We find an intriguing relation between a class of 3-dimensional non-unitary topological field theories (TFTs) and Virasoro minimal models $M(2,2r+3)$ with $r \geq 1$. The TFTs are constructed by topologically twisting $3d$ ${\mathcal N}=4$ superconformal field theories (SCFTs) of rank-0, i.e. having zero-dimensional Coulomb and Higgs branches. We present ultraviolet (UV) field theory descriptions of the SCFTs with manifest ${\mathcal N}=2$ supersymmetry, which we argue is enhanced to ${\mathcal N}=4$ in the infrared. From the UV description, we compute various partition functions of the TFTs and reproduce some basic properties of the minimal models, such as their characters and modular matrices. We expect more general correspondence between topologically twisted $3d$ ${\mathcal N}=4$ rank-0 SCFTs and $2d$ non-unitary rational conformal field theories.
The matrix model computations of effective superpotential terms in N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions have been proposed to apply more generally to gauge theories in higher dimensions. We discuss aspects of five-dimensional gauge theory compactified on a circle, which leads to a unitary matrix model.
The exact renormalisation group equation is studied for a two-dimensional theory with exponential interaction and a background charge at infinity. The motivation for studying this interaction is the flow between unitary minimal models perturbed by Phi_{(1,3)}, and their realisation in terms of a quantum group restricted sine-Gordon model.
We derive the embedding structure of unitary N=2 minimal models and show as a result that these representations have a degeneration of uncharged singular states. This corrects some earlier mistakes made in the literature. We discuss the connexion to the N=2 character formulae and finally give a proof for the embedding diagrams.
We study the minimal unitary representations of noncompact exceptional groups that arise as U-duality groups in extended supergravity theories. First we give the unitary realizations of the exceptional group E_{8(-24)} in SU*(8) as well as SU(6,2) covariant bases. E_{8(-24)} has E_7 X SU(2) as its maximal compact subgroup and is the U-duality group of the exceptional supergravity theory in d=3. For the corresponding U-duality group E_{8(8)} of the maximal supergravity theory the minimal realization was given in hep-th/0109005. The minimal unitary realizations of all the lower rank noncompact e…
We review the current status of the construction of unitary representations of U-duality groups of supergravity theories in five, four and three dimensions. We focus mainly on the maximal supergravity theories and on the N=2 Maxwell-Einstein supergravity (MESGT) theories defined by Jordan algebras of degree three in five dimensions and their descendants in four and three dimensions. Entropies of the extremal black hole solutions of these theories in five and four dimensions are given by certain invariants of their U-duality groups. The five dimensional U-duality groups admit extensions to spec…
We present fermionic sum representation for the general Virasoro character of the unitary minimal superconformal series ($N=1$). Example of the corresponding ``finitizated" identities relating corner transfer matrix polynomials with fermionic companions is considered. These identities in the thermodynamic limit lead to the generalized Rogers-Ramanujan identities.
The tree-level three-point correlation functions of local operators in the general $(p,q)$ minimal models coupled to gravity are calculated in the continuum approach. On one hand, the result agrees with the unitary series ($q=p+1$); and on the other hand, for $p=2, q=2k-1$, we find agreement with the one-matrix model results.
We perform a BRST analysis of the N=2 superconformal minimal unitary models. A bosonic as well as fermionic BRST operators are used to construct irreducible representations of the N=2 superconformal algebra on the Fock space as BRST cohomology classes of the BRST operators. Also a character formula is rederived by using the BRST analysis.
We prove that unitary two-dimensional topological field theories are uniquely characterized by $n$ positive real numbers $λ_1,\ldots λ_n$ which can be regarded as the eigenvalues of a hermitean handle creation operator. The number $n$ is the dimension of the Hilbert space associated with the circle and the partition functions for closed surfaces have the form $$ Z_g=\sum_{i=1}^{n}λ_i^{g-1} $$ where $g$ is the genus. The eigenvalues can be arbitary positive numbers. We show how such a theory can be constructed on triangulated surfaces.
We analyze the algebraic structure of $ϕ_{1,2}$ perturbed minimal models relating them to graph-state models with an underlying Birman-Wenzl-Murakami algebra. Using this approach one can clarify some physical properties and reformulate the bootstrap equations. These are used to calculate the $S$-matrix elements of higher kinks, and to determine the breather spectrum of the $ϕ_{1,2}$ perturbations of the unitary minimal models $\M_{r,r+1}$.
We give a new construction of the minimal unitary representation of the exceptional group E_8(8) on a Hilbert space of complex functions in 29 variables. Due to their manifest covariance with respect to the E_7(7) subgroup of E_8(8) our formulas are simpler than previous realizations, and thus well suited for applications in superstring and M theory.
In this paper we study the renormalization group flow of the $(p,q)$ minimal (non-unitary) CFT perturbed by the $Φ_{1,3}$ operator with a positive coupling. In the perturbative region $q>>(q-p)$, we find a new IR fixed point which corresponds to the $(2p-q,p)$ minimal CFT. The perturbing field near the new IR fixed point is identified with the irrelevent $Φ_{3,1}$ operator. We extend this result to show that the non-diagonal ($(A,D)$-type) modular invariant partition function of the $(p,q)$ minimal CFT flows into the $(A,D)$-type partition function of the $(2p-q,p)$ minimal CFT and the diagona…
The conformal spectra of the critical dilute A-D-E lattice models are studied numerically. The results strongly indicate that, in branches 1 and 2, these models provide realizations of the complete A-D-E classification of unitary minimal modular invariant partition functions given by Cappelli, Itzykson and Zuber. In branches 3 and 4 the results indicate that the modular invariant partition functions factorize. Similar factorization results are also obtained for two-colour lattice models.
A variety of unitary gauges for perturbation theory in a background field is considered in order to find those most suitable for a Hamiltonian treatment of the system. We select two convenient gauges and derive the propagators $D_{μν}$ for gluonic quantum fluctuations immersed in background configurations. The first one is a unitary generalization of the usual Coulomb gauge in QED which preserves the decoupling of two propagating polarizations from the instantaneous one. The second possibility is the axial light cone gauge which remains ghost free also in the presence of a background. Applicat…
We propose gauge theory/gravity duality involving conformal theories based on U(N+k|k) gauge groups. We show that to all orders in 1/N these non-unitary theories based on supergroups are indistinguishable from the corresponding unitary theories where the gauge group is replaced by U(N). This leads to non-unitary gravity duals which to all orders in 1/N are indistinguishable from their unitary cousins. They are distinguished by operators whose correlation functions differ by O(exp(-aN)). The celebrated type IIB on AdS^5 x S^5 and M-theory on AdS^4 x S^7 fall in this class and thus seem to also …
In this note we consider boundary perturbations in the A-Series unitary minimal models by phi_{r,r+2} fields on superpositions of boundaries. In particular, we consider perturbations by boundary condition changing operators. Within conformal perturbation theory we explicitly map out the space of perturbative renormalisation group flows for the example phi_{1,3} and find that this sheds light on more general phi_{r,r+2} perturbations. Finally, we find a simple diagrammatic representation for the space of flows from a single Cardy boundary condition.
We revisit the line of non-unitary theories that interpolate between the Virasoro minimal models. Numerical bootstrap applications have brought about interest in the four-point function involving the scalar primary of lowest dimension. Using recent progress in harmonic analysis on the conformal group, we prove the conjecture that global conformal blocks in this correlator appear with positive coefficients. We also compute many such coefficients in the simplest mixed correlator system. Finally, we comment on the status of using global conformal blocks to isolate the truly unitary points on this…
Recently, a set of thermodynamic Bethe ansatz equations is proposed by Dorey, Pocklington and Tateo for unitary minimal models perturbed by ϕ_{1,2} or ϕ_{2,1} operator. We examine their results in view of the lattice analogues, dilute A_L models at regime 1 and 2. Taking M_{5,6}+ϕ_{1,2} and M_{3,4}+ϕ_{2,1} as the simplest examples, we will explicitly show that the conjectured TBA equations can be recovered from the lattice model in a scaling limit.
We consider unitary Virasoro minimal models on the disk with Cardy boundary conditions and discuss deformations by certain relevant boundary operators, analogous to tachyon condensation in string theory. Concentrating on the least relevant boundary field, we can perform a perturbative analysis of renormalization group fixed points. We find that the systems always flow towards stable fixed points which admit no further (non-trivial) relevant perturbations. The new conformal boundary conditions are in general given by superpositions of 'pure' Cardy boundary conditions.
We study the minimal unitary representations of non-compact groups and supergroups obtained by quantization of their geometric realizations as quasi-conformal groups and supergroups. The quasi-conformal groups G leave generalized light-cones, defined by a quartic norm, invariant and have maximal rank subgroups of the form H X SL(2,R) such that G/H X SL(2,R) are para-quaternionic symmetric spaces. We give a unified formulation of the minimal unitary representations of simple non-compact groups of type A_2, G_2, D_4, F_4, E_6, E_7, E_8 and Sp(2n,R). The minimal UIRs of Sp(2n,R) are simply the si…
In this paper we investigate renormalisation group flows of supersymmetric minimal models generated by the boundary perturbing field (\hat G_{-1/2}ϕ_{1,3}). Performing the Truncated Conformal Space Approach analysis the emerging pattern of the flow structure is consistent with the theoretical expectations. According to the results, this pattern can be naturally extended to those cases for which the existing predictions are uncertain.
It was demonstrated in recent work that $d=4$ unitary CFT's satisfy a special property: if a scalar operator with conformal dimension $Δ$ exists in the operator spectrum, then the conformal bootstrap demands that large spin primary operators have to exist in the operator spectrum of the CFT with a conformal twist close to $2Δ+2N$ for any integer $N$. In this paper the conformal bootstrap methods that were used to find the anomalous dimension of the $N=0$ operators have been generalized to find the anomalous dimension of all large spin operators of this class. In AdS these operators can be inte…
Integrable boundary conditions are studied for critical A-D-E and general graph-based lattice models of statistical mechanics. In particular, using techniques associated with the Temperley-Lieb algebra and fusion, a set of boundary Boltzmann weights which satisfies the boundary Yang-Baxter equation is obtained for each boundary condition. When appropriately specialized, these boundary weights, each of which depends on three spins, decompose into more natural two-spin edge weights. The specialized boundary conditions for the A-D-E cases are naturally in one-to-one correspondence with the confor…
We show that there is a remarkable connection between the harmonic superspace (HSS) formulation of N=2, d=4 supersymmetric quaternionic Kaehler sigma models that couple to N=2 supergravity and the minimal unitary representations of their isometry groups. In particular, for N=2 sigma models with quaternionic symmetric target spaces of the form G/HXSU(2) we establish a one-to-one mapping between the Killing potentials that generate the isometry group G under Poisson brackets in the HSS formulation and the generators of the minimal unitary representation of G obtained by quantization of its geome…
Two sets of identities between unitary minimal Virasoro characters at levels $m=3,4,5$ are presented and proven. The first identity suggests a connection between the Ising and tricritical Ising models since the $m=3$ Virasoro characters are obtained as bilinears of $m=4$ Virasoro characters. The second identity gives the tricritical Ising model characters as bilinears in the Ising model characters and the six combinations of $m=5$ Virasoro characters which do not appear in the spectrum of the three state Potts model. The implication of these identities on the study of the branching rules of $N…
We study higher-derivative gravity theories in arbitrary space-time dimension d with a cosmological constant at their maximally critical points where the masses of all linearized perturbations vanish. These theories have been conjectured to be dual to logarithmic conformal field theories in the (d-1)-dimensional boundary of an AdS solution. We determine the structure of the linearized perturbations and their boundary fall-off behaviour. The linearized modes exhibit the expected Jordan block structure and their inner products are shown to be those of a non-unitary theory. We demonstrate the exi…
We construct all the bulk and boundary unitary cubic curvature parity invariant gravity theories in three dimensions in (anti)-de Sitter spaces. For bulk unitarity, our construction is based on the principle that the free theory of the cubic curvature theory reduces to one of the three known unitary theories which are the cosmological Einstein-Hilbert theory, the quadratic theory of the scalar curvature or the new massive gravity (NMG). Bulk and boundary unitarity in NMG is in conflict; therefore, cubic theories that are unitary both in the bulk and on the boundary have free theories that redu…
We study unitary minimal models coupled to Liouville gravity using Douglas string equation. Our approach is based on the assumption that there exist an appropriate solution of the Douglas string equation and some special choice of the resonance transformation such that necessary selection rules of the minimal Liouville gravity are satisfied. We use the connection with the Frobenius manifold structure. We argue that the flat coordinates on the Frobenius manifold are the most appropriate choice for calculating correlation functions. We find the appropriate solution of the Douglas string equation…
We study the minimal unitary representation (minrep) of SO(5,2), obtained by quantization of its geometric quasiconformal action, its deformations and supersymmetric extensions. The minrep of SO(5,2) describes a massless conformal scalar field in five dimensions and admits a unique "deformation" which describes a massless conformal spinor. Scalar and spinor minreps of SO(5,2) are the 5d analogs of Dirac's singletons of SO(3,2). We then construct the minimal unitary representation of the unique 5d superconformal algebra F(4) with the even subalgebra SO(5,2) X SU(2). The minrep of F(4) describes…
We consider unitary and weakly coupled theories of gravity that extend Einstein gravity and reduce to it asymptotically at large distances. Our discussion is restricted to such theories that, similarly to Einstein gravity, contain black holes as semiclassical states in a range of scales. We show that, at a given scale, the entropy of these black holes has to be larger than the number of elementary light species in the theory. Our bound follows from the observation that the black hole entropy has to be larger than the product of its mass and horizon radius (in units of Planck's constant divided…
We review the novel quasiconformal realizations of exceptional U-duality groups whose "quantization" lead directly to their minimal unitary irreducible representations. The group $E_{8(8)}$ can be realized as a quasiconformal group in the 57 dimensional charge-entropy space of BPS black hole solutions of maximal N=8 supergravity in four dimensions and leaves invariant "lightlike separations" with respect to a quartic norm. Similarly $E_{7(7)}$ acts as a conformal group in the 27 dimensional charge space of BPS black hole solutions in five dimensional N=8 supergravity and leaves invariant "ligh…
We propose the factorizable S-matrices of the massive excitations of the non-unitary minimal model $M_{2,11}$ perturbed by the operator $Φ_{1,4}$. The massive excitations and the whole set of two particle S-matrices of the theory is simply related to the $E_8$ unitary minimal scattering theory. The counting argument and the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz (TBA) are applied to this scattering theory in order to support this interpretation. Generalizing this result, we describe a new family of NON UNITARY and DIAGONAL $ADE$-related scattering theories. A further generalization suggests the magnonic T…
We study the minimal unitary representation (minrep) of SO(4,2) over an Hilbert space of functions of three variables, obtained by quantizing its quasiconformal action on a five dimensional space. The minrep of SO(4,2), which coincides with the minrep of SU(2,2) similarly constructed, corresponds to a massless conformal scalar in four spacetime dimensions. There exists a one-parameter family of deformations of the minrep of SU(2,2). For positive (negative) integer values of the deformation parameter ζone obtains positive energy unitary irreducible representations corresponding to massless conf…
Within the framework of augmented version of superfield formalism, we derive the superspace unitary operator and show its usefulness in the derivation of Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) and anti-BRST symmetry transformations for a set of interesting models for the Abelian 1-form gauge theories. These models are (i) a one (0+1)-dimensional (1D) toy model of a rigid rotor, (ii) the two (1+1)-dimensional (2D) modified versions of the Proca and anomalous Abelian 1-form gauge theories, and (iii) the 2D self-dual bosonic gauge field theory. We provide, in some sense, the alternatives to the horizon…
We show that field theories with light-like noncommutativity, that is with $θ^{0i}=-θ^{1i}$, are unitary quantum theories, and that they can be obtained as decoupled field theory limits of string theory with D-branes in a background NS-NS $B$ field. For general noncommutativity parameters, we show that noncommutative field theories which are unitary can be obtained as decoupled field theory limits of string theory, while those that are not unitary cannot be obtained from string theory because massive open strings do not decouple. We study the different theories with light-like noncommutativity…
Using the saddle point method, we give an explicit form of the planar free energy and Wilson loops of unitary matrix models in the one-cut regime. The multi-critical unitary matrix models are shown to undergo third-order phase transitions at two points by studying the planar free energy. One of these ungapped/gapped phase transitions is multi-critical, while the other is not multi-critical. The spectral curve of the $k$-th multi-critical matrix model exhibits an $A_{4k-1}$ singularity at the multi-critical point. Perturbation around the multi-critical point and its double scaling limit are stu…
Argyres-Douglas (AD) theories constitute an infinite class of superconformal field theories in four dimensions with a number of interesting properties. We study several new aspects of AD theories engineered in $A$-type class $\mathcal{S}$ with one irregular puncture of Type I or Type II and also a regular puncture. These include conformal manifolds, structures of the Higgs branch, as well as the three dimensional gauge theories coming from the reduction on a circle. The latter admit a description in terms of a linear quiver with unitary and special unitary gauge groups, along with a number of …
We classify the possible discrete (finite) symmetries of two--dimensional critical models described by unitary minimal conformally invariant theories. We find that all but six models have the group Z_2 as maximal symmetry. Among the six exceptional theories, four have no symmetry at all, while the other two are the familiar critical and tricritical 3--Potts models, which both have an S_3 symmetry. These symmetries are the expected ones, and coincide with the automorphism groups of the Dynkin diagrams of simply--laced simple Lie algebras ADE. We note that extended chiral algebras, when present,…
Implications are explored of promoting non-conformal scale-invariant theories to conformal theories by nonlinearly realizing the missing symmetry. Properties of the associated Nambu-Goldstone mode imply that conformal invariance cannot be spontaneously broken to scale invariance in unitary theories and that, as well known, scale invariant unitary theories in two dimensions are also conformal. The promoted theories have only conformal primaries and no descendants. The (non-)decoupling of the Nambu-Goldstone mode is explicitly shown in examples of scale invariant theories that are actually (not)…
We propose that the double scaling behavior of the unitary matrix models, and that of the complex matrix models, is related to type 0B and 0A fermionic string theories. The particular backgrounds involved correspond to $\hat c<1 $ matter coupled to super-Liouville theory. We examine in detail the $\hat c=0$ or pure supergravity case, which is related to the double scaling limit around the Gross-Witten transition, and find that reversing the sign of the Liouville superpotential interchanges the 0A and 0B theories. We also find smooth transitions between weakly coupled string backgrounds with D-…
We study the perturbative unitarity of noncommutative scalar field theories. Field theories with space-time noncommutativity do not have a unitary S-matrix. Field theories with only space noncommutativity are perturbatively unitary. This can be understood from string theory, since space noncommutative field theories describe a low energy limit of string theory in a background magnetic field. On the other hand, there is no regime in which space-time noncommutative field theory is an appropriate description of string theory. Whenever space-time noncommutative field theory becomes relevant massiv…
We continue to study minimal Liouville gravity (MLG) using a dual approach based on the idea that the MLG partition function is related to the tau function of the A_q integrable hierarchy via the resonance transformations, which are in turn fixed by conformal selection rules. One of the main problems in this approach is to choose the solution of the Douglas string equation that is relevant for MLG. The appropriate solution was recently found using connection with the Frobenius manifolds. We use this solution to investigate three- and four-point correlators in the unitary MLG models. We find an…
New RG flows between non-Unitary CFTs from exact massless scattering theories
Ewha Womans University（梨花女子大学）；HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics（匈牙利研究与创新网络维格纳物理研究中心）；Roland Eötvös University, Department for Theoretical Physics（罗兰·厄特沃什大学理论物理系）
We study the symmetries of generalized spacetimes and corresponding phase spaces defined by Jordan algebras of degree three. The generic Jordan family of formally real Jordan algebras of degree three describe extensions of the Minkowskian spacetimes by an extra "dilatonic" coordinate, whose rotation, Lorentz and conformal groups are SO(d-1), SO(d-1,1) XSO(1,1) and SO(d,2)XSO(2,1), respectively. The generalized spacetimes described by simple Jordan algebras of degree three correspond to extensions of Minkowskian spacetimes in the critical dimensions (d=3,4,6,10) by a dilatonic and extra (2,4,8,…
We compute the supersymmetry constraints on the R^4 type corrections in maximal supergravity in dimension 8, 6, 4 and 3, and determine the tensorial differential equations satisfied by the function of the scalar fields multiplying the R^4 term in the corresponding invariants. The second order derivative of this function restricted to the Joseph ideal vanishes in dimension lower than six. These results are extended to the d^4 R^4 and the d^6 R^4 corrections, based on the harmonic superspace construction of these invariants in the linearised approximation. We discuss the solutions of these diffe…
In this paper we deploy for the first time Reinforcement-Learning algorithms in the context of the conformal-bootstrap programme to obtain numerical solutions of conformal field theories (CFTs). As an illustration, we use a soft Actor-Critic algorithm and find approximate solutions to the truncated crossing equations of two-dimensional CFTs, successfully identifying well-known theories like the 2D Ising model and the 2D CFT of a compactified scalar. Our methods can perform efficient high-dimensional searches that can be used to study arbitrary (unitary or non-unitary) CFTs in any spacetime dim…
Contrary to popular belief conformality does not require zero beta functions. This follows from the work of Jack and Osborn, and examples in non-supersymmetric theories were recently found by some of us. In this note we show that such examples are absent in unitary N=1 supersymmetric four-dimensional field theories. More specifically, we show to all orders in perturbation theory that the beta-function vector field of such theories does not admit limit cycles. A corollary of our result is that unitary N=1 supersymmetric four-dimensional theories cannot be superscale-invariant without being supe…
In this note we construct magnetic quivers for the known rank-2 four dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories. For every rank-1 theory one can find a unitary magnetic quiver; we observe that this is no longer possible at rank 2. Our list of magnetic quivers necessarily includes orthosymplectic quivers, in addition to unitary ones, of both the simply and non-simply laced variety. Using quiver subtraction, one can compute Higgs branch Hasse diagrams and compare with the results obtained via other methods finding nearly perfect agreement.
The unitary $N = 2$ superconformal minimal models have a long history in string theory and mathematical physics, while their non-unitary (and logarithmic) cousins have recently attracted interest from mathematicians. Here, we give an efficient and uniform analysis of all these models as an application of a type of Schur-Weyl duality, as it pertains to the well-known Kazama-Suzuki coset construction. The results include straightforward classifications of the irreducible modules, branching rules, (super)characters and (Grothendieck) fusion rules.
We generalized the 't Hooft-Veltman method of unitary regulators to put forward a path-integral framework for finite, alternative theories to a given quantum field theory. And we demonstrated that the proposed framework is feasible by providing a finite alternative to the quantum field theory of a single, self-interacting real scalar field. Here we give two properties of self-energy that make the corresponding scattering matrix unitary. We show that the perturbative self-energy has these two properties at least up to the second order in the coupling constant.
In this paper and a companion one, we study the effect of integrable line defects on entanglement entropy in massive integrable field theories in 1+1 dimensions. The current paper focuses on topological defects that are purely transmissive. Using the form factor bootstrap method, we show that topological defects do not affect the the entanglement entropy in the UV limit and modify slightly the leading exponential correction in the IR. This conclusion holds for both unitary and non-unitary field theories. In contrast, non-topological defects affect the entanglement entropy more significantly bo…
We give a non-perturbative proof that any 4D unitary and Lorentz-invariant quantum field theory with a conserved scale current is in fact conformally invariant. We show that any scale invariant theory (unitary or not) must have either a vanishing anomaly for global scale transformations or an operator of spin 2 and dimension 2. Neither of these possibilities is allowed for unitary theories, proving the result. This is also a strong constraint on non-unitary Euclidean theories with scale but not conformal invariance, suggesting the conjecture that all such theories are free field theories.
