Perturbative and nonperturbative studies of CFTs with MN global symmetry

Abstract

Fixed points in three dimensions described by conformal field theories with \ensuremath{M N}_{m,n} = O(m)^n\rtimes S_nMNm,n=O(m)n⋊Sn global symmetry have extensive applications in critical phenomena. Associated experimental data for m=n=2m=n=2 suggest the existence of two non-trivial fixed points, while the \varepsilonε expansion predicts only one, resulting in a puzzling state of affairs. A recent numerical conformal bootstrap study has found two kinks for small values of the parameters mm and nn, with critical exponents in good agreement with experimental determinations in the m=n=2m=n=2 case. In this paper we investigate the fate of the corresponding fixed points as we vary the parameters mm and nn. We find that one family of kinks approaches a perturbative limit as mm increases, and using large spin perturbation theory we construct a large mm expansion that fits well with the numerical data. This new expansion, akin to the large NN expansion of critical O(N)O(N) models, is compatible with the fixed point found in the \varepsilonε expansion. For the other family of kinks, we find that it persists only for n=2n=2, where for large mm it approaches a non-perturbative limit with \Delta_\phi\approx 0.75Δϕ≈0.75. We investigate the spectrum in the case \ensuremath{M N}_{100,2}MN100,2 and find consistency with expectations from the lightcone bootstrap.