally contains high-order operators in order for the theory to be power-counting renormalizble, and provides an ideal place for such studies. In particular, we show that the Lifshitz space-time is still a solution of the full theory of the HL gravity. The effects of the high-oder operators on the space-time itself is simply to shift the Lifshitz dynamical exponent. However, while in the infrared the asymptotic behavior…
Given an asymptotically Anti-de Sitter supergravity solution, one can obtain a microscopic interpretation by identifying the corresponding state in the holographically dual conformal field theory. This is of particular importance for heavy pure states that are candidate black hole microstates. Expectation values of light operators in such heavy CFT states are encoded in the asymptotic expansion of the dual bulk configuration. In the D1-D5 system, large families of heavy pure CFT states have been proposed to be holographically dual to smooth horizonless supergravity solutions. We derive the pre…
In this paper we study the conjectured dual operators to a near maximal giant graviton and their open string fluctuations in the large $N$ limit. Using matrix model estimates we show that the spectrum of states near the D-brane operator is consistent with a Fock space of open plus closed string states. We also give an argument that these operators, in spite of having large R charge of order N, are amenable to being studied with standard perturbative techniques, which organize themselves in a 1/N expansion. Also the spectrum of operators dual to massless fluctuations on the D-brane is shown to …
As a continuation of our previous works studying the holographic principle in the plane-wave limit, we discuss the 3-point correlation functions of BMN operators with bosonic excitations when impurities are not conserved. We show that our proposal for a holographic mapping between the conformal OPE coefficients of super Yang-Mills theory and the 3-point vertex of the holographic string field theory is valid to the leading order in the large $μ$ limit. Our results provide for the first time a direct holographic relation for the 3-point correlators of BMN operators including impurity non-preserv…
We consider the linear stability of $4$-dimensional hairy black holes with mixed boundary conditions in Anti-de Sitter spacetime. We focus on the mass of scalar fields around the maximally supersymmetric vacuum of the gauged $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity in four dimensions, $m^{2}=-2l^{-2}$. It is shown that the Schrödinger operator on the half-line, governing the $S^{2}$, $H^{2}$ or $\mathbb{R}^{2}$ invariant mode around the hairy black hole, allows for non-trivial self-adjoint extensions and each of them correspons to a class of mixed boundary conditions in the gravitational theory. Discardin…
We study holographic renormalization and RG flow in a strongly-coupled Lifshitz-type theory in 2+1 dimensions with dynamical exponent z=2. The bottom-up gravity dual we use is 3+1 dimensional Einstein gravity coupled to a massive vector field. This model contains a marginally relevant operator around the Lifshitz fixed point. We show how holographic renormalization works in the presence of this marginally relevant operator without the need to introduce explicitly cutoff-dependent counterterms. A simple closed-form expression is found for the renormalized on-shell action. We also discuss how as…
We construct vortex loop operators in the three-dimensional N = 6 supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory recently constructed by Aharony, Bergman, Jafferis and Maldacena. These disorder loop operators are specified by a vortex-like singularity for the scalar and gauge fields along a one dimensional curve in spacetime. We identify the 1/2, 1/3 and 1/6 BPS loop operators in the Chern-Simons theory with excitations of M-theory corresponding to M2-branes ending along a curve on the boundary of AdS_4 x S^7/Z_k. The vortex loop operators can also be given a purely geometric description in terms of regul…
It is shown that the correspondence principle and the holographic principle are incompatible in the background of an eternal Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter geometry. The argument is based on the observation that algebraic structures of local quantum field and CFT operators are not equivalent. This implies, in particular, the bulk CFT must be singular near the black-hole horizon. A CFT Hilbert space representation is elaborated which may correspond to the AdS black hole in the dual theory.
In this article we review recent progress on the holographic modelling of field theories with Lifshitz symmetry. We focus in particular on the holographic dictionary for Lifshitz backgrounds - the relationship between bulk fields and boundary operators, operator correlation functions and underlying geometrical structure. The holographic dictionary is essential in identifying the universality class of strongly coupled Lifshitz theories described by gravitational models.
In the twisted M-theory setting, various types of fusion of M2 and M5 branes induce coproducts between the algebra of operators on M2 branes and the algebra of operators on M5 branes. By doing a perturbative computation in the gravity side, which is captured by the 5d topological holomorphic $U(1)$ Chern-Simons theory, we reproduce the non-perturbative coproducts.
We consider the entanglement entropies in dS$_d$ sliced (A)dS$_{d+1}$ in the presence of a hard radial cutoff for $2\le d\le 6$. By considering a one parameter family of analytical solutions, parametrized by their turning point in the bulk $r^\star$, we are able to compute the entanglement entropy for generic intervals on the cutoff slice. It has been proposed that the field theory dual of this scenario is a strongly coupled CFT, deformed by a certain irrelevant deformation -- the so-called $T\bar T$ deformation. Surprisingly, we find that we may write the entanglement entropies formally in th…
A general framework for applying the pp-wave approximation to holographic calculations in the AdS/CFT correspondence is proposed. By assuming the existence and some properties of string field theory (SFT) on $AdS_5 \times S^5$ background, we extend the holographic ansatz proposed by Gubser, Klebanov, Polyakov and Witten to SFT level. We extract relevant information of assumed SFT on $AdS_5 \times S^5$ from its approximation, pp-wave SFT. As an explicit example, we perform string theoretic calculations of the conformal three point functions of the BMN operators. The results agree with the previ…
We study the expectation values of Wilson-loop operators with the insertionsof local operators Z^J and Zbar^J with large R-charge J from the bulk viewpoint of AdS/CFT correspondence. Classical solutions of strings attached to such deformed Wilson loops at the conformal boundary are constructed and are applied to the computation of Wilson-loop expectation values. We argue that in order to have such solutions for general insertions at finite positions in the base spacetime of the gauge theory, it is crucial to interpret the holographic correspondence in the semi-classical picture as a tunneling …
We present a general algorithm for constructing the holographic dictionary for Lifshitz and hyperscaling violating Lifshitz backgrounds for any value of the dynamical exponent $z$ and any value of the hyperscaling violation parameter $θ$ compatible with the null energy condition. The objective of the algorithm is the construction of the general asymptotic solution of the radial Hamilton-Jacobi equation subject to the desired boundary conditions, from which the full dictionary can be subsequently derived. Contrary to the relativistic case, we find that a fully covariant construction of the asym…
We investigate the structure of holographic renormalization in the presence of sources for irrelevant operators. By working perturbatively in the sources we avoid issues related to the non-renormalizability of the dual field theory. We find new classes of divergences which appear to be non-local on the gravity side. However in all cases a systematic renormalization procedure exists involving either standard local counterterms or new counterterms which may be interpreted as multi-trace counterterms in the field theory. The multi-trace counterterms reflect a more intricate relation between sourc…
A few supergravity solutions representing configurations of NS5-branes admit exact conformal field theory (CFT) description. Deformations of these solutions should be described by exactly marginal operators of the corresponding theories. We briefly review the essentials of these constructions and present, as a new case, the operators responsible for turning on angular momentum.
In recent years, there have been two independent but related developments in the study of irrelevant deformations in two dimensional quantum field theories (QFTs). The first development is the deformation of a two dimensional QFT by the determinant of the energy momentum stress tensor, commonly referred to as $T{\bar T}$ deformation. The second development is in two dimensional holographic field theories which are dual to string theory in asymptotically Anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetimes. In this latter development, the deformation is commonly referred to as single-trace $T{\bar T}$ deformation. …
The holographic principle in the pp-wave limit proposed in our previous works is further confirmed by studying impurity non-preserving processes which contain a fermionic BMN operator with one scalar and one fermion impurities. We show that the previously proposed duality relation between the matrix elements of the three point interaction Hamiltonian in the holographic string field theory and the OPE coefficients in super Yang-Mills theory holds to the leading order in the large $μ$ limit. Operator mixing is required to obtain the BMN operator of definite conformal dimension which corresponds …
A double-trace deformation is the simplest perturbation of a conformal field theory that has a gravity dual. In this paper we review the existing results for the case in which the deformation is composed from a scalar operator, and extend them to the case of a spinor operator. In particular we check the validity of the c-conjecture along the RG flow induced by the deformation, using both Cardy's c-function and the recent proposal by Myers and Sinha of a c-function from entanglement entropy.
The holographic dual of self gravitating Julia-Zee dyon is discussed. It is shown that the dual field theory is generally a field theory with a vortex condensate. The vacuum expectation values of the dual operators, as functions of the sources in the field theory, are studied in a class of bulk solutions. In these solutions the sign of the vacuum expectation values of the dual operators change, by changing the sources in the model.
We use the correspondence between string states and local operators on the world-sheet boundary defined by vertex operators in open string theory to put in correspondence, holographically, the bosonic open string with the large N limit of a mechanical system living on the world-sheet boundary. We give a natural interpretation of this system in terms of a one-dimensional stochastic process and show that the correspondence takes the form of a map between two conformal field theories with central charge c=24 and c=1.
A class of invariant states under de Sitter isometries is constructed in d-dimensional Conformal Field Theories from the universal sector of AdS/CFT dualities. These states extend the Mottola-Allen $α$-vacua to theories containing scalar primary operators of arbitrary scaling dimensions, and are proven to explicitly break conformal symmetry. Two-point correlators in these states are shown to satisfy a generalized spectral decomposition in terms of free massive propagators. It is also pointed out that the spectral decomposition of generic Euclidean correlators is known in the mathematics litera…
We show that the Abelian Higgs field equations in the four dimensional anti de Sitter spacetime have a vortex line solution. This solution, which has cylindrical symmetry in AdS$_4$, is a generalization of the flat spacetime Nielsen-Olesen string. We show that the vortex induces a deficit angle in the AdS$_4$ spacetime that is proportional to its mass density. Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we show that the mass density of the string is uniform and dual to the discontinuity of a logarithmic derivative of correlation function of the boundary scalar operator.
We study the holographic description of string theory in a plane wave spacetime by taking the Penrose limit of the usual AdS/CFT correspondence. We consider three-point functions with two BMN operators and one non-BMN operator; the latter should go over to a perturbation of the dual CFT. On the string side we take the Penrose limit of the metric perturbation produced by the non-BMN operator, and the BMN state propagates in this perturbed background. The work of Lee, Minwalla, Rangamani, and Seiberg shows that for chiral operators the AdS three-point functions agree with those calculated in the…
Motivated by the close connection of tensor models to the SYK model, we use representation theory to construct the complete set of gauge invariant observables for bosonic and fermionic tensor models. Correlation functions of the gauge invariant operators in the free theory are computed exactly. The gauge invariant operators close a ring. The structure constants of the ring are described explicitly. Finally, we construct a collective field theory description of the bosonic tensor model.
By using the approach introduced in arXiv:2107.09677 we construct non-BPS solutions of 6D $(1,0)$ supergravity coupled to two tensor multiplets as a perturbation of AdS$_3\times S^3$. These solutions are both regular and asymptotically AdS$_3\times S^3$, so according to the standard holographic framework they must have a dual CFT interpretation as non-supersymmetric heavy operators of the D1-D5 CFT. We provide quantitative evidence that such heavy CFT operators are bound states of a large number of light BPS operators that are mutually non-BPS.
We investigate aspects of non-equilibrium dynamics of strongly coupled field theories within holography. We establish a hydrodynamic description for anomalous quantum field theories subject to a strong external field for the first time in the literature. Within holography, we explicitly demonstrate which transport coefficients are non-zero due to the chiral anomaly and thus important for the transport. We show that the standard treatment of the hydrodynamics for spontaneously broken translational invariance is more subtle and has to be revised since the description is missing a novel thermodyn…
We give a review of some group-theoretical results related to non-relativistic holography. Our main playgrounds are the Schrödinger equation and the Schrödinger algebra. We first recall the interpretation of non-relativistic holography as equivalence between representations of the Schrödinger algebra describing bulk fields and boundary fields. One important result is the explicit construction of the boundary-to-bulk operators in the framework of representation theory, and that these operators and the bulk-to-boundary operators are intertwining operators. Further, we recall the fact that there …
