English

CFT correlators, ${\cal W}$-algebras and Generalized Catalan Numbers

High Energy Physics - Theory 2022-07-13 v3

Abstract

In two spacetime dimensions the Virasoro heavy-heavy-light-light (HHLL) vacuum block in a certain limit is governed by the Catalan numbers. The equation for their generating function can be generalized to a differential equation which the logarithm of the block satisfies. We show that a similar story holds for the HHLL WN{\cal W}_N vacuum blocks, where a suitable generalization of the Catalan numbers plays the main role. Moreover, the WN{\cal W}_N blocks have the same form as the stress tensor sector of HHLL near lightcone conformal correlators in 2(N1)2(N-1) spacetime dimensions. In the latter case the Catalan numbers are generalized to the numbers of linear extensions of certain partially ordered sets.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2111.07924,
  title  = {CFT correlators, ${\cal W}$-algebras and Generalized Catalan Numbers},
  author = {Robin Karlsson and Manuela Kulaxizi and Gim Seng Ng and Andrei Parnachev and Petar Tadić},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2111.07924},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

36 pages, 6 figures. v2: Minor correction of reference. v3: Minor clarifications and one added reference

R2 v1 2026-06-24T07:39:13.305Z