arXiv subjects

Jared Kaplan

Publications and source records attributed to Jared Kaplan.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Enhanced Pairing of Quantum Critical Metals Near d=3+1

We study the dynamics of a quantum critical boson coupled to a Fermi surface in intermediate energy regimes where the Landau damping of the boson can be parametrically controlled, either via large Fermi velocity or by large N techniques. We focus on developing a systematic approach to studying the BCS instability, including careful treatment of the enhanced log^2 and log^3 singularities which appear already at 1-loop. We also treat possible instabilities to charge density wave (CDW) formation, and compare the scales Lambda_{BCS} and Lambda_{CDW} of the onset of the instabilities in different parametric regimes. We address the question of whether the dressing of the fermions into a non-Fermi liquid via interactions with the order parameter field can happen at energies > Lambda_{BCS}, Lambda_{CDW}.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Universality of Long-Distance AdS Physics from the CFT Bootstrap

We begin by explicating a recent proof of the cluster decomposition principle in AdS_{d+1} from the CFT_d bootstrap in d > 2. The CFT argument also computes the leading interactions between distant objects in AdS, and we confirm the universal agreement between the CFT bootstrap and AdS gravity in the semi-classical limit. We proceed to study the generalization to 2d CFTs, which requires knowledge of the Virasoro conformal blocks in a lightcone OPE limit. We compute these blocks in a semiclassical, large central charge approximation, and use them to prove a suitably modified theorem. In particular, from the 2d bootstrap we prove the existence of large spin operators with fixed 'anomalous dimensions' indicative of the presence of deficit angles in AdS_3. As we approach the threshold for the BTZ black hole, interpreted as a CFT scaling dimension, the twist spectrum of large spin operators becomes dense. Due to the exchange of the Virasoro identity block, primary states above the BTZ threshold mimic a thermal background for light operators. We derive the BTZ quasi-normal modes, and we use the bootstrap equation to prove that the twist spectrum is dense. Corrections to thermality could be obtained from a more refined computation of the Virasoro conformal blocks.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

An Effective Theory for Holographic RG Flows

We study the dilaton action induced by RG flows between holographic CFT fixed points. For this purpose we introduce a general bulk effective theory for the goldstone boson of the broken spacetime symmetry, providing an AdS analog of the EFT of Inflation. In two dimensions, we use the effective theory to compute the dilaton action, as well as the UV and IR conformal anomalies, without further assumptions. In higher dimensions we take a `slow-flow' limit analogous to the assumption of slow-roll in Inflation, and in this context we obtain the dilaton action, focusing on terms proportional to the difference of the A-type anomalies. We include Gauss-Bonnet terms in the gravitational action in order to verify that our method correctly differentiates between A-type and other anomalies.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Slow Fermions in Quantum Critical Metals

We study the low-energy behavior of metals coupled to gapless bosons. This problem arises in several contexts in modern condensed matter physics; we focus on the theory of metals near continuous quantum phase transitions (where the boson is the order parameter). In the vicinity of d=3 spatial dimensions, the upper critical dimension of the theory, the ratio of fermion and boson speeds, v/c, acts as an additional control parameter, enabling us to access IR fixed points where this ratio vanishes. This limit corresponds to a non-Fermi liquid coupled to bosons with critical exponents governed by the Wilson-Fisher fixed point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Covariant Approaches to Superconformal Blocks

We develop techniques for computing superconformal blocks in 4d superconformal field theories. First we study the super-Casimir differential equation, deriving simple new expressions for superconformal blocks for 4-point functions containing chiral operators in theories with N-extended supersymmetry. We also reproduce these results by extending the "shadow formalism" of Ferrara, Gatto, Grillo, and Parisi to supersymmetric theories, where superconformal blocks can be represented as superspace integrals of three-point functions multiplied by shadow three-point functions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Non-Fermi liquid behavior of large N_B quantum critical metals

The problem of continuous quantum phase transitions in metals involves critical bosons coupled to a Fermi surface. We solve the theory in the limit of a large number, N_B, of bosonic flavors, where the bosons transform in the adjoint representation, while the fermions are in the fundamental representation of a global SU(N_B) flavor symmetry group. The leading large N_B solution corresponds to a non-Fermi liquid coupled to Wilson-Fisher bosons. In a certain energy range, the fermion velocity vanishes - resulting in the destruction of the Fermi surface. Subleading 1/N_B corrections correspond to a qualitatively different form of Landau damping of the bosonic critical fluctuations. We discuss the model in d=3-epsilon but because of the additional control afforded by large N_B, our results are valid down to d=2. In the limit epsilon << 1, the large N_B solution is consistent with the RG analysis of Ref. 1.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Non-Fermi liquid fixed point in a Wilsonian theory of quantum critical metals

We study the problem of disorder-free metals near a continuous quantum critical point. We depart from the standard paradigm of Hertz and Millis, and treat both fermions and bosons i.e. order parameter fields) on equal footing. We construct a Wilsonian effective field theory that integrates out only high energy boson and fermion modes. Below the upper critical dimension of the theory (d=3 spatial dimensions), we find new fixed points in which the bosons are described by the Wilson-Fisher fixed point and are coupled to a non-Fermi liquid metal. We describe subtleties with the renormalization group flow of four-Fermi interactions, which can be surmounted in a controlled large N limit. In this limit, we find that the theory has no superconducting instability.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Conformal Blocks in the Large D Limit

We derive conformal blocks in an inverse spacetime dimension expansion. In this large D limit, the blocks are naturally written in terms of a new combination of conformal cross-ratios. We comment on the implications for the conformal bootstrap at large D.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Decoupling of High Dimension Operators from the Low Energy Sector in Holographic Models

We study the decoupling of high dimension operators from the the description of the low-energy spectrum in theories where conformal symmetry is broken by a single scale, which we refer to as `broken CFTs'. Holographic duality suggests that this decoupling occurs in generic backgrounds. We show how the decoupling of high mass states in the (d+1)-dimensional bulk relates to the decoupling of high energy states in the d-dimensional broken CFT. In other words, we explain why both high dimension operators and high mass states in the CFT decouple from the low-energy physics of the mesons and glueballs. In many cases, the decoupling can occur exponentially fast in the dimension of the operator. Holography motivates a new kind of form factor proportional to the two point function between broken CFT operators with very different scaling dimensions. This new notion of decoupling can provide a systematic justification for holographic descriptions of QCD and condensed matter systems with only light degrees of freedom in the bulk.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

The Analytic Bootstrap and AdS Superhorizon Locality

We take an analytic approach to the CFT bootstrap, studying the 4-pt correlators of d > 2 dimensional CFTs in an Eikonal-type limit, where the conformal cross ratios satisfy |u| << |v| < 1. We prove that every CFT with a scalar operator ϕmust contain infinite sequences of operators O_{τ,l} with twist approaching τ-> 2Δ_ϕ+ 2n for each integer n as l -> infinity. We show how the rate of approach is controlled by the twist and OPE coefficient of the leading twist operator in the ϕx ϕOPE, and we discuss SCFTs and the 3d Ising Model as examples. Additionally, we show that the OPE coefficients of other large spin operators appearing in the OPE are bounded as l -> infinity. We interpret these results as a statement about superhorizon locality in AdS for general CFTs.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

AdS Field Theory from Conformal Field Theory

We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for a Conformal Field Theory to have a description in terms of a perturbative Effective Field Theory in AdS. The first two conditions are well-known: the existence of a perturbative `1/N' expansion and an approximate Fock space of states generated by a finite number of low-dimension operators. We add a third condition, that the Mellin amplitudes of the CFT correlators must be well-approximated by functions that are bounded by a polynomial at infinity in Mellin space, or in other words, that the Mellin amplitudes have an effective theory-type expansion. We explain the relationship between our conditions and unitarity, and provide an analogy with scattering amplitudes that becomes exact in the flat space limit of AdS. The analysis also yields a simple connection between conformal blocks and AdS diagrams, providing a new calculational tool very much in the spirit of the S-Matrix program. We also begin to explore the potential pathologies associated with higher spin fields in AdS by generalizing Weinberg's soft theorems to AdS/CFT. The AdS analog of Weinberg's argument constrains the interactions of conserved currents in CFTs, but there are potential loopholes that are unavailable to theories of massless higher spin particles in flat spacetime.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Unitarity and the Holographic S-Matrix

The bulk S-Matrix can be given a non-perturbative definition in terms of the flat space limit of AdS/CFT. We show that the unitarity of the S-Matrix, ie the optical theorem, can be derived by studying the behavior of the OPE and the conformal block decomposition in the flat space limit. When applied to perturbation theory in AdS, this gives a holographic derivation of the cutting rules for Feynman diagrams. To demonstrate these facts we introduce some new techniques for the analysis of conformal field theories. Chief among these is a method for conglomerating local primary operators to extract the contribution of an individual primary in their OPE. This provides a method for isolating the contribution of specific conformal blocks which we use to prove an important relation between certain conformal block coefficients and anomalous dimensions. These techniques make essential use of the simplifications that occur when CFT correlators are expressed in terms of a Mellin amplitude.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Analyticity and the Holographic S-Matrix

We derive a simple relation between the Mellin amplitude for AdS/CFT correlation functions and the bulk S-Matrix in the flat spacetime limit, proving a conjecture of Penedones. As a consequence of the Operator Product Expansion, the Mellin amplitude for any unitary CFT must be a meromorphic function with simple poles on the real axis. This provides a powerful and suggestive handle on the locality vis-a-vis analyticity properties of the S-Matrix. We begin to explore analyticity by showing how the familiar poles and branch cuts of scattering amplitudes arise from the holographic description. For this purpose we compute examples of Mellin amplitudes corresponding to 1-loop and 2-loop Witten diagrams in AdS. We also examine the flat spacetime limit of conformal blocks, implicitly relating the S-Matrix program to the Bootstrap program for CFTs. We use this connection to show how the existence of small black holes in AdS leads to a universal prediction for the conformal block decomposition of the dual CFT.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

A New Theory of Anyons

We study a 2+1 dimensional theory of bosons and fermions with an omega ~ k^2 dispersion relation. The most general interactions consistent with specific symmetries impart fractional statistics to the fermions. Unlike examples involving Chern-Simons gauge theories, our statistical phases derive from the exchange of gapless propagating bosons with marginal interactions. Even though no gap exists, we show that the anyonic statistics are precisely defined. Symmetries combine with the vacuum structure to guarantee the non-renormalization of our anyonic phases.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Heavy Flavor Simplified Models at the LHC

We consider a comprehensive set of simplified models that contribute to final states with top and bottom quarks at the LHC. These simplified models are used to create minimal search strategies that ensure optimal coverage of new heavy flavor physics involving the pair production of color octets and triplets. We provide a set of benchmarks that are representative of model space, which can be used by experimentalists to perform their own optimization of search strategies. For data sets larger than 1/fb, same-sign dilepton and 3b search regions become very powerful. Expected sensitivities from existing and optimized searches are given.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

A Natural Language for AdS/CFT Correlators

We provide dramatic evidence that `Mellin space' is the natural home for correlation functions in CFTs with weakly coupled bulk duals. In Mellin space, CFT correlators have poles corresponding to an OPE decomposition into `left' and `right' sub-correlators, in direct analogy with the factorization channels of scattering amplitudes. In the regime where these correlators can be computed by tree level Witten diagrams in AdS, we derive an explicit formula for the residues of Mellin amplitudes at the corresponding factorization poles, and we use the conformal Casimir to show that these amplitudes obey algebraic finite difference equations. By analyzing the recursive structure of our factorization formula we obtain simple diagrammatic rules for the construction of Mellin amplitudes corresponding to tree-level Witten diagrams in any bulk scalar theory. We prove the diagrammatic rules using our finite difference equations. Finally, we show that our factorization formula and our diagrammatic rules morph into the flat space S-Matrix of the bulk theory, reproducing the usual Feynman rules, when we take the flat space limit of AdS/CFT. Throughout we emphasize a deep analogy with the properties of flat space scattering amplitudes in momentum space, which suggests that the Mellin amplitude may provide a holographic definition of the flat space S-Matrix.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Simplified Models for LHC New Physics Searches

This document proposes a collection of simplified models relevant to the design of new-physics searches at the LHC and the characterization of their results. Both ATLAS and CMS have already presented some results in terms of simplified models, and we encourage them to continue and expand this effort, which supplements both signature-based results and benchmark model interpretations. A simplified model is defined by an effective Lagrangian describing the interactions of a small number of new particles. Simplified models can equally well be described by a small number of masses and cross-sections. These parameters are directly related to collider physics observables, making simplified models a particularly effective framework for evaluating searches and a useful starting point for characterizing positive signals of new physics. This document serves as an official summary of the results from the "Topologies for Early LHC Searches" workshop, held at SLAC in September of 2010, the purpose of which was to develop a set of representative models that can be used to cover all relevant phase space in experimental searches. Particular emphasis is placed on searches relevant for the first ~50-500 pb-1 of data and those motivated by supersymmetric models. This note largely summarizes material posted at http://lhcnewphysics.org/, which includes simplified model definitions, Monte Carlo material, and supporting contacts within the theory community. We also comment on future developments that may be useful as more data is gathered and analyzed by the experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Scattering States in AdS/CFT

We show that suitably regulated multi-trace primary states in large N CFTs behave like `in' and `out' scattering states in the flat-space limit of AdS. Their transition matrix elements approach the exact scattering amplitudes for the bulk theory, providing a natural CFT definition of the flat space S-Matrix. We study corrections resulting from the AdS curvature and particle propagation far from the center of AdS, and show that AdS simply provides an IR regulator that disappears in the flat space limit.

hep-th↗