arXiv subjects

Edoardo Lauria

Publications and source records attributed to Edoardo Lauria.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Decoding a Three-Dimensional Conformal Manifold

We study the one-dimensional complex conformal manifold that controls the infrared dynamics of a three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric theory of three chiral superfields with a cubic superpotential. Two special points on this conformal manifold are the well-known XYZ model and three decoupled copies of the critical Wess-Zumino model. The conformal manifold enjoys a discrete duality group isomorphic to $S_4$ and can be thought of as an orbifold of $\mathbf{CP}^1$. We use the $4-\varepsilon$ expansion and the numerical conformal bootstrap to calculate the spectrum of conformal dimensions of low-lying operators and their OPE coefficients, and find a very good quantitative agreement between the two approaches.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Superconformal Blocks for SCFTs with Eight Supercharges

We show how to treat the superconformal algebras with eight Poincaré supercharges in a unified manner for spacetime dimension $2 < d\leq 6$. This formalism is ideally suited for analyzing the quadratic Casimir operator of the superconformal algebra and its use in deriving superconformal blocks. We illustrate this by an explicit construction of the superconformal blocks, for any value of the spacetime dimension, for external protected scalar operators which are the lowest component of flavor current multiplets.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Defects in conformal field theory

We discuss consequences of the breaking of conformal symmetry by a flat or spherical extended operator. We adapt the embedding formalism to the study of correlation functions of symmetric traceless tensors in the presence of the defect. Two-point functions of a bulk and a defect primary are fixed by conformal invariance up to a set of OPE coefficients, and we identify the allowed tensor structures. A correlator of two bulk primaries depends on two cross-ratios, and we study its conformal block decomposition in the case of external scalars. The Casimir equation in the defect channel reduces to a hypergeometric equation, while the bulk channel blocks are recursively determined in the light-cone limit. In the special case of a defect of codimension two, we map the Casimir equation in the bulk channel to the one of a four-point function without defect. Finally, we analyze the contact terms of the stress-tensor with the extended operator, and we deduce constraints on the CFT data. In two dimensions, we relate the displacement operator, which appears among the contact terms, to the reflection coefficient of a conformal interface, and we find unitarity bounds for the latter.

hep-th↗