arXiv subjects

Alessandro Sfondrini

Publications and source records attributed to Alessandro Sfondrini.

70 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Integrability and the Conformal Field Theory of the Higgs branch

In the context of the AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$ correspondence, we investigate the Higgs branch CFT$_2$. 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 CFT$_2$ spin-chain matches precisely the one that was previously found as the weak-coupling limit of the integrable system describing the AdS$_3$ 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 CFT$_2$ side of the correspondence.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Towards integrability for AdS3/CFT2

We review the recent progress towards applying worldsheet integrability techniques to the $AdS_3/CFT_2$ correspondence to find its all-loop S matrix and Bethe-Yang equations. We study in full detail the massive sector of $AdS_3\times S^3\times T^4$ superstrings supported by pure Ramond-Ramond (RR) fluxes. The extension of this machinery to accommodate massless modes, to the $AdS_3\times S^3\times S^3\times S^1$ pure-RR background and to backgrounds supported by mixed background fluxes is also reviewed. While the results discussed here were found elsewhere, our presentation sometimes deviates from the one found in the original literature in an effort to be pedagogical and self-contained.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

The complete worldsheet S matrix of superstrings on AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4 with mixed three-form flux

We determine the off-shell symmetry algebra and representations of Type IIB superstring theory on $AdS_3\times S^3 \times T^4$ with mixed R-R and NS-NS three-form flux. We use these to derive the non-perturbative worldsheet S matrix of fundamental excitations of the superstring theory. Our analysis includes both massive and massless modes and shows how turning on mixed three-form flux results in an integrable deformation of the S matrix of the pure R-R theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

The complete AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4 worldsheet S-matrix

We derive the non-perturbative worldsheet S matrix for fundamental excitations of Type IIB superstring theory on AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4 with Ramond-Ramond flux. To this end, we study the off-shell symmetry algebra of the theory and its representations. We use these to determine the S matrix up to scalar factors and we derive the crossing equations that these scalar factors satisfy. Our treatment automatically includes fundamental massless excitations, removing a long-standing obstacle in using integrability to study the AdS_3/CFT_2 correspondence. The present paper contains a detailed derivation of results first announced in arXiv:1403.4543.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

All-loop worldsheet S matrix for AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4

We obtain the all-loop worldsheet S matrix for fundamental excitations on AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4 by studying the off-shell symmetry algebra of the superspace action in lightcone gauge. The massless modes, unaccounted for in earlier works, are automatically included in our treatment. Their exact dispersion relation is found to be non-relativistic, of giant-magnon form and their scattering is naturally well-defined. This opens the way to a complete investigation of AdS_3/CFT_2 integrability.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Renormalization: an advanced overview

We present several approaches to renormalization in QFT: the multi-scale analysis in perturbative renormalization, the functional methods à la Wetterich equation, and the loop-vertex expansion in non-perturbative renormalization. While each of these is quite well-established, they go beyond standard QFT textbook material, and may be little-known to specialists of each other approach. This review is aimed at bridging this gap.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Dressing phases of AdS3/CFT2

We determine the all-loop dressing phases of the AdS3/CFT2 integrable system related to type IIB string theory on AdS3 x S3 x T4 by solving the recently found crossing relations and studying their singularity structure. The two resulting phases present a novel structure with respect to the ones appearing in AdS5/CFT4 and AdS4/CFT3. In the strongly-coupled regime, their leading order reduces to the universal Arutyunov-Frolov-Staudacher phase as expected. We also compute their sub-leading order and compare it with recent one-loop perturbative results, and comment on their weak-coupling expansion.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

An introduction to universality and renormalization group techniques

These lecture notes have been written for a short introductory course on universality and renormalization group techniques given at the VIII Modave School in Mathematical Physics by the author, intended for PhD students and researchers new to these topics. First the basic ideas of dynamical systems (fixed points, stability, etc.) are recalled, and an example of universality is discussed in this context: this is Feigenbaum's universality of the period doubling cascade for iterated maps on the interval. It is shown how renormalization ideas can be applied to explain universality and compute Feigenbaum's constants. Then, universality is presented in the scenario of quantum field theories, and studied by means of functional renormalization group equations, which allow for a close comparison with the case of dynamical systems. In particular, Wetterich equation for a scalar field is derived and discussed, and then applied to the computation of the Wilson-Fisher fixed point and critical exponent for the Ising universality class. References to more advanced topics and applications are provided.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

The all-loop integrable spin-chain for strings on AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4: the massive sector

We bootstrap the all-loop dynamic S-matrix for the homogeneous psu(1,1|2)^2 spin-chain believed to correspond to the discretization of the massive modes of string theory on AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4. The S-matrix is the tensor product of two copies of the su(1|1)^2 invariant S-matrix constructed recently for the d(2,1;alpha)^2 chain, and depends on two antisymmetric dressing phases. We write down the crossing equations that these phases have to satisfy. Furthermore, we present the corresponding Bethe Ansatz, which differs from the one previously conjectured, and discuss how our construction matches several recent perturbative calculations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

A dynamic su(1|1)^2 S-matrix for AdS3/CFT2

We derive the S-matrix for the d(2,1;alpha)^2 symmetric spin-chain of AdS3/CFT2 by considering the centrally extended su(1|1)^2 algebra acting on the spin-chain excitations. The S-matrix is determined uniquely up to four scalar factors, which are further constrained by a set of crossing relations. The resulting scattering includes non-trivial processes between magnons of different masses that were previously overlooked.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

All-loop Bethe ansatz equations for AdS3/CFT2

Using the S-matrix for the d(2,1;alpha)^2 symmetric spin-chain of AdS3/CFT2, we propose a new set of all-loop Bethe equations for the system. These equations differ from the ones previously found in the literature by the choice of relative grading between the two copies of the d(2,1;alpha) superalgebra, and involve four undetermined scalar factors that play the role of dressing phases. Imposing crossing symmetry and comparing with the near-BMN form of the S-matrix found in the literature, we find several novel features. In particular, the scalar factors must differ from the Beisert-Eden-Staudacher phase, and should couple nodes of different masses to each other. In the semiclassical limit the phases are given by a suitable generalization of Arutyunov-Frolov-Staudacher phase.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Exceptional Operators in N=4 super Yang-Mills

We consider one particularly interesting class of composite gauge-invariant operators in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. An exceptional feature of these operators is that in the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz approach the one-loop rapidities of the constituent magnons are shown to be exact in the 't Hooft coupling constant. This is used to propose the mirror TBA description for these operators. The proposal is shown to pass several non-trivial checks.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Lifting asymptotic degeneracies with the Mirror TBA

We describe a qualitative feature of the AdS_5 x S^5 string spectrum which is not captured by the asymptotic Bethe ansatz. This is reflected by an enhanced discrete symmetry in the asymptotic limit, whereby extra energy degeneracy enters the spectrum. We discuss how finite size corrections should lift this degeneracy, through both perturbative (Luscher) and non-perturbative approaches (the Mirror TBA), and illustrate this explicitly on two such asymptotically degenerate states.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Functional Renormalization of Noncommutative Scalar Field Theory

In this paper we apply the Functional Renormalization Group Equation (FRGE) to the non-commutative scalar field theory proposed by Grosse and Wulkenhaar. We derive the flow equation in the matrix representation and discuss the theory space for the self-dual model. The features introduced by the external dimensionful scale provided by the non-commutativity parameter, originally pointed out in \cite{Gurau:2009ni}, are discussed in the FRGE context. Using a technical assumption, but without resorting to any truncation, it is then shown that the theory is asymptotically safe for suitably small values of the $ϕ^4$ coupling, recovering the result of \cite{disertori:2007}. Finally, we show how the FRGE can be easily used to compute the one loop beta-functions of the duality covariant model.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Finite reduction and Morse index estimates for mechanical systems

A simple version of exact finite dimensional reduction for the variational setting of mechanical systems is presented. It is worked out by means of a thorough global version of the implicit function theorem for monotone operators. Moreover, the Hessian of the reduced function preserves all the relevant information of the original one, by Schur's complement, which spontaneously appears in this context. Finally, the results are straightforwardly extended to the case of a Dirichlet problem on a bounded domain.

math-ph↗

arXiv2010

Simulating two- and three-dimensional frustrated quantum systems with string-bond states

Simulating frustrated quantum magnets is among the most challenging tasks in computational physics. We apply String-Bond States, a recently introduced ansatz which combines Tensor Networks with Monte Carlo based methods, to the simulation of frustrated quantum systems in both two and three dimensions. We compare our results with existing results for unfrustrated and two-dimensional systems with open boundary conditions, and demonstrate that the method applies equally well to the simulation of frustrated systems with periodic boundaries in both two and three dimensions.

cond-mat.str-el↗