arXiv subjects

Emilio Trevisani

Publications and source records attributed to Emilio Trevisani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Unleash $Q$! Cohomology, Localization, and Interpolation in Parisi-Sourlas Supersymmetry

Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetric models are known to undergo dimensional reduction; that is, their physics is captured by models in two fewer dimensions. In this work, we revisit dimensional reduction, providing new arguments and reformulating existing proofs in terms of the cohomology of a supercharge $Q$. We obtain three main results. First, we show that the recently developed picture of dimensional reduction via decoupling of operators admits a natural explanation in terms of $Q$-exactness. Second, we provide a new proof of dimensional reduction using the supersymmetric localization argument. Third, we revisit Cardy's "interpolation" proof, which is reminiscent of localization but does not rely on saddle-point methods, and show that it can be understood as a consequence of deforming the action by a $Q$-exact term. Finally, we show that while existing nonperturbative proofs of dimensional reduction apply only to scalar Lagrangians, our formulation of Cardy's argument extends to any theory with Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetry.

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arXiv2025

Analytic results in conformal field theory

Since the 1980s, many exact results have been discovered in $2d$ CFT, from critical exponents to correlation functions to complete solutions of certain models. In $d>2$, there is a wealth of numerical results as well as promising analytic approaches, but comparably fewer exact answers. The aim of this conference was to review the most promising analytic methods and results in CFT in any dimension. In particular we tried to understand to which extent the $2d$ methods can be extended to $d>2$, and what is missing to exactly solve $d>2$ CFTs.

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arXiv2025

A Tale of Two Uplifts: Parisi-Sourlas with Defects

Defects in conformal field theories (CFTs) play a key role in critical phenomena by modifying scaling behaviors and generating new universality classes. We introduce Parisi-Sourlas (PS) supersymmetry in the presence of extended operators and demonstrate that any $p$-dimensional defect in a CFT$_d$ can be uplifted to a defect in a PS-supersymmetric CFT$_{d+2}$. Surprisingly, there are actually two distinct uplifted defects--of dimensions $p$ and $p+2$--which reduce to the original one. We show how this reduction works for correlators with insertions both in the bulk and on the defect. As a byproduct, we find new relations between defect conformal blocks in dimensions $d$ and $d+2$. We further show that the reduction of the $p$-dimensional defect implies and extend a "global symmetry reduction" previously considered in the literature. Finally, we provide various examples of these uplifts, including perturbative computations in epsilon expansion of the uplift of the Ising magnetic line defect, as well as exact computations of observables in the four-dimensional uplift of minimal models with boundaries.

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arXiv2024

The random free field scalar theory

Quantum field theories with quenched disorder are so hard to study that even exactly solvable free theories present puzzling aspects. We consider a free scalar field $\phi$ in $d$ dimensions coupled to a random source $h$ with quenched disorder. Despite the presence of a mass scale governing the disorder distribution, we derive a new description of the theory that allows us to show that the theory is gapless and invariant under conformal symmetry, which acts in a non-trivial way on $\phi$ and $h$. This manifest CFT description reveals the presence of exotic continuous symmetries, such as nilpotent bosonic ones, in the quenched theory. We also reconsider Cardy's CFT description defined through the replica trick. In this description, the nilpotent symmetries reveal a striking resemblance with Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetries. We provide explicit maps of correlation functions between such CFTs and the original quenched theory. The maps are non-trivial and show that conformal behaviour is manifest only when considering suitable linear combinations of averages of products of correlators. We also briefly discuss how familiar notions like normal ordering of composite operators and OPE can be generalized in the presence of the more complicated local observables in the quenched theory.

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arXiv2024

The Parisi-Sourlas Uplift and Infinitely Many Solvable 4d CFTs

Parisi-Sourlas (PS) supersymmetry is known to emerge in some models with random field type of disorder. When PS SUSY is present the $d$-dimensional theory allows for a $d-2$-dimensional description. In this paper we investigate the reversed question and we provide new indications that any given CFT$_{d-2}$ can be uplifted to a PS SUSY CFT$_{d}$. We show that any scalar four-point function of a CFT$_{d-2}$ is mapped to a set of 43 four-point functions of the uplifted CFT$_{d}$ which are related to each other by SUSY and satisfy all necessary bootstrap axioms. As a byproduct we find 43 non trivial relations between conformal blocks across dimensions. We test the uplift in generalized free field theory (GFF) and find that PS SUSY is a powerful tool to bootstrap an infinite class of previously unknown GFF observables. Some of this power is shown to persist in perturbation theory around GFF. We explain why all diagonal minimal models admit an uplift and we show exact results for correlators and CFT data of the $4d$ uplift of the Ising model. Despite being strongly coupled $4d$ CFTs, the uplifted minimal models contain infinitely many conserved currents and are expected to be integrable.

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arXiv2023

Symmetries in Celestial CFT$_d$

We use tools from conformal representation theory to classify the symmetries associated to conformally soft operators in celestial CFT (CCFT) in general dimensions $d$. The conformal multiplets in $d>2$ take the form of celestial necklaces whose structure is much richer than the celestial diamonds in $d=2$, it depends on whether $d$ is even or odd and involves mixed-symmetric tensor representations of $SO(d)$. The existence of primary descendants in CCFT multiplets corresponds to (higher derivative) conservation equations for conformally soft operators. We lay out a unified method for constructing the conserved charges associated to operators with primary descendants. In contrast to the infinite local symmetry enhancement in CCFT${}_2$, we find the soft symmetries in CCFT${}_{d>2}$ to be finite-dimensional. The conserved charges that follow directly from soft theorems are trivial in $d>2$, while non-trivial charges associated to (generalized) currents and stress tensor are obtained from the shadow transform of soft operators which we relate to (an analytic continuation of) a specific type of primary descendants. We aim at a pedagogical discussion synthesizing various results in the literature.

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arXiv2022

Random Field Ising Model and Parisi-Sourlas Supersymmetry. Part II. Renormalization Group

We revisit perturbative RG analysis in the replicated Landau-Ginzburg description of the Random Field Ising Model near the upper critical dimension 6. Working in a field basis with manifest vicinity to a weakly-coupled Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetric fixed point (Cardy, 1985), we look for interactions which may destabilize the SUSY RG flow and lead to the loss of dimensional reduction. This problem is reduced to studying the anomalous dimensions of "leaders" -- lowest dimension parts of $S_n$-invariant perturbations in the Cardy basis. Leader operators are classified as non-susy-writable, susy-writable or susy-null depending on their symmetry. Susy-writable leaders are additionally classified as belonging to superprimary multiplets transforming in particular $\textrm{OSp}(d | 2)$ representations. We enumerate all leaders up to 6d dimension $Δ= 12$, and compute their perturbative anomalous dimensions (up to two loops). We thus identify two perturbations (with susy-null and non-susy-writable leaders) becoming relevant below a critical dimension $d_c \approx 4.2$ - $4.7$. This supports the scenario that the SUSY fixed point exists for all $3 < d \leq 6$, but becomes unstable for $d < d_c$.

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arXiv2022

The fate of Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetry in Random Field models

By the Parisi-Sourlas conjecture, the critical point of a theory with random field (RF) disorder is described by a supersymmeric (SUSY) conformal field theory (CFT), related to a $d-2$ dimensional CFT without SUSY. Numerical studies indicate that this is true for the RF $ϕ^3$ model but not for RF $ϕ^4$ model in $d<5$ dimensions. Here we argue that the SUSY fixed point is not reached because of new relevant SUSY-breaking interactions. We use perturbative renormalization group in a judiciously chosen field basis, allowing systematic exploration of the space of interactions. Our computations agree with the numerical results for both cubic and quartic potential.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Random Field $ϕ^3$ Model and Parisi-Sourlas Supersymmetry

We use the RG framework set up in arXiv:2009.10087 to explore the $ϕ^3$ theory with a random field interaction. According to the Parisi-Sourlas conjecture this theory admits a fixed point with emergent supersymmetry which is related to the pure Lee-Yang CFT in two less dimensions. We study the model using replica trick and Cardy variables in $d=8-ε$ where the RG flow is perturbative. Allowed perturbations are singlets under the $S_n$ symmetry that permutes the $n$ replicas. These are decomposed into operators with different scaling dimensions: the lowest dimensional part, `leader', controls the RG flow in the IR; the other operators, `followers', can be neglected. The leaders are classified into: susy-writable, susy-null and non-susy-writable according to their mixing properties. We construct low lying leaders and compute the anomalous dimensions of a number of them. We argue that there is no operator that can destabilize the SUSY RG flow in $d\le 8$. This agrees with the well known numerical result for critical exponents of Branched Polymers (which are in the same universality class as the random field $ϕ^3$ model) that match the ones of the pure Lee-Yang fixed point according to dimensional reduction in all $2\le d\le 8$. Hence this is a second strong check of the RG framework that was previously shown to correctly predict loss of dimensional reduction in random field Ising model.

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arXiv2021

Revisiting the Conformally Soft Sector with Celestial Diamonds

Celestial diamonds encode the structure of global conformal multiplets in 2D celestial CFT and offer a natural language for describing the conformally soft sector. The operators appearing at their left and right corners give rise to conformally soft factorization theorems, the bottom corners correspond to conserved charges, and the top corners to conformal dressings. We show that conformally soft charges can be expressed in terms of light ray integrals that select modes of the appropriate conformal weights. They reside at the bottom corners of memory diamonds, and ascend to generalized currents. We then identify the top corners of the associated Goldstone diamonds with conformal Faddeev-Kulish dressings and compute the sub-leading conformally soft dressings in gauge theory and gravity which are important for finding nontrivial central extensions. Finally, we combine these ingredients to speculate on 2D effective descriptions for the conformally soft sector of celestial CFT.

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arXiv2021

Celestial Diamonds: Conformal Multiplets in Celestial CFT

We examine the structure of global conformal multiplets in 2D celestial CFT. For a 4D bulk theory containing massless particles of spin $s=\{0,\frac{1}{2},1,\frac{3}{2},2\}$ we classify and construct all SL(2,$\mathbb{C}$) primary descendants which are organized into 'celestial diamonds'. This explicit construction is achieved using a wavefunction-based approach that allows us to map 4D scattering amplitudes to celestial CFT correlators of operators with SL(2,$\mathbb{C}$) conformal dimension $Δ$ and spin $J$. Radiative conformal primary wavefunctions have $J=\pm s$ and give rise to conformally soft theorems for special values of $Δ\in \frac{1}{2}\mathbb{Z}$. They are located either at the top of celestial diamonds, where they descend to trivial null primaries, or at the left and right corners, where they descend both to and from generalized conformal primary wavefunctions which have $|J|\leq s$. Celestial diamonds naturally incorporate degeneracies of opposite helicity particles via the 2D shadow transform relating radiative primaries and account for the global and asymptotic symmetries in gauge theory and gravity.

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arXiv2020

Random Field Ising Model and Parisi-Sourlas Supersymmetry I. Supersymmetric CFT

Quenched disorder is very important but notoriously hard. In 1979, Parisi and Sourlas proposed an interesting and powerful conjecture about the infrared fixed points with random field type of disorder: such fixed points should possess an unusual supersymmetry, by which they reduce in two less spatial dimensions to usual non-supersymmetric non-disordered fixed points. This conjecture however is known to fail in some simple cases, but there is no consensus on why this happens. In this paper we give new non-perturbative arguments for dimensional reduction. We recast the problem in the language of Conformal Field Theory (CFT). We then exhibit a map of operators and correlation functions from Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetric CFT in $d$ dimensions to a $(d-2)$-dimensional ordinary CFT. The reduced theory is local, i.e. it has a local conserved stress tensor operator. As required by reduction, we show a perfect match between superconformal blocks and the usual conformal blocks in two dimensions lower. This also leads to a new relation between conformal blocks across dimensions. This paper concerns the second half of the Parisi-Sourlas conjecture, while the first half (existence of a supersymmetric fixed point) will be examined in a companion work.

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arXiv2019

Mixed Scalar-Current bootstrap in three dimensions

We study the mixed system of correlation functions involving a scalar field charged under a global $U(1)$ symmetry and the associated conserved spin-1 current $J_μ$. Using numerical bootstrap techniques we obtain bounds on new observables not accessible in the usual scalar bootstrap. We then specialize to the $O(2)$ model and extract rigorous bounds on the three-point function coefficient of two currents and the unique relevant scalar singlet, as well as those of two currents and the stress tensor. Using these results, and comparing with a quantum Monte Carlo simulation of the $O(2)$ model conductivity, we give estimates of the thermal one-point function of the relevant singlet and the stress tensor. We also obtain new bounds on operators in various sectors.

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arXiv2018

Radial coordinates for defect CFTs

We study the two-point function of local operators in the presence of a defect in a generic conformal field theory. We define two pairs of cross ratios, which are convenient in the analysis of the OPE in the bulk and defect channel respectively. The new coordinates have a simple geometric interpretation, which can be exploited to efficiently compute conformal blocks in a power expansion. We illustrate this fact in the case of scalar external operators. We also elucidate the convergence properties of the bulk and defect OPE decompositions of the two-point function. In particular, we remark that the expansion of the two-point function in powers of the new cross ratios converges everywhere, a property not shared by the cross ratios customarily used in defect CFT. We comment on the crucial relevance of this fact for the numerical bootstrap.

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arXiv2018

Spinning operators and defects in conformal field theory

We study the kinematics of correlation functions of local and extended operators in a conformal field theory. We present a new method for constructing the tensor structures associated to primary operators in an arbitrary bosonic representation of the Lorentz group. The recipe yields the explicit structures in embedding space, and can be applied to any correlator of local operators, with or without a defect. We then focus on the two-point function of traceless symmetric primaries in the presence of a conformal defect, and explain how to compute the conformal blocks. In particular, we illustrate various techniques to generate the bulk channel blocks either from a radial expansion or by acting with differential operators on simpler seed blocks. For the defect channel, we detail a method to compute the blocks in closed form, in terms of projectors into mixed symmetry representations of the orthogonal group.

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arXiv2017

Charting the space of 3D CFTs with a continuous global symmetry

We study correlation functions of a conserved spin-1 current $J_μ$ in three dimensional Conformal Field Theories (CFTs). We investigate the constraints imposed by permutation symmetry and current conservation on the form of three point functions $\langle J_μJ_ν\mathcal O_{Δ,\ell}\rangle $ and the four point function $\langle J_μJ_νJ_ρJ_σ\rangle $ and identify the minimal set of independent crossing symmetry conditions. We obtain a recurrence relation for conformal blocks for generic spin-1 operators in three dimensions. In the process, we improve several technical points, facilitating the use of recurrence relations. By applying the machinery of the numerical conformal bootstrap we obtain universal bounds on the dimensions of certain light operators as well as the central charge. Highlights of our results include numerical evidence for the conformal collider bound and new constraints on the parameters of the critical $O(2)$ model. The results obtained in this work apply to any unitary, parity-preserving three dimensional CFT.

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arXiv2016

Radial expansion for spinning conformal blocks

This paper develops a method to compute any bosonic conformal block as a series expansion in the optimal radial coordinate introduced by Hogervorst and Rychkov. The method reduces to the known result when the external operators are all the same scalar operator, but it allows to compute conformal blocks for external operators with spin. Moreover, we explain how to write closed form recursion relations for the coefficients of the expansions. We study three examples of four point functions in detail: one vector and three scalars; two vectors and two scalars; two spin 2 tensors and two scalars. Finally, for the case of two external vectors, we also provide a more efficient way to generate the series expansion using the analytic structure of the blocks as a function of the scaling dimension of the exchanged operator.

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arXiv2016

Projectors and seed conformal blocks for traceless mixed-symmetry tensors

In this paper we derive the projectors to all irreducible SO(d) representations (traceless mixed-symmetry tensors) that appear in the partial wave decomposition of a conformal correlator of four stress-tensors in d dimensions. These projectors are given in a closed form for arbitrary length $l_1$ of the first row of the Young diagram. The appearance of Gegenbauer polynomials leads directly to recursion relations in $l_1$ for seed conformal blocks. Further results include a differential operator that generates the projectors to traceless mixed-symmetry tensors and the general normalization constant of the shadow operator.

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