Publications

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Logarithmic operators in $c=0$ bulk CFTs

Yifei He

SciPost Phys. 19, 008 (2025) · published 4 July 2025 | · pdf

We study Kac operators (e.g. energy operator) in percolation and self-avoiding walk bulk CFTs with central charge $c=0$. The proper normalizations of these operators can be deduced at generic $c$ by requiring the finiteness and reality of the three-point constants in cluster and loop model CFTs. At $c=0$, Kac operators become zero-norm states and the bottom fields of logarithmic multiplets, and comparison with $c<1$ Liouville CFT suggests the potential existence of arbitrarily high rank Jordan blocks. We give a generic construction of logarithmic operators based on Kac operators and focus on the rank-2 pair of the energy operator mixing with the hull operator. By taking the $c\to 0$ limit, we compute some of their conformal data and use this to investigate the operator algebra at $c=0$. Based on cluster decomposition, we find that, contrary to previous belief, the four-point correlation function of the bulk energy operator does not vanish at $c=0$, and a crucial role is played by its coupling to the rank-3 Jordan block associated with the second energy operator. This reveals the intriguing way zero-norm operators build long-range higher-point correlations through the intricate logarithmic structures in $c=0$ bulk CFTs.

1 citation
Random circuits in the black hole interior

Javier M. Magan, Martin Sasieta, Brian Swingle

SciPost Phys. 19, 007 (2025) · published 3 July 2025 | · pdf

We present a quantitative holographic relation between a microscopic measure of randomness and the geometric length of the wormhole in the black hole interior. To this end, we perturb an AdS black hole with Brownian semiclassical sources, implementing the continuous version of a random quantum circuit for the black hole. We use the random circuit to prepare ensembles of states of the black hole whose semiclassical duals contain Einstein-Rosen (ER) caterpillars: Long cylindrical wormholes with large numbers of matter inhomogeneities, of linearly growing length with the circuit time. In this setup, we show semiclassically that the ensemble of ER caterpillars of average length $k\ell_{\Delta}$ and matter correlation scale $\ell_{\Delta}$ forms an approximate quantum state $k$-design of the black hole. At exponentially long circuit times, the ensemble of ER caterpillars becomes polynomial-copy indistinguishable from a collection of random states of the black hole. We comment on the implications of these results for holographic circuit complexity and for the holographic description of the black hole interior.

1 citation
Exploring superconformal Yang-Mills theories through matrix Bessel kernels

Zoltan Bajnok, Bercel Boldis, Gregory P. Korchemsky

SciPost Phys. 19, 004 (2025) · published 2 July 2025 | · pdf

A broad class of observables in four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ and $\mathcal{N}=4$ superconformal Yang-Mills theories can be exactly computed in the planar limit for arbitrary 't Hooft coupling as Fredholm determinants of integrable Bessel operators. These observables admit a unifying description through a one-parameter generating function, which possesses a determinant representation involving a matrix generalization of the Bessel operator. We analyze this generating function over a wide range of parameter values and finite 't Hooft coupling. We demonstrate that it has a well-behaved weak-coupling expansion with a finite radius of convergence. In contrast, the strong-coupling expansion exhibits factorially growing coefficients, necessitating the inclusion of non-perturbative corrections that are exponentially suppressed at strong coupling. We compute these non-perturbative corrections and observe a striking resemblance between the resulting trans-series expansion of the generating function and the partition function of a strongly coupled theory expanded in powers of a mass gap.

1 citation
On the breakdown of dimensional reduction and supersymmetry in random-field models

Gilles Tarjus, Matthieu Tissier, Ivan Balog

SciPost Phys. 19, 001 (2025) · published 1 July 2025 | · pdf

We discuss the breakdown of the Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetry (SUSY) and of the dimensional-reduction (DR) property in the random field Ising and O($N$) models as a function of space dimension $d$ and/or number of components $N$. The functional renormalization group (FRG) predicts that this takes place below a critical line $d_\mathrm{DR}(N)$. We revisit the perturbative FRG results for the RFO($N$)M in $d=4+\epsilon$ and carry out a more comprehensive investigation of the nonperturbative FRG approximation for the RFIM. In light of this FRG description, we discuss the perturbative results in $\epsilon=6-d$ recently derived for the RFIM by Kaviraj, Rychkov, and Trevisani. We stress in particular that the disappearance of the SUSY/DR fixed point below $d_\mathrm{DR}$ arises as a consequence of the nonlinearity of the FRG equations and cannot be found via the perturbative expansion in $\epsilon=6-d$ (nor in $1/N$). We also provide an error bar on the value of the critical dimension $d_\mathrm{DR}$ for the RFIM, which we find around $5.11±0.09$, by studying several successive orders of the nonperturbative FRG approximation scheme.
On symmetry-resolved generalized entropies

Fei Yan, Sara Murciano, Pasquale Calabrese, Robert Konik

SciPost Phys. 18, 211 (2025) · published 27 June 2025 | · pdf

Symmetry-resolved entanglement, capturing the refined structure of quantum entanglement in systems with global symmetries, has attracted a lot of attention recently. In this manuscript, introducing the notion of symmetry-resolved generalized entropies, we aim to develop a computational framework suitable for the study of excited state symmetry-resolved entanglement as well as the dynamical evolution of symmetry-resolved entanglement in symmetry-preserving out-of-equilibrium settings. We illustrate our framework using the example of (1+1)-d free massless compact boson theory, and benchmark our results using lattice computation in the XX chain. As a byproduct, our computational framework also provides access to the probability distribution of the symmetry charge contained within a subsystem and the corresponding full counting statistics.

1 citation
Boundary operator expansion and extraordinary phase transition in the tricritical O(N) model

Xinyu Sun, Shao-Kai Jian

SciPost Phys. 18, 210 (2025) · published 27 June 2025 | · pdf

We study the boundary extraordinary transition of a three-dimensional (3D) tricritical $O(N)$ model. We first compute the mean-field Green's function with a general coupling of $|\vec \phi|^{2n}$ (with $n=3$ corresponding to the tricritical model) at the extraordinary phase transition. Then, using layer susceptibility, we obtain the boundary operator expansion for the transverse and longitudinal modes within the $\epsilon=3 - d$ expansion. Based on these results, we demonstrate that the tricritical point exhibits an extraordinary transition characterized by an ordered boundary for any $N$. This provides the first nontrivial example of continuous symmetry breaking in 2D in the context of boundary criticality.

3 citations
Theorems for the lightcone bootstrap

Balt C. van Rees

SciPost Phys. 18, 207 (2025) · published 26 June 2025 | · pdf

Consider a conformally covariant four-point function of identical scalar operators with a discrete spectrum, a twist gap, and compatible with the unitarity conditions. We give a mathematical proof confirming that the spectrum and OPE coefficients at large spin and fixed twist always become that of a generalized free field theory.

3 citations
The fermionic double smeared null energy condition

Duarte Fragoso, Lihan Guo

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 045 (2025) · published 26 June 2025 | · pdf

Energy conditions are crucial for understanding why exotic phenomena such as traversable wormholes and closed timelike curves remain elusive. In this paper, we prove the Double Smeared Null Energy Condition (DSNEC) for the fermionic free theory in 4-dimensional flat Minkowski spacetime, extending previous work on the same energy condition for the bosonic case [J. R. Fliss and B. Freivogel, SciPost Phys. 12, 084 (2022); J. R. Fliss et al., SciPost Phys. 14, 024 (2023)] by adapting Fewster and Mistry's method [C. J. Fewster and B. Mistry, Phys. Rev. D 68, 105010 (2003)] to the energy-momentum tensor $T_{++}$. A notable difference from previous works lies in the presence of the $\gamma_0 \gamma_+$ matrix in $T_{++}$, causing a loss of symmetry. This challenge is addressed by making use of its square-root matrix. We provide explicit analytic results for the massless case as well as numerical insights for the mass-dependence of the bound in the case of Gaussian smearing.
The chiral SYK model in three-dimensional holography

Alexander Altland, Dmitry Bagrets, Nele Callebaut, Konstantin Weisenberger

SciPost Phys. 18, 205 (2025) · published 24 June 2025 | · pdf

A celebrated realization of the holographic principle posits an approximate duality between the $(0+1)$-dimensional quantum mechanical SYK model and two-dimensional Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity, mediated by the Schwarzian action as an effective low energy theory common to both systems. We here propose a generalization of this correspondence to one dimension higher. Starting from different microscopic realizations of effectively chiral $(1+1)$-dimensional generalizations of the SYK model, we derive a reduction to the Alekseev-Shatashvilli (AS)-action, a minimal extension of the Schwarzian action which has been proposed as the effective boundary action of three-dimensional gravity. In the bulk, we show how the same action describes fluctuations around the Euclidean BTZ black hole configuration, the dominant stationary solution of three-dimensional gravity. These two constructions allow us to match bulk and boundary coupling constants, and to compute observables. Specifically, we apply semiclassical techniques inspired by condensed matter physics to the computation of out-of-time-order correlation functions (OTOCs), demonstrating maximal chaos in the chiral SYK chain and its gravity dual.

2 citations
Timelike and gravitational anomalous entanglement from the inner horizon

Qiang Wen, Mingshuai Xu, Haocheng Zhong

SciPost Phys. 18, 204 (2025) · published 24 June 2025 | · pdf

In the context of the AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$, the boundary causal development and the entanglement wedge of any boundary spacelike interval can be mapped to a thermal CFT$_2$ and a Rindler $\widetilde{\text{AdS}_3}$ respectively via certain boundary and bulk Rindler transformations. Nevertheless, the Rindler mapping is not confined in the entanglement wedges. While the outer horizon of the Rindler $\widetilde{\text{AdS}_3}$ is mapped to the RT surface, we also identify the pre-image of the inner horizon in the original AdS$_3$, which we call the inner RT surface. In this paper we give some new physical interpretation for the inner RT surface. First, the inner RT surface breaks into two pieces which anchor on the two tips of the causal development. Furthermore, we can take the two tips as the endpoints of a certain timelike interval and the inner RT surface is exactly the spacelike geodesic that represents the real part of the so-called holographic timelike entanglement entropy (HTEE). We also identify a timelike geodesic at boundary of the extended entanglement wedge, which represents the imaginary part of the HTEE. Second, in the duality between the topological massive gravity (TMG) and gravitational anomalous CFT$_2$, the entanglement entropy and the mixed state correlation that is dual to the entanglement wedge cross section (EWCS) receive correction from the Chern-Simons term in the TMG. We find that, the correction to the holographic entanglement entropy can be reproduced by the area of the inner RT surface with a proper regulation, while the mixed state correlation can be represented by the saddle geodesic chord connecting the two pieces of the inner RT surface of the mixed state we consider, which we call the inner EWCS. The equivalence between the twist on the RT surface and the length of inner RT surface is also discussed.

2 citations

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