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Investigations on the SYK Model and its Dual Gravity Theory

Kenta Suzuki

Published Jan 1, 2018• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model is a quantum mechanical many body system with random all-to-all interactions on fermionic N sites (N>>1). This model is shown to saturate the known maximal chaos bound of many body system and then based on this observation it is conjectured to be dual to a quantum black hole in the sense of the AdS/CFT correspondence. In this dissertation, we show that the large N physics of the SYK model is systematically described by a single bi-local field. In particular, we emphasize the appearance of the emergent conformal reparametrization symmetry at the critical IR fixed point and the corresponding divergent contribution of the symmetry modes in the propagator of the bi-local field. We discuss non-linear-level derivation of the zero modes effective action, which is given by the Schwarzian derivative for finite reparametrization symmetry. Besides the symmetry modes, which correspond to the dilaton-gravity sector in the dual AdS theory, the SYK model also predicts an infinite tower of matter fields in AdS_2. We demonstrate that this infinite spectrum can be nicely packaged into a single field in 3-dimensional space-time. Finally, we consider the question of identifying the dual space-time of the SYK model. Focusing on the signature of emergent space-time of the (Euclidean) model, we explain the need for non-local (Radon-type) transformations on external legs of n-point Green's functions. This results in a dual theory with Euclidean AdS signature with additional leg-factors. We speculate that these factors incorporate the coupling of additional bulk states similar to the discrete states of 2D string theory.

DOI
10.26300/agpa-hd95

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The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model is a quantum mechanical many body system with random all-to-all interactions on fermionic N sites (N>>1). This model is shown to saturate the known maximal chaos bound of many body system and then based on this observation it is conjectured to be dual to a quantum black hole in the sense of the AdS/CFT correspondence. In this dissertation, we show that the large N physics of the SYK model is systematically described by a single bi-local field. In particular, we emphasize the appearance of the emergent conformal reparametrization symmetry at the critical IR fixed point and the corresponding divergent contribution of the symmetry modes in the propagator of the bi-local field. We discuss non-linear-level derivation of the zero modes effective action, which is given by the Schwarzian derivative for finite reparametrization symmetry. Besides the symmetry modes, which correspond to the dilaton-gravity sector in the dual AdS theory, the SYK model also predicts an infinite tower of matter fields in AdS_2. We demonstrate that this infinite spectrum can be nicely packaged into a single field in 3-dimensional space-time. Finally, we consider the question of identifying the dual space-time of the SYK model. Focusing on the signature of emergent space-time of the (Euclidean) model, we explain the need for non-local (Radon-type) transformations on external legs of n-point Green's functions. This results in a dual theory with Euclidean AdS signature with additional leg-factors. We speculate that these factors incorporate the coupling of additional bulk states similar to the discrete states of 2D string theory.
We study (nearly) AdS/CFT holography within the context of the Sachdev-Ye- Kitaev (SYK) model. We present a systematic procedure to extract the dynamics of the low energy Schwarzian mode in SYK type models with a single energy scale J and emergent reparametrization symmetry in the infrared within the framework of perturbation theory. We develop a systematic approach using Feynman diagrams in bilocal theory to obtain a formal expression for the enhanced and O(1) corrections to the bilocal propagator and apply this general technique to large q SYK. We show that the Schwarzian theory describes a sector of a general class of two dimensional CFTs using conformal bootstrap techniques. We also provide a gravitational interpretation of this fact by showing that the dynamics in the near horizon throat of a specific class of BTZ black holes is described very well by Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity which gives rise to the Schwarzian action. We study the highly nontrivial conformal matter spectrum of the SYK model at arbitrary q. We provide a three dimensional bulk interpretation and carry out Kaluza-Klein (KK) reduction to reproduce the SYK spectrum and more significantly, the conformal bilocal propagator. We provide an interpretation of the two dimensional dual spacetime of the conformal sector of the SYK model using techniques from bilocal holography. We present a resolution of a conundrum about the signature of the dual spacetime using nonlocal integral transformations.
The SYK model of Sachdev, Ye and Kitaev is a recent model of N Majorana fermions coupled via quartic random interaction. It has the extraordinary properties of being exactly solvable at large N , having emergent conformal symmetry in the IR, and exhibiting maximal quantum chaos. The confluence of these properties make SYK a highly attractive candidate for a solvable AdS/CFT correspondence. What’s more, it was found to capture elements of non-Fermi-liquid behavior in strange metals. This thesis introduces the SYK model and discusses a recent variant, the SYK∗ model of Marcus and Vandoren. In the latter, the effective action is derived and branches of conformal solutions are discussed. The parameter space of SYK∗ is investigated for large and small M . The former reveals a phase separation and a N critical point in the T−M plane is claimed to exist.
With the in-depth subjects chiasma among different research areas, many people are applying concepts and methods in theoretical high-energy physics to condensed matter systems. One of the most intensely studied tools is the Anti-de Sitter space/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence. It effectively permits a perturbative treatment of strongly coupled systems. Thus, it has been a focused topic in theoretical physics and high-energy physics. It represents a significant breakthrough in understanding quantum gravity. This paper focuses on the realisation of the duality in Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity and Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) Model. To this end, the author derived the action, free energy, thermal entropy, and low-energy dynamics. The symmetry breaking pattern of the SYK model following previous works are also considered. These results were compared with the counterparts in Euclidean JT theory as a cut-out of the complete nearly AdS space in two dimensions. Based on the similarity in the mathematical form of these quantity and symmetry breaking process, the author concludes that the SYK model, as many believed, is a promising candidate for the holographic dual of the JT theory.
In this thesis, we discuss the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model and tensor models with similar properties. The SYK model is a quantum field theoretical model describing N interacting fermions, whose coupling constants are drawn from a Gaussian ensemble. Noteworthy properties of the SYK model include that it is analytically solvable in the large N limit, that it exhibits conformal symmetry at low energies and that it is maximally chaotic. These properties are remarkably similar to those of a 1 + 1 dimensional Schwarzschild black hole. It has been conjectured the SYK model is a holographic dual to the black hole. We introduce a set of Feynman rules for the SYK model. Using these rules, we show that in the large N limit the diagrams that contribute to the two-point function are all so-called iterated melonic diagrams. This allows us to derive a Schwinger-Dyson equation for the two-point function, which, in turn, can be solved exactly in the infrared limit. We also consider the four-point function. In the large N limit, the leading-order correction to the four-point function is given by so-called ladder diagrams. This allows us to derive an explicit expression for the four-point function. The SYK model can be generalized in a few different ways. In this thesis, we consider the generalization where the fermions act through q-fold interactions instead of quartic interactions present in the original SYK model. In particular, considerable simplifications can be achieved in the q → ∞ limit or q = 2 case, which we study. While the SYK model has many interesting properties, its random couplings limit its usability especially as a dual to a Schwarzschild black hole. We therefore also consider tensor models which do not have this drawback but manage to preserve the interesting properties of the SYK model. In the last chapter, we briefly inspect the chaotic behaviour of the SYK and tensor models and derive Lyapunov exponent for them. It can be shown that the expression saturates an upper bound for Lyapunov exponents of a large class of quantum systems, including large N systems.
We discuss higher dimensional generalizations of the 0+1 0 + 1 -dimensional Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model that has recently become the focus of intensive interdisciplinary studies by, both, the condensed matter and field-theoretical communities. Unlike the previous constructions where multiple SYK copies would be coupled to each other and/or hybridized with itinerant fermions via spatially short-ranged random hopping processes, we study algebraically varying long-range (spatially and/or temporally) correlated random couplings in the general d+1 d + 1 dimensions. Such pertinent topics as translationally-invariant strong-coupling solutions, emergent reparametrization symmetry, effective action for fluctuations, chaotic behavior, and diffusive transport (or a lack thereof) are all addressed. We find that the most appealing properties of the original SYK model that suggest the existence of its 1+1 1 + 1 -dimensional holographic gravity dual do not survive the aforementioned generalizations, thus lending no additional support to the hypothetical broad (including ’non- AdS_{d+2} A d S d + 2 /non- CFT_{d+1} C F T d + 1 ’) holographic correspondence.