On the classification of UV completions of integrable $T \bar{T}$ deformations of CFT

Abstract

It is well understood that 2d conformal field theory (CFT) deformed by an irrelevant $T\bar{T}$ perturbation of dimension $4$ has universal properties. In particular, for the most interesting cases, the theory develops a singularity in the ultra-violet (UV), signifying a shortest possible distance, with a Hagedorn transition in applications to string theory. We show that by adding an infinite number of higher $[T\bar{T}]_{s>1}$ irrelevant operators with tuned couplings, this singularity can be resolved and the theory becomes UV complete with UV central charge $c_{\rm UV}$. We propose an approach to classifying the possible UV completions that are integrable. For the Ising model with $c_{\rm IR} = \tfrac{1}{2}$ we find 3 UV completions based on a single massless Majorana fermion description with $c_{\rm UV} = \tfrac{7}{10}$ and $ \tfrac{3}{2}$, which both have ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetry and were previously known, and we argue that these are the only solutions to our classification problem based on this spectrum of particles. We find 3 additional ones with a spectrum of 8 massless particles related to the Lie group $E_8$ appropriate to a magnetic perturbation with $c_{\rm UV} = \tfrac{21}{22} , \tfrac{15}{2}$ and $\tfrac{31}{2}$. We argue that it is likely there are more cases for this $E_8$ spectrum. We also study simpler cases based on ${\rm su(3)}$ and ${\rm su(4)}$ where we can propose complete classifications. For ${\rm su(3)}$ the infra-red (IR) theory is the 3-state Potts model with $c_{\rm IR} = \tfrac{4}{5}$ and we find 3 completions with $\tfrac{4}{5} < c_{\rm UV} \leq \tfrac{16}{5}$. For the ${\rm su(4)}$ case, which has $3$ particles and $c_{\rm IR} =1$, and we find $11$ UV completions with $1 < c_{\rm UV} \leq 5$, most of which were previously unknown.