Triangle Seminars
Wednesday, 18 Mar 2015
The Superconformal Bootstrap Program
📍 London
Balt Van Rees
(CERN)
Abstract:
In the past few years we have seen that the bootstrap approach to higher-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) can be surprisingly powerful. In particular, we are finally able to put the crossing symmetry equations to good use and extract nontrivial information about the spectrum and three-point functions in a generic CFT. In this talk I will discuss the application of these ideas to superconformal field theories, focussing on N=2 and N=4 theories in four dimensions. In those theories there exists a subsector where the crossing symmetry equations can be solved analytically. Together with the numerical analysis of the remaining constraints we can learn a great deal about the nonperturbative structure of these superconformal field theories.
In the past few years we have seen that the bootstrap approach to higher-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) can be surprisingly powerful. In particular, we are finally able to put the crossing symmetry equations to good use and extract nontrivial information about the spectrum and three-point functions in a generic CFT. In this talk I will discuss the application of these ideas to superconformal field theories, focussing on N=2 and N=4 theories in four dimensions. In those theories there exists a subsector where the crossing symmetry equations can be solved analytically. Together with the numerical analysis of the remaining constraints we can learn a great deal about the nonperturbative structure of these superconformal field theories.
Posted by: KCL
Partition function on Hopf surfaces and Casimir energy
Benjamin Assel
(Kings College)
Abstract:
I will discuss the partition function of 4d N=1 theories on Hopf surfaces. These are diffeomorphic to S^1 x S^3 and the partition function provides a path integral realization of the supersymmetric index. Its large S^1 limit exhibits a universal behaviour associated to the existence of a Casimir energy. I will argue that, contrarily to the non-supersymmetric case, this Casimir energy is a physical (non-ambiguous) quantity in supersymmetric theories.
I will discuss the partition function of 4d N=1 theories on Hopf surfaces. These are diffeomorphic to S^1 x S^3 and the partition function provides a path integral realization of the supersymmetric index. Its large S^1 limit exhibits a universal behaviour associated to the existence of a Casimir energy. I will argue that, contrarily to the non-supersymmetric case, this Casimir energy is a physical (non-ambiguous) quantity in supersymmetric theories.
Posted by: IC