Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Two-point superstring tree amplitudes using the pure spinor formalism

  Sitender Pratap Kashyap

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 005 (2025) · published 14 January 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We provide a prescription for computing two-point tree-level amplitudes in the pure spinor formalism that provides finite results that agree with the corresponding expression in the field theories. In [J. High Energy Phys. 07, 139 (2019), Phys. Lett. B 800, 135078 (2020)], the same result was discovered in the bosonic strings with indications of generalization to superstrings in the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz formalism. Pure spinor formalism is the unique super-Poincare covariant approach to quantizing superstrings [J. High Energy Phys. 04, 018 (2000)]. Since the pure spinor formalism is equivalent to other superstring formalisms, it verifies the above claim. We introduce a mostly BRST exact operator to achieve this.

  2 citations

• Quantum information and the C-theorem in de Sitter

  Nicolás Abate, Gonzalo Torroba

  SciPost Phys. 18, 029 (2025) · published 22 January 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Information-theoretic methods have led to significant advances in nonperturbative quantum field theory in flat space. In this work, we show that these ideas can be generalized to field theories in a fixed de Sitter space. Focusing on 1+1-dimensional field theories, we derive a boosted strong subadditivity inequality in de Sitter, and show that it implies a C-theorem for renormalization group flows. Additionally, using the relative entropy, we establish a Lorentzian bound on the entanglement and thermal entropies for a field theory inside the static patch. Finally, we discuss possible connections with recent developments using unitarity methods.

  2 citations

• The Parisi-Sourlas uplift and infinitely many solvable 4d CFTs

  Emilio Trevisani

  SciPost Phys. 18, 056 (2025) · published 17 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  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.

  2 citations

• Bootstrapping frustrated magnets: the fate of the chiral ${\rm O}(N)\times {\rm O}(2)$ universality class

  Marten Reehorst, Slava Rychkov, Benoit Sirois, Balt C. van Rees

  SciPost Phys. 18, 060 (2025) · published 19 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study multiscalar theories with $\text{O}(N) × \text{O}(2)$ symmetry. These models have a stable fixed point in $d$ dimensions if $N$ is greater than some critical value $N_c(d)$. Previous estimates of this critical value from perturbative and non-perturbative renormalization group methods have produced mutually incompatible results. We use numerical conformal bootstrap methods to constrain $N_c(d)$ for $3 ≤ d < 4$. Our results show that $N_c> 3.78$ for $d = 3$. This favors the scenario that the physically relevant models with $N = 2,3$ in $d=3$ do not have a stable fixed point, indicating a first-order transition. Our result exemplifies how conformal windows can be rigorously constrained with modern numerical bootstrap algorithms.

  2 citations

• One-form symmetries and the 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ $A$-model: Topologically twisted indices and CS theories

  Cyril Closset, Elias Furrer, Osama Khlaif

  SciPost Phys. 18, 066 (2025) · published 24 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric Chern–Simons-matter gauge theories with a one-form symmetry in the $A$-model formalism on $\Sigma_g× S^1$. We explicitly compute expectation values of topological line operators that implement the one-form symmetry. This allows us to compute the topologically twisted index on the closed Riemann surface $\Sigma_g$ for any real compact gauge group $G$ as long as the ground states are all bosonic. All computations are carried out in the effective $A$-model on $\Sigma_g$, whose $S^1$ ground states are the so-called Bethe vacua. We discuss how the 3d one-form symmetry acts on the Bethe vacua, and also how its 't Hooft anomaly constrains the vacuum structure. In the special case of the $SU(N)_K$ $\mathcal{N}=2$ Chern–Simons theory, we obtain results for the $(SU(N)/\mathbb{Z}_r)^{\theta}_K$ $\mathcal{N}=2$ Chern–Simons theories, for all non-anomalous $\mathbb{Z}_r \subseteq \mathbb{Z}_N$ subgroups of the centre of the gauge group, and with a $\mathbb{Z}_r$ $\theta$-angle turned on. In the special cases with $N$ even, ${N\over r}$ odd and ${K\over r}$ even, we find a mixed 't Hooft anomaly between gravity and the $\mathbb{Z}_r^{(1)}$ one-form symmetry of the $SU(N)_K$ theory, and the infrared 3d TQFT after gauging is spin. In all cases, we count the Bethe states and the higher-genus states in terms of refinements of Jordan's totient function. This counting gives us the twisted indices if and only if the infrared 3d TQFT is bosonic. Our results lead to precise conjectures about integrality of indices, which appear to have a strong number-theoretic flavour. Note: this paper directly builds upon unpublished notes by Brian Willett from 2020.

  2 citations

• Bayesian RG flow in neural network field theories

  Jessica N. Howard, Marc S. Klinger, Anindita Maiti, Alexander G. Stapleton

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 027 (2025) · published 5 March 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Neural Network Field Theory correspondence (NNFT) is a mapping from neural network (NN) architectures into the space of statistical field theories (SFTs). The Bayesian renormalization group (BRG) is an information-theoretic coarse graining scheme that generalizes the principles of the exact renormalization group (ERG) to arbitrarily parameterized probability distributions, including those of NNs. In BRG, coarse graining is performed in parameter space with respect to an information-theoretic distinguishability scale set by the Fisher information metric. In this paper, we unify NNFT and BRG to form a powerful new framework for exploring the space of NNs and SFTs, which we coin BRG-NNFT. With BRG-NNFT, NN training dynamics can be interpreted as inducing a flow in the space of SFTs from the information-theoretic 'IR' $→$ 'UV'. Conversely, applying an information-shell coarse graining to the trained network's parameters induces a flow in the space of SFTs from the information-theoretic 'UV' $→$ 'IR'. When the information-theoretic cutoff scale coincides with a standard momentum scale, BRG is equivalent to ERG. We demonstrate the BRG-NNFT correspondence on two analytically tractable examples. First, we construct BRG flows for trained, infinite-width NNs, of arbitrary depth, with generic activation functions. As a special case, we then restrict to architectures with a single infinitely-wide layer, scalar outputs, and generalized cos-net activations. In this case, we show that BRG coarse-graining corresponds exactly to the momentum-shell ERG flow of a free scalar SFT. Our analytic results are corroborated by a numerical experiment in which an ensemble of asymptotically wide NNs are trained and subsequently renormalized using an information-shell BRG scheme.

  2 citations

• Lefschetz thimble-inspired weight regularizations for complex Langevin simulations

  Kirill Boguslavski, Paul Hotzy, David I. Müller

  SciPost Phys. 18, 092 (2025) · published 14 March 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Complex Langevin (CL) is a computational method to circumvent the numerical sign problem with applications in finite-density quantum chromodynamics and the real-time dynamics of quantum field theories. It has long been known that, depending on the simulated system, CL does not always converge correctly. In this work, we provide numerical evidence that the success or failure of the complex Langevin method is deeply tied to the Lefschetz thimble structure of the simulated system. This is demonstrated by constructing weight function regularizations that deform the thimbles of systems with compact domains. Our results indicate that CL converges correctly when the regularized system exhibits a single relevant compact thimble. We introduce a bias correction to retrieve the values of the original theory for parameter sets where a direct complex Langevin approach fails. The effectiveness of this method is illustrated using several toy models, including the cosine model and the SU(2) and SU(3) Polyakov chains. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and limitations of this regularization approach for lattice field theories.

  2 citations

• Coupled minimal models revisited II: Constraints from permutation symmetry

  António Antunes, Connor Behan

  SciPost Phys. 18, 132 (2025) · published 23 April 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Coupling $N$ large $m$ minimal models and flowing to IR fixed points is a systematic way to build new classes of compact unitary 2d CFTs which are likely to be irrational, and potentially have a positive Virasoro twist gap above the vacuum. In this paper, we build on the construction of [A. Antunes and C. Behan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 071602 (2023)], establishing that, for spins less than 10, additional currents transforming in non-trivial irreducible representations of the permutation symmetry $S_N$ are not conserved at the IR fixed points. Along the way, we develop a finer understanding of the spectrum of these theories, of the special properties of the $N=4$ case and of non-invertible symmetries that constrain them. We also discuss variations of the original setup of [A. Antunes and C. Behan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 071602 (2023)], some of which can exist for smaller values of the UV central charge.

  2 citations

• Generalized Komar charges and Smarr formulas for black holes and boson stars

  Romina Ballesteros, Tomás Ortín

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 038 (2025) · published 24 April 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The standard Komar charge is a $(d-2)$-form that can be defined in spacetimes admitting a Killing vector and which is closed when the vacuum Einstein equations are satisfied. Its integral at spatial infinity (the Komar integral) gives the conserved charge associated to the Killing vector, and, due to its on-shell closedness, the same value (expressed in terms of other physical variables) is obtained integrating over the event horizon (if any). This equality is the basis of the Smarr formula. This charge can be generalized so that it still is closed on-shell in presence of matter and its integrals give generalizations of the Smarr formula. We show how the Komar charge and other closed $(d-2)$-form charges can be used to prove non-existence theorems for gravitational solitons and boson stars. In particular, we show how one can deal with generalized symmetric fields (invariant under a combination of isometries and other global symmetries) and how the generalized symmetric Ansatz permits to evade the non-existence theorems.

  2 citations

• Crystals and double quiver algebras from Jeffrey-Kirwan residues

  Jiakang Bao, Masahito Yamazaki

  SciPost Phys. 18, 143 (2025) · published 29 April 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We construct statistical mechanical models of crystal melting describing the flavoured Witten indices of $\mathcal{N}≥ 2$ supersymmetric quiver gauge theories. Our results can be derived from the Jeffrey-Kirwan (JK) residue formulas, and generalize the previous results for quivers corresponding to toric Calabi-Yau threefolds and fourfolds to a large class of quivers satisfying the no-overlap condition, including those corresponding to some non-toric Calabi-Yau manifolds. We construct new quiver algebras which we call the double quiver Yangians/algebras, as well as their representations in terms of the aforementioned crystals. For theories with four supercharges, we compare the double quiver algebras with the existing quiver Yangians/BPS algebras, which we show can also be constructed from the JK residues. For theories with two supercharges, the double quiver algebras provide an algebraic description of the BPS states, including the information of the fixed points and their relative coefficients in the full partition functions.

  2 citations