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Conformal line defects at finite temperature
by Julien Barrat, Bartomeu Fiol, Enrico Marchetto, Alessio Miscioscia, Elli Pomoni
Submission summary
| Authors (as registered SciPost users): | Julien Barrat · Enrico Marchetto · Alessio Miscioscia |
| Submission information | |
|---|---|
| Preprint Link: | scipost_202408_00012v2 (pdf) |
| Date accepted: | 2024-12-09 |
| Date submitted: | 2024-11-27 14:53 |
| Submitted by: | Miscioscia, Alessio |
| Submitted to: | SciPost Physics |
| Ontological classification | |
|---|---|
| Academic field: | Physics |
| Specialties: |
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| Approach: | Theoretical |
Abstract
We study conformal field theories at finite temperature in the presence of a temporal conformal line defect, wrapping the thermal circle, akin to a Polyakov loop in gauge theories. Although several symmetries of the conformal group are broken, the model can still be highly constrained from its features at zero temperature. In this work we show that the defect and bulk one and two-point correlators can be written as functions of zero-temperature data and thermal one-point functions (defect and bulk). The defect one-point functions are new data and they are induced by thermal effects of the bulk. For this new set of data we derive novel sum rules and establish a bootstrap problem for the thermal defect one-point functions from the KMS condition. We also comment on the behaviour of operators with large scaling dimensions. Additionally, we relate the free energy and entropy density to the OPE data through the one-point function of the stress-energy tensor. Our formalism is validated through analytical computations in generalized free scalar field theory, and we present new predictions for the $\mathrm O(N)$ model with a magnetic impurity in the $\varepsilon$-expansion and the large $N$ limit.
Author indications on fulfilling journal expectations
- Provide a novel and synergetic link between different research areas.
- Open a new pathway in an existing or a new research direction, with clear potential for multi-pronged follow-up work
- Detail a groundbreaking theoretical/experimental/computational discovery
- Present a breakthrough on a previously-identified and long-standing research stumbling block
Author comments upon resubmission
to the manuscript.
List of changes
Referee #2:
1. We corrected the typos;
2. Time translations set to zero the one-point functions of defect descendant operators, while in general the one-point functions of conformal descendants are non-vanishing for bulk operators. However, in the limit in which the two external operators are placed at zero spatial distance (equivalently they are at the same distance from the defect), all the descendants are built by acting with time derivatives and their one-point functions are therefore zero. We added the footnote 12 with this comment;
3. We added clarifications in Section 4.2;
4. We added the footnote 19 explaining the vanishing of the zero T entropy in the free scalar theory case;
5. We corrected the typo;
6. We corrected the typos;
7. We added all the references suggested by the referee;
8. The expression (A.1) is not the most general definition of conformal defect (one exception is for instance the case of disorder-type defects). Therefore only the broken Ward identities which are not strictly dependent on (A.1) holds in more general cases (for instance eq. A.9). We added a comment in the manuscript at the end of the Appendix A.
Current status:
Editorial decision:
For Journal SciPost Physics: Publish
(status: Editorial decision fixed and (if required) accepted by authors)