The decomposition of 4-point correlation functions into conformal partial waves is a central tool in the study of conformal field theory. We compute these partial waves for scalar operators in Minkowski momentum space, and find a closed-form result v
alid in arbitrary space-time dimension $d geq 3$ (including non-integer $d$). Each conformal partial wave is expressed as a sum over ordinary spin partial waves, and the coefficients of this sum factorize into a product of vertex functions that only depend on the conformal data of the incoming, respectively outgoing operators. As a simple example, we apply this conformal partial wave decomposition to the scalar box integral in $d = 4$ dimensions.
We define form factors and scattering amplitudes in Conformal Field Theory as the coefficient of the singularity of the Fourier transform of time-ordered correlation functions, as $p^2 to 0$. In particular, we study a form factor $F(s,t,u)$ obtained
from a four-point function of identical scalar primary operators. We show that $F$ is crossing symmetric, analytic and it has a partial wave expansion. We illustrate our findings in the 3d Ising model, perturbative fixed points and holographic CFTs.
General principles of quantum field theory imply that there exists an operator product expansion (OPE) for Wightman functions in Minkowski momentum space that converges for arbitrary kinematics. This convergence is guaranteed to hold in the sense of
a distribution, meaning that it holds for correlation functions smeared by smooth test functions. The conformal blocks for this OPE are conceptually extremely simple: they are products of 3-point functions. We construct the conformal blocks in 2-dimensional conformal field theory and show that the OPE in fact converges pointwise to an ordinary function in a specific kinematic region. Using microcausality, we also formulate a bootstrap equation directly in terms of momentum space Wightman functions.
In conformal field theory in Minkowski momentum space, the 3-point correlation functions of local operators are completely fixed by symmetry. Using Ward identities together with the existence of a Lorentzian operator product expansion (OPE), we show
that the Wightman function of three scalar operators is a double hypergeometric series of the Appell $F_4$ type. We extend this simple closed-form expression to the case of two scalar operators and one traceless symmetric tensor with arbitrary spin. Time-ordered and partially-time-ordered products are constructed in a similar fashion and their relation with the Wightman function is discussed.
We study the momentum-space 4-point correlation function of identical scalar operators in conformal field theory. Working specifically with null momenta, we show that its imaginary part admits an expansion in conformal blocks. The blocks are polynomi
als in the cosine of the scattering angle, with degree $ell$ corresponding to the spin of the intermediate operator. The coefficients of these polynomials are obtained in a closed-form expression for arbitrary spacetime dimension $d > 2$. If the scaling dimension of the intermediate operator is large, the conformal block reduces to a Gegenbauer polynomial $mathcal{C}_ell^{(d-2)/2}$. If on the contrary the scaling dimension saturates the unitarity bound, the block is different Gegenbauer polynomial $mathcal{C}_ell^{(d-3)/2}$. These results are then used as an inversion formula to compute OPE coefficients in a free theory example.
4D CFTs have a scale anomaly characterized by the coefficient $c$, which appears as the coefficient of logarithmic terms in momentum space correlation functions of the energy-momentum tensor. By studying the CFT contribution to 4-point graviton scatt
ering amplitudes in Minkowski space we derive a sum rule for $c$ in terms of $TTmathcal{O}$ OPE coefficients. The sum rule can be thought of as a version of the optical theorem, and its validity depends on the existence of the massless and forward limits of the $langle TTTT rangle$ correlation functions that contribute. The finiteness of these limits is checked explicitly for free scalar, fermion, and vector CFTs. The sum rule gives $c$ as a sum of positive terms, and therefore implies a lower bound on $c$ given any lower bound on $TTmathcal{O}$ OPE coefficients. We compute the coefficients to the sum rule for arbitrary operators of spin 0 and 2, including the energy-momentum tensor.
A formulation of $mathcal{N} = 2$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with a spacetime-dependent gauge coupling allows to study the breaking of conformal symmetry at the quantum level. The theory has an energy-momentum tensor that is only conserved if a
n equation of motion for the coupling is imposed. It admits non-trivial solitons, among which the Wu-Yang monopole that can be regularized and turns out to be massless. On the other hand, the ordinary BPS monopole is only a solution in the large $N_c$ limit.
This paper presents two methods to compute scale anomaly coefficients in conformal field theories (CFTs), such as the c anomaly in four dimensions, in terms of the CFT data. We first use Euclidean position space to show that the anomaly coefficient o
f a four-point function can be computed in the form of an operator product expansion (OPE), namely a weighted sum of OPE coefficients squared. We compute the weights for scale anomalies associated with scalar operators and show that they are not positive. We then derive a different sum rule of the same form in Minkowski momentum space where the weights are positive. The positivity arises because the scale anomaly is the coefficient of a logarithm in the momentum space four-point function. This logarithm also determines the dispersive part, which is a positive sum over states by the optical theorem. The momentum space sum rule may be invalidated by UV and/or IR divergences, and we discuss the conditions under which these singularities are absent. We present a detailed discussion of the formalism required to compute the weights directly in Minkowski momentum space. A number of explicit checks are performed, including a complete example in an 8-dimensional free field theory.
We show how to consistently renormalize $mathcal{N} = 1$ and $mathcal{N} = 2$ super-Yang-Mills theories in flat space with a local (i.e. space-time-dependent) renormalization scale in a holomorphic scheme. The action gets enhanced by a term proportio
nal to derivatives of the holomorphic coupling. In the $mathcal{N} = 2$ case, this new action is exact at all orders in perturbation theory.
We propose a novel constraint on the gauge dynamics of strongly interacting gauge theories stemming from the a theorem. The inequality we suggest is used to provide a lower bound on the conformal window of four dimensional gauge theories.
