Abstract We derive a universal asymptotic formula for generic boundary conditions for the average value of the bulk-to-boundary and boundary Operator Product Expansion coefficients of any unitary, compact two-dimensional Boundary CFT (BCFT) with c > 1. The asymptotic limit consists of taking one or more boundary primary operators — which transform under a single copy of the Virasoro algebra — to have parametrically large conformal dimension for fixed central charge. In particular, we find a single universal expression that interpolates between distinct heavy regimes, exactly as in the case of bulk OPE asymptotics [1]. The expression depends universally on the boundary entropy and the central charge, and not on any other details of the theory. We derive these asymptotics by studying crossing symmetry of various correlation functions on higher genus Riemann surfaces with open boundaries. Essential in the derivation is the use of the irrational versions of the crossing kernels that relate holomorphic Virasoro blocks in different channels. Our results strongly suggest an extended version of the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis for boundary OPE coefficients, where the hierarchy between the diagonal and non-diagonal term in the ansatz is further controlled by the boundary entropy. We finally comment on the applications of our results in the context of AdS3/BCFT2, as well as on the recent relation of BCFTs with lower dimensional models of evaporating black holes.
Abstract The deformation, built from the components of the stress tensor and of a current, is a universal irrelevant deformation of two-dimensional CFTs that preserves the left-moving conformal symmetry, while breaking locality on the right-moving side. Operators in the -deformed CFT are naturally labeled by the left-moving position and right-moving momentum and transform in representations of the one-dimensional extended conformal group. We derive an all-orders formula for the spectrum of conformal dimensions and charges of the deformed CFT, which we cross-check at leading order using conformal perturbation theory. We also compute the linear corrections to the one-dimensional OPE coefficients and comment on the extent to which the correlation functions in -deformed CFTs can be obtained from field-dependent coordinate transformations.
A bstract We investigate the short-interval expansion of the subsystem fidelity in two-dimensional conformal field theories (2D CFTs) using the operator product expansion (OPE) of twist operators. We obtain universal contributions from general quasiprimary operators valid for arbitrary 2D CFTs, along with specific results in free massless boson and fermion theories. The analytical predictions demonstrate excellent agreement with established analytical results in field theories and numerical calculations in integrable models. Furthermore, we extend the method to holographic CFTs, where subsystem fidelity serves to analyze the distinguishability of black hole microstates through the AdS/CFT correspondence. This work establishes a unified framework for quantifying quantum state distinguishability across various 2D CFTs, bridging quantum information techniques with applications in quantum gravity.
It has been recently shown that the deformation of an arbitrary two-dimensional conformal field theory by the composite irrelevant operator T \bar T T T ‾ , built from the components of the stress tensor, is solvable; in particular, the finite-size spectrum of the deformed theory can be obtained from that of the original CFT through a universal formula. We study a similarly universal, Lorentz-breaking deformation of two-dimensional CFTs that possess a conserved U(1) U ( 1 ) current, J J . The deformation takes the schematic form J \bar T J T ‾ and is interesting because it preserves an SL(2,\mathbb{R}) \times U(1) S L ( 2 , ℝ ) × U ( 1 ) subgroup of the original global conformal symmetries. For the case of a purely (anti)chiral current, we find the finite-size spectrum of the deformed theory and study its thermodynamic properties. We test our predictions in a simple example involving deformed free fermions.
We analyze the operator spectrum of Conformal Field Theories at large conformal dimensions
Delta with and without global symmetries. General constraints of crossing symmetry and unitarity allow us to extract a number of universal properties of heavy operator spectrum perturbatively in
1overDelta.\nFirst, we consider four-point correlators and solve crossing equations in the deep Euclidean regime. Large scaling dimension
Delta tails of the weighted spectral density of primary operators of given spin in one channel are matched to the Euclidean OPE data in the other channel. Subleading
1overDelta tails are systematically captured by including more operators in the Euclidean OPE in the dual channel. We use dispersion relations for conformal partial waves in the complex
Delta plane, the Lorentzian inversion formula and complex tauberian theorems to derive this result. We make predictions for the 3d Ising model.\nSecond, we apply the methods of tauberian theory to modular invariance in 2d CFTs. We derive lower and upper bounds on the number of operators within a given energy interval. At high energies we rigorously derive the Cardy formula for the microcanonical entropy together with optimal error estimates for various widths of the averaging energy shell. We identify a new universal contribution to the microcanonical entropy controlled by the central charge and the width of the shell. We derive an upper bound on the spacings between Virasoro primaries. Analogous results are obtained in holographic 2d CFTs. \nThird, we consider unitary CFTs with continuous global symmetries in
d>2. We consider a state created by the lightest operator of large charge
Qgg1 and analyze the correlator of two light charged operators in this state. Assuming the correlator admits a well-defined large
Q expansion and, relatedly, that the macroscopic (thermodynamic) limit of the correlator exists, we find that the crossing equations admit a consistent truncation, where only a finite number
N of Regge trajectories contribute at leading nontrivial order. We classify all such solutions to the crossing. For one Regge trajectory
N=1, the solution is unique and given by the effective field theory of a Goldstone mode.
The fundamentals of the conformal symmetry transformations in two dimensions are introduced. From the adapted \textit{Ward identities under conformal constraints}, the \textit{operator product expansion} (OPE) is defined for free fields and the energy momentum tensor (EM). After demonstrating how the energy momentum tensor transforms under conformal invariance, the notion of the \textit{central charge c} is defined. Conformal fields in two dimensions are \textit{radially} quantized on the cylinder within the framework of the second quantization of quantum field theory and are then mapped onto complex plane via a conformal mapping. The \textit{radial ordering} of conformal fields is adopted. The \textit{Virasoro algebra} is derived from the identification of the \textit{conformal generators}, which follow from relations between equal-time commutators and contour integrals of conformal fields. The radial quantization is applied to the free fermionic and bosonic fields, where for the latter the \textit{Vertex operator} is defined and specified. The Fock space of the free boson is constructed through the \textit{operator state correspondence}. Various boundary conditions are applied to free fields, and their effects on the ground-state energy density are detailed, leading to the notion of the \textit{Casimir energy}. The OPEs are regularized for the \textit{interacting} conformal fields, namely the E-M tensor, and the related definition of \textit{normal ordering} is revisited. Utilization of the Virasoro algebra led first to the \textit{descendant states} and subsequently to the \textit{conformal families}. The OPEs are generalized for the conformal families, and it is demonstrated how the three-point function coefficients may be obtained in terms of the two-point functions. The same procedure is employed generically through the definition of the \textit{conformal blocks}. The \textit{conformal Bootstrap method} is introduced to calculate the coefficients of
n point functions. The Hilbert space of the conformal fields in two dimensions is formally constructed through the \textit{representation theory of Virasoro algebra}. Accordingly, the reducible and irreducible \textit{Verma modules} are specified. Due to the unitarity requirement of the Hilbert space, the famous \textit{Kac determinant} is introduced to obtain constraints on the inner products of the Verma modules, whence on the \textit{conformal weights} and the central charge. The decoupling of the \textit{null states} from rest of the their conformal families is used to obtain \textit{fusion rules} of the families. The \textit{Kac table} for the constrained conformal weights is constructed, and its analysis under the requirement of unitarity leads to the identification of the \textit{minimal models}. The correspondence between the discrete statistical systems at criticality and the minimal models is studied, where special attention is given on the \textit{Ising model}.