English

A multipoint conformal block chain in $d$ dimensions

High Energy Physics - Theory 2020-06-24 v1

Abstract

Conformal blocks play a central role in CFTs as the basic, theory-independent building blocks. However, only limited results are available concerning multipoint blocks associated with the global conformal group. In this paper, we systematically work out the dd-dimensional nn-point global conformal blocks (for arbitrary dd and nn) for external and exchanged scalar operators in the so-called comb channel. We use kinematic aspects of holography and previously worked out higher-point AdS propagator identities to first obtain the geodesic diagram representation for the (n+2)(n+2)-point block. Subsequently, upon taking a particular double-OPE limit, we obtain an explicit power series expansion for the nn-point block expressed in terms of powers of conformal cross-ratios. Interestingly, the expansion coefficient is written entirely in terms of Pochhammer symbols and (n4)(n-4) factors of the generalized hypergeometric function 3F2{}_3F_2, for which we provide a holographic explanation. This generalizes the results previously obtained in the literature for n=4,5n=4, 5. We verify the results explicitly in embedding space using conformal Casimir equations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1911.09190,
  title  = {A multipoint conformal block chain in $d$ dimensions},
  author = {Sarthak Parikh},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1911.09190},
  year   = {2020}
}

Comments

35 pages + appendices + references, several figures. Mathematica notebook containing the main result included as an ancillary file

R2 v1 2026-06-23T12:22:49.731Z