Lorentzian dynamics and factorization beyond rationality

We investigate the emergence of topological defect lines in the conformal Regge limit of two-dimensional conformal field theory. We explain how a local operator can be factorized into a holomorphic and an anti-holomorphic defect operator connected through a topological defect line, and discuss implications on analyticity and Lorentzian dynamics including aspects of chaos. We derive a formula relating the infinite boost limit, which holographically encodes the “opacity” of bulk scattering, to the action of topological defect lines on local operators. Leveraging the unitary bound on the opacity and the positivity of fusion coefficients, we show that the spectral radii of a large class of topological defect lines are given by their loop expectation values. Factorization also gives a formula relating the local and defect operator algebras and fusion categorical data. We then review factorization in rational conformal field theory from a defect perspective, and examine irrational theories. On the orbifold branch of the c = 1 free boson theory, we find a unified description for the topological defect lines through which the twist fields are factorized; at irrational points, the twist fields factorize through “non-compact” topological defect lines which exhibit continuous defect operator spectra. Along the way, we initiate the development of a formalism to characterize non-compact topological defect lines.

Monodromy defects in free field theories

We study co-dimension two monodromy defects in theories of conformally coupled scalars and free Dirac fermions in arbitrary d dimensions. We characterise this family of conformal defects by computing the one-point functions of the stress-tensor and conserved current for Abelian flavour symmetries as well as two-point functions of the displacement operator. In the case of d = 4, the normalisation of these correlation functions are related to defect Weyl anomaly coefficients, and thus provide crucial information about the defect conformal field theory. We provide explicit checks on the values of the defect central charges by calculating the universal part of the defect contribution to entanglement entropy, and further, we use our results to extract the universal part of the vacuum Rényi entropy. Moreover, we leverage the non-supersymmetric free field results to compute a novel defect Weyl anomaly coefficient in a d = 4 theory of free $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 2 hypermultiplets. Including singular modes in the defect operator product expansion of fundamental fields, we identify notable relevant deformations in the singular defect theories and show that they trigger a renormalisation group flow towards an IR fixed point with the most regular defect OPE. We also study Gukov-Witten defects in free d = 4 Maxwell theory and show that their central charges vanish.

Defect CFT techniques in the 6d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = (2, 0) theory

Surface operators are among the most important observables of the 6d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = (2, 0) theory. Here we apply the tools of defect CFT to study local operator insertions into the 1/2-BPS plane. We first relate the 2-point function of the displacement operator to the expectation value of the bulk stress tensor and translate this relation into a constraint on the anomaly coefficients associated with the defect. Secondly, we study the defect operator expansion of the stress tensor multiplet and identify several new operators of the defect CFT. Technical results derived along the way include the explicit supersymmetry tranformations of the stress tensor multiplet and the classification of unitary representations of the superconformal algebra preserved by the defect.

Goldstone modes and photonization for higher form symmetries

We discuss generalized global symmetries and their breaking. We extend Goldstone’s theorem to higher form symmetries by showing that a perimeter law for an extended pp-dimensional defect operator charged under a continuous pp-form generalized global symmetry necessarily results in a gapless mode in the spectrum. We also show that a pp-form symmetry in a conformal theory in 2(p+1)2(p+1) dimensions has a free realization. In four dimensions this means any 1-form symmetry in a CFT_4CFT4 can be realized by free Maxwell electrodynamics, i.e. the current can be photonized. The theory has infinitely many conserved 0-form charges that are constructed by integrating the symmetry currents against suitable 1-forms. We study these charges by developing a twistor-based formalism that is a 4d analogue of the usual holomorphic complex analysis familiar in CFT_2CFT2. The charges are shown to obey an algebra with central extension, which is an analogue of the 2d Abelian Kac-Moody algebra for higher form symmetries.

Asymmetric Putnam-Fuglede Theorem for (n,k)-Quasi-∗-Paranormal Operators

T ∈ B ( H ) is said to be ( n , k ) -quasi-∗-paranormal operator if, for non-negative integers k and n, ∥ T ∗ ( T k x ) ∥ ( 1 + n ) ≤ ∥ T ( 1 + n ) ( T k x ) ∥ ∥ T k x ∥ n ; for all x ∈ H . In this paper, the asymmetric Putnam-Fuglede theorem for the pair ( A , B ) of power-bounded operators is proved when (i) A and B ∗ are n-∗-paranormal operators (ii) A is a ( n , k ) -quasi-∗-paranormal operator with reduced kernel and B ∗ is n-∗-paranormal operator. The class of ( n , k ) -quasi-∗-paranormal operators properly contains the classes of n-∗-paranormal operators, ( 1 , k ) -quasi-∗-paranormal operators and k-quasi-∗-class A operators. As a consequence, it is showed that if T is a completely non-normal ( n , k ) -quasi-∗-paranormal operator for k = 0 , 1 such that the defect operator D T is Hilbert-Schmidt class, then T ∈ C 10 .

FROM DEFECTS TO BOUNDARIES

In this paper we describe how relativistic field theories containing defects are equivalent to a class of boundary field theories. As a consequence previously derived results for boundaries can be directly applied to defects, these results include reduction formulas, the Coleman–Thun mechanism and Cutcosky rules. For integrable theories the defect crossing unitarity equation can be derived and defect operator found. For a generic purely transmitting impurity we use the boundary bootstrap method to obtain solutions of the defect Yang–Baxter equation. The groundstate energy on the strip with defects is also calculated.