Single-trace Operators Research Articles

Fermionic correlators from integrability

We study three-point functions of single-trace operators in the su(1|1) sector of planar N = 4 SYM borrowing several tools based on Integrability. In the most general configuration of operators in this sector, we have found a determinant expression for the tree-level structure constants. We then compare the predictions of the recently proposed hexagon program against all available data. We have obtained a match once additional sign factors are included when the two hexagon form-factors are assembled together to form the structure constants. In the particular case of one BPS and two non-BPS operators we managed to identify the relevant form-factors with a domain wall partition function of a certain six-vertex model. This partition function can be explicitly evaluated and factorizes at all loops. In addition, we use this result to compute the structure constants and show that at strong coupling in the so-called BMN regime, its leading order contribution has a determinant expression.

Strong coupling results in the AdS 5 /CF T 4 correspondence from the numerical solution of the quantum spectral curve

In this paper, we solved numerically the Quantum Spectral Curve (QSC) equations corresponding to some twist-2 single trace operators with even spin from the $sl(2)$ sector of $AdS_5/CFT_4$ correspondence. We describe all technical details of the numerical method which are necessary to implement it in C++ language. In the $S=2,4,6,8$ cases, our numerical results confirm the analytical results, known in the literature for the first 4 coefficients of the strong coupling expansion for the anomalous dimensions of twist-2 operators. In the case of the Konishi operator, due to the high precision of the numerical data we could give numerical predictions to the values of two further coefficients, as well. The strong coupling behaviour of the coefficients $c_{a,n}$ in the power series representation of the ${\bf P}_{\!a}$-functions is also investigated. Based on our numerical data, in the regime, where the index of the coefficients is much smaller than $\lambda^{1/4}$, we conjecture that the coefficients have polynomial index dependence at strong coupling. This allows one to propose a strong coupling series representation for the ${\bf P}$-functions being valid far enough from the real short cut. In the paper the qualitative strong coupling behaviour of the ${\bf P}$-functions at the branch points is also discussed.

Holography as a highly efficient renormalization group flow. I. Rephrasing gravity

We investigate how the holographic correspondence can be reformulated as a generalisation of Wilsonian RG flow in a strongly interacting large $N$ quantum field theory. We firstly define a \textit{highly efficient RG flow} as one in which the Ward identities related to local conservation of energy, momentum and charges preserve the same form at each scale -- to achieve this it is necessary to redefine the background metric and external sources at each scale as functionals of the effective single trace operators. These redefinitions also absorb the contributions of the multi-trace operators to these effective Ward identities. Thus the background metric and external sources become effectively dynamical reproducing the dual classical gravity equations in one higher dimension. Here, we focus on reconstructing the pure gravity sector as a highly efficient RG flow of the energy-momentum tensor operator, leaving the explicit constructive field theory approach for generating such RG flows to the second part of the work. We show that special symmetries of the highly efficient RG flows carry information through which we can decode the gauge fixing of bulk diffeomorphisms in the corresponding gravity equations. We also show that the highly efficient RG flow which reproduces a given classical gravity theory in a given gauge is \textit{unique} provided the endpoint can be transformed to a non-relativistic fixed point with a finite number of parameters under a universal rescaling. The results obtained here are used in the second part of this work, where we do an explicit field-theoretic construction of the RG flow, and obtain the dual classical gravity theory.

Holography as a highly efficient renormalization group flow. II. An explicit construction

We complete the reformulation of the holographic correspondence as a \emph{highly efficient RG flow} that can also determine the UV data in the field theory in the strong coupling and large $N$ limit. We introduce a special way to define operators at any given scale in terms of appropriate coarse-grained collective variables, without requiring the use of the elementary fields. The Wilsonian construction is generalised by promoting the cut-off to a functional of these collective variables. We impose three criteria to determine the coarse-graining. The first criterion is that the effective Ward identities for local conservation of energy, momentum, etc. should preserve their standard forms, but in new scale-dependent background metric and sources which are functionals of the effective single trace operators. The second criterion is that the scale-evolution equations of the operators in the actual background metric should be state-independent, implying that the collective variables should not explicitly appear in them. The final criterion is that the endpoint of the scale-evolution of the RG flow can be transformed to a fixed point corresponding to familiar non-relativistic equations with a finite number of parameters, such as incompressible non-relativistic Navier-Stokes, under a certain universal rescaling of the scale and of the time coordinate. Using previous work, we explicitly show that in the hydrodynamic limit each such highly efficient RG flow reproduces a unique classical gravity theory with precise UV data that satisfy our IR criterion. We obtain the explicit coarse-graining which reproduces Einstein's equations. In a simple example, we are also able to compute the beta function. Finally, we show how our construction can be interpolated with the traditional Wilsonian RG flow at a suitable scale, and can be used to develop new non-perturbative frameworks for QCD-like theories.

Scalar multiplet recombination at large N and holography

We consider the coupling of a free scalar to a single-trace operator of a large N CFT in d dimensions. This is equivalent to a double-trace deformation coupling two primary operators of the CFT, in the limit when one of the two saturates the unitarity bound. At leading order, the RG-flow has a non-trivial fixed point where multiplets recombine. We show this phenomenon in field theory, and provide the holographic dual description. Free scalars correspond to singleton representations of the AdS algebra. The double-trace interaction is mapped to a boundary condition mixing the singleton with the bulk field dual to the single-trace operator. In the IR, the singleton and the bulk scalar merge, providing just one long representation of the AdS algebra.

One-loop test of free SU(N ) adjoint model holography

We consider the holographic duality where the CFT side is given by $SU(N)$ adjoint free scalar field theory. Compared to the vector models, the set of single trace operators is immensely extended so that the corresponding AdS theory also contains infinitely many massive higher spin fields on top of the massless ones. We compute the one-loop vacuum energy of these AdS fields to test this duality at the subleading order in large $N$ expansion. The determination of the bulk vacuum energy requires a proper scheme to sum up the infinitely many contributions. For that, we develop a new method and apply it first to calculate the vacuum energies for the first few `Regge trajectories' in AdS$_4$ and AdS$_5$. In considering the full vacuum energy of AdS theory dual to a matrix model CFT, we find that there exist more than one available prescriptions for the one-loop vacuum energy. Taking a particular prescription, we determine the full vacuum energy of the AdS$_5$ theory, whereas the AdS$_4$ calculation still remains technically prohibitive. This result shows that the full vacuum energy of the AdS$_5$ theory coincides with minus of the free energy of a single scalar field on the boundary. This is analogous to the $O(N)$ vector model case, hence suggests an interpretation of the \emph{positive} shift of the bulk coupling constant, i.e. from $N^2-1$ to $N^2$.

Quantum Spectral Curve for a cusped Wilson line in N = 4 $$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$ SYM

We show that the Quantum Spectral Curve (QSC) formalism, initially formulated for the spectrum of anomalous dimensions of all local single trace operators in N=4 SYM, can be extended to the generalized cusp anomalous dimension for all values of the parameters. We find that the large spectral parameter asymptotics and some analyticity properties have to be modified, but the functional relations are unchanged. As a demonstration, we find an all-loop analytic expression for the first two nontrivial terms in the small |phi \pm theta| expansion. We also present nonperturbative numerical results at generic angles which match perfectly 4-loop perturbation theory and the classical string prediction. The reformulation of the problem in terms of the QSC opens the possibility to explore many open questions. We attach to this paper several Mathematica notebooks which should facilitate future studies.

Three-point functions in N = 4 $$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$ SYM: the hexagon proposal at three loops

Basso, Komatsu and Vieira recently proposed an all-loop framework for the computation of three-point functions of single-trace operators of ${\cal N}=4$ super-Yang-Mills, the "hexagon program". This proposal results in several remarkable predictions, including the three-point function of two protected operators with an unprotected one in the $SU(2)$ and $SL(2)$ sectors. Such predictions consist of an "asymptotic" part---similar in spirit to the asymptotic Bethe Ansatz of Beisert and Staudacher for two-point functions---as well as additional finite-size "wrapping" L\"uscher-like corrections. The focus of this paper is on such wrapping corrections, which we compute at three-loops in the $SL(2)$ sector. The resulting structure constants perfectly match the ones obtained in the literature from four-point correlators of protected operators.

A holographic two-impurity Kondo model

We propose a model of a strongly-interacting two-impurity Kondo system based on the Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, also known as holography. In a Landau Fermi Liquid, the single-impurity Kondo effect is the screening of an impurity spin at low temperature T . The two-impurity Kondo model then describes the competition between the Kondo interaction and the Heisenberg interaction between two impurity spins, also called the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction. For spin-1/2 impurities, that competition leads to a quantum phase transition from a Kondo-screened phase to a phase in which the two impurity spins screen one another. Our holographic model is based on a (1 + 1)-dimensional CFT description of the two-impurity Kondo model, reliable for two impurities with negligible separation in space. We consider only impurity spins in a totally anti-symmetric representation of an SU(N ) spin symmetry. We employ a large-N limit, in which both Kondo and RKKY couplings are double-trace, and both Kondo and inter-impurity screening appear as condensation of single-trace operators at the impurities’ location. We perform the holographic renormalization of our model, which allows us to identify the Kondo and RKKY couplings as boundary conditions on fields in AdS. We numerically compute the phase diagram of our model in the plane of RKKY coupling versus T , finding evidence for a quantum phase transition from a trivial phase, with neither Kondo nor inter-impurity screening, to a non-trivial phase, with both Kondo and anti-ferromagnetic inter-impurity screening. More generally we show, just using SU(N ) representation theory, that ferromagnetic correlations must be absent at leading order in the large-N limit. Our holographic model may be useful for studying many open problems involving strongly-interacting quantum impurities, including for example the Kondo lattice, relevant for describing the heavy fermion compounds.

Three dimensional bosonization from supersymmetry

Three dimensional bosonization is a conjectured duality between non-super-symmetric Chern-Simons theories coupled to matter fields in the fundamental representation of the gauge group. There is a well-established supersymmetric version of this duality, which involves Chern-Simons theories with $$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$ supersymmetry coupled to fundamental chiral multiplets. Assuming that the supersymmetric duality is valid, we prove that non-supersymmetric bosonization holds for all planar correlators of single-trace operators. The main tool we employ is a double-trace flow from the supersymmetric theory to an IR fixed point, in which the scalars and fermions are effectively decoupled in the planar limit. A generalization of this technique can be used to derive the duality mapping of all renormalizable couplings, in non-supersymmetric theories with both a scalar and a fermion. Our results do not rely on an explicit computation of planar diagrams.

Quantum spectral curve for arbitrary state/operator in AdS5/CFT4

We give a derivation of quantum spectral curve (QSC) - a finite set of Riemann-Hilbert equations for exact spectrum of planar N=4 SYM theory proposed in our recent paper Phys.Rev.Lett. 112 (2014). We also generalize this construction to all local single trace operators of the theory, in contrast to the TBA-like approaches worked out only for a limited class of states. We reveal a rich algebraic and analytic structure of the QSC in terms of a so called Q-system -- a finite set of Baxter-like Q-functions. This new point of view on the finite size spectral problem is shown to be completely compatible, though in a far from trivial way, with already known exact equations (analytic Y-system/TBA, or FiNLIE). We use the knowledge of this underlying Q-system to demonstrate how the classical finite gap solutions and the asymptotic Bethe ansatz emerge from our formalism in appropriate limits.

Integrability and the conformal field theory of the Higgs branch

In the context of the AdS3/CFT2 correspondence, we investigate the Higgs branch CFT2. Witten showed that states localised near the small instanton singularity can be described in terms of vector multiplet variables. This theory has a planar, weak-coupling limit, in which anomalous dimensions of single-trace composite operators can be calculated. At one loop, the calculation reduces to finding the spectrum of a spin-chain with nearest-neighbour interactions. This CFT2 spin-chain matches precisely the one that was previously found as the weak-coupling limit of the integrable system describing the AdS3 side of the duality. We compute the one-loop dilatation operator in a non-trivial compact subsector and show that it corresponds to an integrable spin-chain Hamiltonian. This provides the first direct evidence of integrability on the CFT2 side of the correspondence.

The holographic dictionary for Beta functions of multi-trace coupling constants

Field theories with weakly coupled holographic duals, such as large N gauge theories, have a natural separation of their operators into ‘single-trace operators’ (dual to single-particle states) and ‘multi-trace operators’ (dual to multi-particle states). There are examples of large N gauge theories where the beta functions of single-trace coupling constants all vanish, but marginal multi-trace coupling constants have non-vanishing beta functions that spoil conformal invariance (even when all multi-trace coupling constants vanish). The holographic dual of such theories should be a classical solution in anti-de Sitter space, in which the boundary conditions that correspond to the multi-trace coupling constants depend on the cutoff scale, in a way that spoils conformal invariance. We argue that this is realized through specific bulk coupling constants that lead to a running of the multi-trace coupling constants. This fills a missing entry in the holographic dictionary.

Yang–Mills mass gap at large-N, noncommutative YM theory, topological quantum field theory and hyperfiniteness

We review a number of old and new concepts in quantum gauge theories, some of which are well-established but not widely appreciated, some are most recent, that may have analogs in gauge formulations of quantum gravity, loop quantum gravity, and their topological versions, and may be of general interest. Such concepts involve noncommutative gauge theories and their relation to the large-N limit, loop equations and the change to the anti-selfdual (ASD) variables also known as Nicolai map, topological field theory (TFT) and its relation to localization and Morse–Smale–Floer homology, with an emphasis both on the mathematical aspects and the physical meaning. These concepts, assembled in a new way, enter a line of attack to the problem of the mass gap in large-NSU(N) Yang–Mills (YM), that is reviewed as well. Algebraic considerations furnish a measure of the mathematical complexity of a complete solution of large-NSU(N) YM: In the large-N limit of pure SU(N) YM the ambient algebra of Wilson loops is known to be a type II1 nonhyperfinite factor. Nevertheless, for the mass gap problem at the leading 1/N order, only the subalgebra of local gauge-invariant single-trace operators matters. The connected two-point correlators in this subalgebra must be an infinite sum of propagators of free massive fields, since the interaction is subleading in [Formula: see text], a vast simplification. It is an open problem, determined by the growth of the degeneracy of the spectrum, whether the aforementioned local subalgebra is in fact hyperfinite. Moreover, the sum of free propagators that occurs in the two-point correlators in the aforementioned local subalgebra must be asymptotic for large momentum to the result implied by the asymptotic freedom and the renormalization group: This fundamental constraint fixes asymptotically the residues of the poles of the propagators in terms of the mass spectrum and of the anomalous dimensions of the local operators. For the mass gap problem, in the search of a hyperfinite subalgebra containing the scalar sector of large-N YM, a major role is played by the existence of a TFT underlying the large-N limit of YM, with twisted boundary conditions on a torus or, which is the same by Morita duality, on a noncommutative torus. The TFT is trivial at the leading large-N order and localized on a set of critical points by means of a quantum version of Morse–Smale–Floer homology, that involves loop equations in the ASD variables. A hyperfinite sector arises by fluctuations around the trivial TFT, in which the joint spectrum of scalar and pseudoscalar glueballs is linear in the square of the masses [Formula: see text] with degeneracy k = 1, 2,…, and the two-point correlator satisfies the aforementioned fundamental constraint arising by the asymptotic freedom and the renormalization group.

Behind the geon horizon

We explore the Papadodimas–Raju prescription for reconstructing the region behind the horizon of one-sided black holes in AdS/CFT in the case of the geon—a simple, analytic example of a single-sided, asymptotically AdS3 black hole, which corresponds to a pure CFT state that thermalizes at late times. We show that in this specific example, the mirror operators involved in the reconstruction of the interior have a particularly simple form: the mirror of a single trace operator at late times is just the corresponding single trace operator at early times. We use some explicit examples to explore how changes in the state modify the geometry inside the horizon.

Strong coupling expansion for the conformal Pomeron/Odderon trajectories

From the perspective of AdS/CFT the Pomeron is identified with a Reggeized Graviton, while the Odderons correspond to Reggeized anti-symmetric $AdS_5$ Kalb-Ramond tensor-fields. In this paper, we consider the strong coupling expansion of the dimension of the leading twist operators dual to these Regge trajectories, $\Delta(j)$, to determine its analytic continuation in $j$ beyond the diffusion limit. In particular, we compute the strong coupling expansion of the intercept to order $\lambda^{-3}$, where $\lambda$ is the t'Hooft coupling, for both the Pomeron, which is $C=+1$ crossing-even, and the "Odderons", which are the leading $C=-1$ crossing-odd Regge singularities. We discuss the spectral curves of the class of single-trace operators to which these string modes couple.

Exact renormalization group and higher-spin holography

In this paper, we revisit scalar field theories in $d$ space-time dimensions possessing $U(N)$ global symmetry. Following our recent work arXiv:1402.1430v2, we consider the generating function of correlation functions of all $U(N)$-invariant, single-trace operators at the free fixed point. The exact renormalization group equations are cast as Hamilton equations of radial evolution in a model space-time of one higher dimension, in this case $AdS_{d+1}$. The geometry associated with the RG equations is seen to emerge naturally out of the infinite jet bundle corresponding to the field theory, and suggests their interpretation as higher-spin equations of motion. While the higher-spin equations we obtain are remarkably simple, they are non-local in an essential way. Nevertheless, solving these bulk equations of motion in terms of a boundary source, we derive the on-shell action and demonstrate that it correctly encodes all of the correlation functions of the field theory, written as `Witten diagrams'. Since the model space-time has the isometries of the fixed point, it is possible to construct new higher spin theories defined in terms of geometric structures over other model space-times. We illustrate this by explicitly constructing the higher spin RG equations corresponding to the $z=2$ non-relativistic free field theory in $D$ spatial dimensions. In this case, the model space-time is the Schr\"odinger space-time, $Schr_{D+3}$.

Non-conformality of -deformed \U0001d4a9 = 4 SYM theory

We show that the γi-deformation, which was proposed as candidate gauge theory for a non-supersymmetric three-parameter deformation of the anti-de Sitter / conformal field theory correspondence, is not conformally invariant due to a running double-trace coupling—not even in the ’t Hooft limit. Moreover, this non-conformality cannot be cured when we extend the theory by adding at tree-level arbitrary multi-trace couplings that obey certain minimal consistency requirements. Our findings suggest a possible connection between this breakdown of conformal invariance and a puzzling divergence recently encountered in the integrability-based descriptions of two-loop finite-size corrections for the single-trace operator of two identical chiral fields. We propose a test to clarify this.

Holographic representation of local operators in de Sitter space

Assuming the existence of the dS/CFT correspondence, we construct local scalar fields with ${m}^{2}>{(\frac{d}{2})}^{2}$ in de Sitter space by smearing over conformal field theory operators on the future or past boundary. To maintain bulk microcausality and recover the bulk Wightman function in the Euclidean vacuum, the smearing prescription must involve two sets of single-trace operators with dimensions $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$ and $d\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$. Thus the local operator prescription in de Sitter space differs from the analytic continuation from the prescription in anti--de Sitter space. Pushing a local operator in the global patch to future or past infinity is shown to lead to an operator relation between single-trace operators in conformal field theories at ${\mathcal{I}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$, which can be interpreted as a basis transformation, also identified as the relation between an operator in CFT and its shadow operator. Construction of spin$\text{\ensuremath{-}}s$ gauge field operators is discussed, and it is shown that the construction of higher spin gauge fields in de Sitter space is equivalent to constructing scalar fields with specific values of mass parameter ${m}^{2}<{(\frac{d}{2})}^{2}$. An acausal higher spin bulk operator that matches onto boundary higher spin current is constructed. Implementation of the scalar operator constructions in AdS and dS with embedding formalism is briefly described.

Holographic geometry of the renormalization group and higher spin symmetries

We consider the Wilson-Polchinski exact renormalization group applied to the generating functional of single-trace operators at a free-fixed point in $d=2+1$ dimensions. By exploiting the rich symmetry structure of free field theory, we study the geometric nature of the RG equations and the associated Ward identities. The geometry, as expected, is holographic, with $AdS$ spacetime emerging correspondent with RG fixed points. The field theory construction gives us a particular vector bundle over the $d+1$-dimensional RG mapping space, called a jet bundle, whose structure group arises from the linear orthogonal bi-local transformations of the bare fields in the path integral. The sources for quadratic operators constitute a connection on this bundle and a section of its endomorphism bundle. Recasting the geometry in terms of the corresponding principal bundle, we arrive at a structure remarkably similar to the Vasiliev theory, where the horizontal part of the connection on the principal bundle is Vasiliev's higher spin connection, while the vertical part (the Faddeev-Popov ghost) corresponds to the $S$-field. The Vasiliev equations are then, respectively, the RG equations and the BRST equations, with the RG beta functions encoding bulk interactions. Finally, we remark that a large class of interacting field theories can be studied through integral transforms of our results, and it is natural to organize this in terms of a large $N$ expansion.