Aspects of the zeroΛlimit in the AdS/CFT correspondence

Abstract

We examine the correspondence between QFT observables and bulk solutions in the context of AdS/CFT in the limit as the cosmological constant $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$. We focus specifically on the spacetime metric and a nonbackreacting scalar in the bulk, compute the one-point functions of the dual operators, and determine the necessary conditions for the correspondence to admit a well-behaved zero-$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ limit. We discuss holographic renormalization in this limit and find that it requires schemes that partially break diffeomorphism invariance of the bulk theory. In the specific case of three bulk dimensions, we compute the zero-$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ limit of the holographic Weyl anomaly and reproduce the central charge that arises in the central extension of ${\mathfrak{bms}}_{3}$. We compute holographically the energy and momentum of those QFT states dual to flat cosmological solutions and to the Kerr solution and find an agreement with the bulk theory. We also compute holographically the renormalized two-point function of a scalar operator in the zero-$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ limit and find it to be consistent with that of a conformal operator in two dimensions fewer. Finally, our results can be used in a new definition of asymptotic Ricci flatness at null infinity based on the zero-$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ limit of asymptotically Einstein manifolds.