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Boundary Criticality of Complex Conformal Field Theory: A Case Study in the Non-Hermitian 5-State Potts Model

by Yin Tang, Qianyu Liu, Qicheng Tang, Wei Zhu

Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users): Yin Tang
Submission information
Preprint Link: scipost_202412_00032v1  (pdf)
Date submitted: 2024-12-17 15:55
Submitted by: Tang, Yin
Submitted to: SciPost Physics
Ontological classification
Academic field: Physics
Specialties:
  • Condensed Matter Physics - Theory
  • High-Energy Physics - Theory
Approaches: Theoretical, Computational

Abstract

Conformal fields with boundaries give rise to rich critical phenomena that can reveal information about the underlying conformality. While the existing studies focus on Hermitian systems, here we explore boundary critical phenomena in a non-Hermitian quantum 5-state Potts model which exhibits complex conformality in the bulk. We identify free, fixed and mixed conformal boundary conditions and observe the conformal tower structure of energy spectra, supporting the emergence of conformal boundary criticality. We also studied the duality relation between different conformal boundary conditions under the Kramers-Wannier transformation. These findings should facilitate a comprehensive understanding for exotic irrational CFTs and stimulate further exploration on the boundary critical phenomena within non-Hermitian strongly-correlated systems.

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
Current status:
In refereeing

Reports on this Submission

Report #1 by Anonymous (Referee 1) on 2025-1-20 (Invited Report)

Report

This paper using exact diagonalization to study a Hamiltonian associated with the 5-state Potts model, which is non-Hermitian. The results for the spectrum of the theory match exact predictions for various boundary conditions, and confirm these previous predictions that the fixed point is a complex CFT.

The paper seems correct and a nice addition to the literature. My main issue is that there are many grammatical mistakes throughout the paper, which make it somewhat difficult to read. I would advice the authors to use ChatGPT or something similar to proofread the text for grammar, before resubmitting.

Recommendation

Ask for minor revision

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