Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Current Status of inclusive hadronic tau determinations of |V_us|

  K. Maltman, P.A. Boyle, R.J. Hudspith, T. Izubuchi, A. Juttner, C. Lehner, R. Lewis, H. Ohki, A. Portelli, M. Spraggs, J.M. Zanotti

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 1, 006 (2019) · published 18 February 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We review the status of the determination of |V_{us}| from both flavor-breaking finite-energy sum rules based on inclusive non-strange and strange hadronic tau decay data and the recent lattice-based analysis of inclusive strange hadronic tau decay data. In particular, we update the results from these analysis frameworks taking into account recent improvements to a number of strange branching fractions reported by HFLAV at CKM2018 and this meeting. We find that inclusive tau decay data yields results for |V_{us}| compatible within errors with the expectations of three-family unitarity.

  4 citations

• Sigma models on flags

  Kantaro Ohmori, Nathan Seiberg, Shu-Heng Shao

  SciPost Phys. 6, 017 (2019) · published 4 February 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study (1+1)-dimensional non-linear sigma models whose target space is the flag manifold $U(N)\over U(N_1)\times U(N_2)\cdots U(N_m)$, with a specific focus on the special case $U(N)/U(1)^{N}$. These generalize the well-known $\mathbb{CP}^{N-1}$ model. The general flag model exhibits several new elements that are not present in the special case of the $\mathbb{CP}^{N-1}$ model. It depends on more parameters, its global symmetry can be larger, and its 't Hooft anomalies can be more subtle. Our discussion based on symmetry and anomaly suggests that for certain choices of the integers $N_I$ and for specific values of the parameters the model is gapless in the IR and is described by an $SU(N)_1$ WZW model. Some of the techniques we present can also be applied to other cases.

  27 citations

• General properties of multiscalar RG Flows in $d=4-\varepsilon$

  Slava Rychkov, Andreas Stergiou

  SciPost Phys. 6, 008 (2019) · published 17 January 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Fixed points of scalar field theories with quartic interactions in $d=4-\varepsilon$ dimensions are considered in full generality. For such theories it is known that there exists a scalar function $A$ of the couplings through which the leading-order beta-function can be expressed as a gradient. It is here proved that the fixed-point value of $A$ is bounded from below by a simple expression linear in the dimension of the vector order parameter, $N$. Saturation of the bound requires a marginal deformation, and is shown to arise when fixed points with the same global symmetry coincide in coupling space. Several general results about scalar CFTs are discussed, and a review of known fixed points is given.

  39 citations

• Goldstone modes and photonization for higher form symmetries

  Diego M. Hofman, Nabil Iqbal

  SciPost Phys. 6, 006 (2019) · published 14 January 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We discuss generalized global symmetries and their breaking. We extend Goldstone's theorem to higher form symmetries by showing that a perimeter law for an extended $p$-dimensional defect operator charged under a continuous $p$-form generalized global symmetry necessarily results in a gapless mode in the spectrum. We also show that a $p$-form symmetry in a conformal theory in $2(p+1)$ dimensions has a free realization. In four dimensions this means any 1-form symmetry in a $CFT_4$ can be realized by free Maxwell electrodynamics, i.e. the current can be photonized. The photonized theory has infinitely many conserved 0-form charges that are constructed by integrating the symmetry currents against suitable 1-forms. We study these charges by developing a twistor-based formalism that is a 4d analogue of the usual holomorphic complex analysis familiar in $CFT_2$. The charges are shown to obey an algebra with central extension, which is an analogue of the 2d Abelian Kac-Moody algebra for higher form symmetries.

  46 citations

• Comments on abelian Higgs models and persistent order

  Zohar Komargodski, Adar Sharon, Ryan Thorngren, Xinan Zhou

  SciPost Phys. 6, 003 (2019) · published 9 January 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A natural question about Quantum Field Theory is whether there is a deformation to a trivial gapped phase. If the underlying theory has an anomaly, then symmetric deformations can never lead to a trivial phase. We discuss such discrete anomalies in Abelian Higgs models in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions. We emphasize the role of charge conjugation symmetry in these anomalies; for example, we obtain nontrivial constraints on the degrees of freedom that live on a domain wall in the VBS phase of the Abelian Higgs model in 2+1 dimensions. In addition, as a byproduct of our analysis, we show that in 1+1 dimensions the Abelian Higgs model is dual to the Ising model. We also study variations of the Abelian Higgs model in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions where there is no dynamical particle of unit charge. These models have a center symmetry and additional discrete anomalies. In the absence of a dynamical unit charge particle, the Ising transition in the 1+1 dimensional Abelian Higgs model is removed. These models without a unit charge particle exhibit a remarkably persistent order: we prove that the system cannot be disordered by either quantum or thermal fluctuations. Equivalently, when these theories are studied on a circle, no matter how small or large the circle is, the ground state is non-trivial.

  97 citations

• (1,0) gauge theories on the six-sphere

  Usman Naseer

  SciPost Phys. 6, 002 (2019) · published 8 January 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We construct gauge theories with a vector-multiplet and hypermultiplets of $(1,0)$ supersymmetry on the six-sphere. The gauge coupling on the sphere depends on the polar angle. This has a natural explanation in terms of the tensor branch of $(1,0)$ theories on the six-sphere. For the vector-multiplet we give an off-shell formulation for all supersymmetries. For hypermultiplets we give an off-shell formulation for one supersymmetry. We show that the path integral for the vector-multiplet localizes to solutions of the Hermitian-Yang-Mills equation, which is a generalization of the (anti-)self duality condition to higher dimensions. For the hypermultiplet, the path integral localizes to configurations where the field strengths of two complex scalars are related by an almost complex structure.

  4 citations

• Classification of out-of-time-order correlators

  Felix M. Haehl, R. Loganayagam, Prithvi Narayan, Mukund Rangamani

  SciPost Phys. 6, 001 (2019) · published 7 January 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The space of n-point correlation functions, for all possible time-orderings of operators, can be computed by a non-trivial path integral contour, which depends on how many time-ordering violations are present in the correlator. These contours, which have come to be known as timefolds, or out-of-time-order (OTO) contours, are a natural generalization of the Schwinger-Keldysh contour (which computes singly out-of-time-ordered correlation functions). We provide a detailed discussion of such higher OTO functional integrals, explaining their general structure, and the myriad ways in which a particular correlation function may be encoded in such contours. Our discussion may be seen as a natural generalization of the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism to higher OTO correlation functions. We provide explicit illustration for low point correlators (n=2,3,4) to exemplify the general statements.

  36 citations

• Reconstructing the gluon

  Anton K. Cyrol, Jan M. Pawlowski, Alexander Rothkopf, Nicolas Wink

  SciPost Phys. 5, 065 (2018) · published 20 December 2018 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We reconstruct the gluon spectral function in Landau gauge QCD from numerical data for the gluon propagator. The reconstruction relies on two novel ingredients: Firstly we derive analytically the low frequency asymptotics of the spectral function. Secondly we construct a functional basis from a careful consideration of the analytic properties of the gluon propagator in Landau gauge. This allows us to reliably capture the non-perturbative regime of the gluon spectrum. We also compare different reconstruction methods and discuss the respective systematic errors.

  63 citations

• Unruh effect for interacting particles with ultracold atoms

  Arkadiusz Kosior, Maciej Lewenstein, Alessio Celi

  SciPost Phys. 5, 061 (2018) · published 11 December 2018 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Unruh effect is a quantum relativistic effect where the accelerated observer perceives the vacuum as a thermal state. Here we propose the experimental realization of the Unruh effect for interacting ultracold fermions in optical lattices by a sudden quench resulting in vacuum acceleration with varying interactions strengths in the real temperature background. We observe the inversion of statistics for the low lying excitations in the Wightman function as a result of competition between the spacetime and BCS Bogoliubov transformations. This paper opens up new perspectives for simulators of quantum gravity.

  22 citations

• Comments on a state-operator correspondence for the torus

  Alexandre Belin, Jan de Boer, Jorrit Kruthoff

  SciPost Phys. 5, 060 (2018) · published 10 December 2018 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate the existence of a state-operator correspondence on the torus. This correspondence would relate states of the CFT Hilbert space living on a spatial torus to the path integral over compact Euclidean manifolds with operator insertions. Unlike the states on the sphere that are associated to local operators, we argue that those on the torus would more naturally be associated to line operators. We find evidence that such a correspondence cannot exist and in particular, we argue that no compact Euclidean path integral can produce the vacuum on the torus. Our arguments come solely from field theory and formulate a CFT version of the Horowitz-Myers conjecture for the AdS soliton.

  12 citations