Four-point Functions Research Articles

Laplace-difference equation for integrated correlators of operators with general charges in mathcal{N} = 4 SYM

We consider the integrated correlators associated with four-point correlation functions leftlangle {mathcal{O}}_2{mathcal{O}}_2{mathcal{O}}_p^{(i)}{mathcal{O}}_p^{(j)}rightrangle in four-dimensional mathcal{N} = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (SYM) with SU(N) gauge group, where {mathcal{O}}_p^{(i)} is a superconformal primary with charge (or dimension) p and the superscript i represents possible degeneracy. These integrated correlators are defined by integrating out spacetime dependence with a certain integration measure, and they can be computed via supersymmetric localisation. They are modular functions of complexified Yang-Mills coupling τ. We show that the localisation computation is systematised by appropriately reorganising the operators. After this reorganisation of the operators, we prove that all the integrated correlators for any N, with some crucial normalisation factor, satisfy a universal Laplace-difference equation (with the laplacian defined on the τ-plane) that relates integrated correlators of operators with different charges. This Laplace-difference equation is a recursion relation that completely determines all the integrated correlators, once the initial conditions are given.

On-shell supersymmetry and higher-spin amplitudes

We use on-shell Supersymmetry to constrain the three-point function of two massless particles and one massive particle in 3+1 dimensions. We use this information to write down the tree-level four-point function of massless particles for mathcal{N} = 1, 2 and 4 theories. In particular, we derive the expressions for four-photon/gluon amplitudes with massive higher spin exchange in theories with mathcal{N} = 4 Supersymmetry in 3+1 dimensions.

The shadow formalism of Galilean CFT2

In this work, we develop the shadow formalism for two-dimensional Galilean conformal field theory (GCFT2). We define the principal series representation of Galilean conformal symmetry group and find its relation with the Wigner classification, then we determine the shadow transform of local operators. Using this formalism we derive the OPE blocks, Clebsch-Gordan kernels, conformal blocks and conformal partial waves. A new feature is that the conformal block admits additional branch points, which would destroy the convergence of OPE for certain parameters. We establish another inversion formula different from the previous one, but get the same result when decomposing the four-point functions in the mean field theory (MFT). We also construct a continuous series of bilocal actions of MFT, and an exceptional series of local actions, one of which is the BMS free scalar model. We notice that there is an outer automorphism of the Galilean conformal symmetry, and the GCFT2 can be regarded as null defect in higher dimensional CFTs.

Universal thermal corrections to symmetry-resolved entanglement entropy and full counting statistics

In the presence of a global symmetry, the entanglement entropy of a quantum system can be decomposed among the individual symmetry sectors, dubbed symmetry-resolved entanglement entropy. For a conformal field theory with Abelian symmetry, it obeys the equipartition theorem in the scaling limit, i.e., at the leading order, the entanglement is distributed equally between different symmetry sectors. In this work, we examine the thermal corrections to a single interval symmetry-resolved Rényi and entanglement entropies for two-dimensional conformal field theories on a circle. Using a low-temperature expansion of the thermal density matrix, we find that in addition to the mass gap and the degeneracy of the first excited state, these universal corrections depend also on the four-point correlation function of the primary fields. We also obtain thermal corrections to the full counting statistics of the ground state and define the probability fluctuations function which scales as {e}^{-2pi {Delta}_{psi}beta /L} , where ∆ψ is the scaling dimension of the lowest weight states. As an example, we explicitly evaluate the thermal corrections to the symmetry-resolved entanglement entropy and FCS for the spinless fermions and find a term breaking entanglement equipartition at order (log l)−2.

Complex saddles of three-dimensional de Sitter gravity via holography

We determine complex saddles of three-dimensional gravity with a positive cosmological constant by applying the recently proposed holography. It is sometimes useful to consider a complexified metric to study quantum gravity as in the case of the no-boundary proposal by Hartle and Hawking. However, there would be too many saddles for complexified gravity, and we should determine which saddles to take. We describe the gravity theory by three-dimensional SL$(2,\mathbb{C})$ Chern-Simons theory. At the leading order in the Newton constant, its holographic dual is given by Liouville theory with a large imaginary central charge. We examine geometry with a conical defect, called a de Sitter black hole, from a Liouville two-point function. We also consider geometry with two conical defects, whose saddles are determined by the monodromy matrix of Liouville four-point function. Utilizing Chern-Simons description, we extend the similar analysis to the case with higher-spin gravity.

NLO quark self-energy and dispersion relation using the hard thermal loop resummation

Using the hard-thermal-loop (HTL) resummation in real-time formalism, we study the next-to-leading order (NLO) quark self-energy and corresponding NLO dispersion laws. In NLO, we have replaced all the propagators and vertices with the HTL-effective ones in the usual quark self-energy diagram. Additionally, a four-point vertex diagram also contributes to the quark NLO self-energy. We calculate the usual quark self-energy diagram and the four-point vertex diagram separately. Using those, we express the NLO quark self-energy in terms of the three- and four-point HTL-effective vertex functions. Using the Feynman parametrization, we express the integrals containing the three- and four-point HTL effective vertex functions in terms of the solid angles. After completing the solid angle integrals, we numerically calculate the momentum integrals in the NLO quark self-energy and plot them as a function of the ratio of momentum and energy. Using the NLO quark self-energy, we plot the NLO correction to dispersion laws.

Four-point functions of gravitons and conserved currents of CFT in momentum space: testing the nonlocal action with the TTJJ

We present an analysis of the perturbative realization of the TTJJ correlator, with two stress energy tensors and two conserved currents, using free field theory, integrating out conformal sectors in the quantum corrections. This allows to define, around flat space, an exact perturbative expansion of the complete anomaly effective action – up to 4-point functions – whose predictions can be compared against those of the anomaly induced action. The latter is a variational solution of the conformal anomaly constraint at d=4 in the form of a nonlocal Wess–Zumino action. The renormalization procedure and the degeneracies of the tensor structures of this correlator are discussed, valid for a generic conformal field theory, deriving its anomalous trace Ward identities (WIs). In this application, we also illustrate a general procedure that identifies the minimal number of tensorial structures and corresponding form factors for the TTJJ and any 4-point function. The approach is implemented for three, four and five dimensions, addressing the tensor degeneracies of the expansion in momentum space. We show that the renormalized TTJJ can be split into two contributions, a non anomalous and an anomalous part, each separately conserved. The first satisfies ordinary trace WIs, while the second satisfies anomalous trace WIs. The result of the direct computation is compared against the expression of the same 4-point function derived from the nonlocal anomaly induced action. We show that the prediction for the anomalous part of the TTJJ derived from such action, evaluated in two different conformal decompositions, the Riegert and Fradkin–Vilkovisky (FV) choices, differ from the anomaly part identified in the perturbative TTJJ, in the flat spacetime limit. The anomaly part of the correlator computed with the Riegert choice is affected by double poles, while the one computed with the FV choice does not satisfy the conservation WIs. We present the correct form of the expansion of the anomaly induced action at the second order in the metric perturbations around flat space that reproduces the perturbative result.

Test for Cosmological Parity Violation Using the 3D Distribution of Galaxies.

We show how the galaxy four-point correlation function can test for cosmological parity violation. The detection of cosmological parity violation would reflect previously unknown forces present at the earliest moments of the Universe. Recent developments both in rapidly evaluating galaxy N-point correlation functions and in determining the corresponding covariance matrices make the search for parity violation in the four-point correlation function possible in current and upcoming surveys such as those undertaken by Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, the Euclid satellite, and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. We estimate the limits on cosmic parity violation that could be set with these data.

Bound on the central charge of CFTs in large dimension

In this paper, we use crossing symmetry and unitarity constraints to put a lower bound on the central charge of conformal field theories in large space-time dimensions D. Specifically, we work with the four-point function of identical scalars ϕ with scaling dimension ∆ϕ, and use a certain class of analytic functionals to show that the OPE coefficient squared {c}_{phi phi {T}^{mu nu}}^2 must be exponentially small in D. For this to hold, we need to make a certain assumption about the nature of the spectrum below 2∆ϕ. Our argument is robust and can be applied to any OPE coefficient squared {c}_{phi phi O}^2 with ∆O< 2∆ϕ. This suggests that conformal field theories in large dimensions (if they exist) must be exponentially close to generalized free field theories.

Holographic thermal correlators from supersymmetric instantons

We present an exact formula for the thermal scalar two-point function in four-dimensional holographic conformal field theories. The problem of finding it reduces to the analysis of the wave equation on the AdS-Schwarzschild background. The two-point function is computed from the connection coefficients of the Heun equation, which can be expressed in terms of the Nekrasov-Shatashvili partition function of an SU(2)SU(2) supersymmetric gauge theory with four fundamental hypermultiplets. The result is amenable to numerical evaluation upon truncating the number of instantons in the convergent expansion of the partition function. We also examine it analytically in various limits. At large spin the instanton expansion of the thermal two-point function directly maps to the light-cone bootstrap analysis of the heavy-light four-point function. Using this connection, we compute the OPE data of heavy-light double-twist operators. We compare our prediction to the perturbative results available in the literature and find perfect agreement.

Quantum Field Theory in AdS Space instead of Lehmann-Symanzik-Zimmerman Axioms.

The boundary correlation functions for a quantum field theory (QFT) in a fixed anti-de Sitter (AdS) background should reduce to S-matrix elements in the flat-space limit. We consider this procedure in detail for four-point functions. With minimal assumptions we rigorously show that the resulting S-matrix element obeys a dispersion relation, the nonlinear unitarity conditions, and the Froissart-Martin bound. QFT in AdS thus provides an alternative route to fundamental QFT results that normally rely on the LSZ axioms.

Cyclic products of Szegö kernels and spin structure sums. Part I. Hyper-elliptic formulation

The summation over spin structures, which is required to implement the GSO projection in the RNS formulation of superstring theories, often presents a significant impediment to the explicit evaluation of superstring amplitudes. In this paper we discover that, for Riemann surfaces of genus two and even spin structures, a collection of novel identities leads to a dramatic simplification of the spin structure sum. Explicit formulas for an arbitrary number of vertex points are obtained in two steps. First, we show that the spin structure dependence of a cyclic product of Szegö kernels (i.e. Dirac propagators for worldsheet fermions) may be reduced to the spin structure dependence of the four-point function. Of particular importance are certain trilinear relations that we shall define and prove. In a second step, the known expressions for the genus-two even spin structure measure are used to perform the remaining spin structure sums. The dependence of the spin summand on the vertex points is reduced to simple building blocks that can already be identified from the two-point function. The hyper-elliptic formulation of genus-two Riemann surfaces is used to derive these results, and its SL(2, ℂ) covariance is employed to organize the calculations and the structure of the final formulas. The translation of these results into the language of Riemann ϑ-functions, and applications to the evaluation of higher-point string amplitudes, are relegated to subsequent companion papers.

Spaces of states of the two-dimensional $O(n)$ and Potts models

We determine the spaces of states of the two-dimensional O(n)O(n) and QQ-state Potts models with generic parameters n,Q\in \mathbb{C}n,Q∈ℂ as representations of their known symmetry algebras. While the relevant representations of the conformal algebra were recently worked out, it remained to determine the action of the global symmetry groups: the orthogonal group for the O(n)O(n) model, and the symmetric group S_QSQ for the QQ-state Potts model. We do this by two independent methods. First we compute the twisted torus partition functions of the models at criticality. The twist in question is the insertion of a group element along one cycle of the torus: this breaks modular invariance, but allows the partition function to have a unique decomposition into characters of irreducible representations of the global symmetry group. Our second method reduces the problem to determining branching rules of certain diagram algebras. For the O(n)O(n) model, we decompose representations of the Brauer algebra into representations of its unoriented Jones-Temperley-Lieb subalgebra. For the QQ-state Potts model, we decompose representations of the partition algebra into representations of the appropriate subalgebra. We find explicit expressions for these decompositions as sums over certain sets of diagrams, and over standard Young tableaux. We check that both methods agree in many cases. Moreover, our spaces of states are consistent with recent bootstrap results on four-point functions of the corresponding CFTs.

Parity-odd and even trispectrum from axion inflation

The four-point correlation function of primordial scalar perturbations has parity-even and parity-odd contributions and the parity-odd signal in cosmological observations is opening a novel window to look for new physics in the inflationary epoch. We study the distinct parity-odd and even prediction from the axion inflation model, in which the inflaton couples to a vector field via a Chern-Simons interaction, and the vector field is considered to be either approximately massless (mA ≪ Hubble scale H) or very massive (mA ∼ H). The parity-odd signal arises due to one transverse mode of the vector field being predominantly produced during inflation. We adopt the in-in formalism to evaluate the correlation functions. Considering the vector field mode function to be dominated by its real part up to a constant phase, we simplify the formulas for numerical computations. The numerical studies show that the massive and massless vector fields give significant parity-even signals, while the parity-odd contribution is about one to two orders of magnitude smaller.

Intermediate-range order governs dynamics in dense colloidal liquids

The conventional wisdom is that liquids are completely disordered and lack nontrivial structure beyond nearest-neighbor distances. Recent observations have upended this view and demonstrated that the microstructure in liquids is surprisingly rich and plays a critical role in numerous physical, biological, and industrial processes. However, approaches to uncover this structure are either system-specific or yield results that are not physically intuitive. Here, through single-particle resolved three-dimensional confocal microscope imaging and the use of a recently introduced four-point correlation function, we show that bidisperse colloidal liquids have a highly nontrivial structure comprising alternating layers with icosahedral and dodecahedral order, which extends well beyond nearest-neighbor distances and grows with supercooling. By quantifying the dynamics of the system on the particle level, we establish that it is this intermediate-range order, and not the short-range order, which has a one-to-one correlation with dynamical heterogeneities, a property directly related to the relaxation dynamics of glassy liquids. Our experimental findings provide a direct and much sought-after link between the structure and dynamics of liquids and pave the way for probing the consequences of this intermediate-range order in other liquid state processes.

Prospects for a lattice calculation of the rare decay Σ+ → pℓ+ℓ−

We present a strategy for calculating the rare decay of a Σ+(uus) baryon to a proton (uud) and di-lepton pair using lattice QCD. To determine this observable one needs to numerically evaluate baryonic two-, three-, and four-point correlation functions related to the target process. In particular, the four-point function arises from the insertion of incoming and outgoing baryons, together with a weak Hamiltonian mediating the s → d transition and an electromagnetic current creating the outgoing leptons. As is described in previous work in other contexts, this four-point function has a highly non-trivial relation to the physical observable, due to proton and proton-pion intermediate states. These lead to growing Euclidean time dependence and, in the case of the two-particle intermediate states, to power-like volume effects. We discuss how to treat these issues in the context of the Σ+ → pℓ+ℓ− decay and, in particular, detail the relation between the finite-volume estimator and the physical, complex-valued amplitude. In doing so, we also make connections between various approaches already described in the literature.

Hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon g − 2 from lattice QCD: semi-analytical calculation of the QED kernel

Hadronic light-by-light scattering is one of the virtual processes that causes the gyromagnetic factor g of the muon to deviate from the value of two predicted by Dirac’s theory. This process makes one of the largest contributions to the uncertainty of the Standard Model prediction for the muon (g − 2). Lattice QCD allows for a first-principles approach to computing this non-perturbative effect. In order to avoid power-law finite-size artifacts generated by virtual photons in lattice simulations, we follow a coordinate-space approach involving a weighted integral over the vertices of the QCD four-point function of the electromagnetic current carried by the quarks. Here we present in detail the semi-analytical calculation of the QED part of the amplitude, employing position-space perturbation theory in continuous, infinite four-dimensional Euclidean space. We also provide some useful information about a computer code for the numerical implementation of our approach that has been made public at https://github.com/RJHudspith/KQED.

Aspects of holography in conical AdS3

We study the Feynman propagator of free scalar fields in AdS3 with a conical defect. In the bulk, the defect is represented by a massive particle; in the dual CFT, it is a heavy operator that creates a highly excited state. We construct the propagator by solving the bulk equation of motion in the defect geometry, summing over the modes of the field, and passing to the boundary. The result agrees with a calculation based on the method of images in AdS3/ℤN, where it is also a sum over geodesic lengths. On the boundary, the propagator becomes a semiclassical heavy-light four-point function. We interpret the field modes as double-twist primary states formed by excitations of the scalar on top of the defect, and we check that the correlator is crossing-symmetric by matching its singular behavior to that of the semiclassical Virasoro vacuum block. We also argue that long-range correlations in conical AdS are “thermally” suppressed as the defect becomes more massive by studying the critical behavior of a continuous phase transition in the correlator at the BTZ threshold. Finally, we apply our results to holographic entanglement entropy by exploiting an analogy between free scalars and replica twist fields.

Bern-Carrasco-Johansson relations in AdS5×S3 and the double-trace spectrum of super gluons

We revisit the four-point function of super gluons in $AdS_5 \times S^3$ in the spirit of the large $p$ formalism and show how the integrand of a generalised Mellin transform satisfies various non-trivial properties such as $U(1)$ decoupling identity, BCJ relations and colour-kinematic duality, in a way that directly mirrors the analogous relations in flat space. We unmix the spectrum of double-trace operators at large $N$ and find all anomalous dimensions at leading order. The anomalous dimensions follow a very simple pattern, resembling those of other theories with hidden conformal symmetries.

Correlation functions of the Rudin–Shapiro sequence

In this paper, we show that all odd-point correlation functions of the balanced Rudin–Shapiro sequence vanish and that all even-point correlation functions depend only on a single number, which holds for any weighted correlation function as well. For the four-point correlation functions, we provide a more detailed exposition which reveals some arithmetic structures and symmetries. In particular, we show that one can obtain the autocorrelation coefficients of its topological factor with maximal pure point spectrum among them.