Conformality Lost
read the original abstract
We consider zero-temperature transitions from conformal to non-conformal phases in quantum theories. We argue that there are three generic mechanisms for the loss of conformality in any number of dimensions: (i) fixed point goes to zero coupling, (ii) fixed point runs off to infinite coupling, or (iii) an IR fixed point annihilates with a UV fixed point and they both disappear into the complex plane. We give both relativistic and non-relativistic examples of the last case in various dimensions and show that the critical behavior of the mass gap behaves similarly to the correlation length in the finite temperature Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transition in two dimensions, xi ~ exp(c/|T-T_c|^{1/2}). We speculate that the chiral phase transition in QCD at large number of fermion flavors belongs to this universality class, and attempt to identify the UV fixed point that annihilates with the Banks-Zaks fixed point at the lower end of the conformal window.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet.
Forward citations
Cited by 10 Pith papers
-
Conformal defects and Goldstone bosons in Anti-de Sitter space
Conformal defects in AdS host protected displacement and tilt operators that source bulk Goldstone-like modes with wavelength of order the AdS radius.
-
Quark Anti-Quark Fusion and Walking RG Flows
Fusion of conjugate line defects exhibits walking RG at criticality with SL(2,R) Casimir fixing scheme-independent spectrum density, derived exactly in N=4 SYM via Quantum Spectral Curve.
-
Complex Conformal Manifolds
Analytic continuation of marginal couplings produces complex CFTs, with no genuinely complex rational CFTs existing, and exact defect results verified in non-Hermitian Ising and fermion chains.
-
Closing the loop on $\Phi^4$ in AdS$_3$
Computes closed-form one-loop anomalous dimensions for all double-trace operators [φφ]_{n,ℓ} in Φ⁴ theory in AdS₃ for arbitrary n, ℓ and Δ_φ > 1.
-
Reduce dimensional quantum criticality for Non-Fermi liquids
A reduced-dimension model places bosons in (d+1) dimensions and fermions in d dimensions to make perturbative RG analysis of NFL physics more tractable by taming logarithmic and higher divergences.
-
QFT as a set of ODEs
Derives universal first-order ODEs governing the RG flow of boundary operator data (scaling dimensions, OPE and BOE coefficients) for 2D QFTs on hyperbolic space.
-
From 2D Yang-Mills to Calogero-Sutherland via a colored particle
Coupling a colored particle to 2D Yang-Mills on a cylinder reduces the dynamics, for SU(N), to the singular Calogero-Sutherland model.
-
QFT as a set of ODEs: higher dimensions
Generalizes flow ODEs for QFT data in AdS3/AdS4, capturing operator merger-annihilation and level repulsion, with efficiency gains from crossing equations and Padé approximants.
-
Observables in Schr\"odinger CFTs: How Aliens Built the Pyramids
Observables in Schrödinger CFTs have zero mass and transform in staggered pyramid representations built from alien operators, generalizing exceptional symmetry conservation laws.
-
Universalities of Defects in Quantum Field Theories
A dissertation synthesizing universal aspects of defect dynamics in QFT through symmetry principles across defect RG flows, effective strings, and quantum gas impurities.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.