English

Conformal Bootstrap with Reinforcement Learning

High Energy Physics - Theory 2022-02-02 v3

Abstract

We introduce the use of reinforcement-learning (RL) techniques to the conformal-bootstrap programme. We demonstrate that suitable soft Actor-Critic RL algorithms can perform efficient, relatively cheap high-dimensional searches in the space of scaling dimensions and OPE-squared coefficients that produce sensible results for tens of CFT data from a single crossing equation. In this paper we test this approach in well-known 2D CFTs, with particular focus on the Ising and tri-critical Ising models and the free compactified boson CFT. We present results of as high as 36-dimensional searches, whose sole input is the expected number of operators per spin in a truncation of the conformal-block decomposition of the crossing equations. Our study of 2D CFTs uses only the global so(2,2)so(2,2) part of the conformal algebra, and our methods are equally applicable to higher-dimensional CFTs. When combined with other, already available, numerical and analytical methods, we expect our approach to yield an exciting new window into the non-perturbative structure of arbitrary (unitary or non-unitary) CFTs.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2108.09330,
  title  = {Conformal Bootstrap with Reinforcement Learning},
  author = {Gergely Kántor and Vasilis Niarchos and Constantinos Papageorgakis},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2108.09330},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

54 pages; v2: typos corrected and references added; v3: minor corrections

R2 v1 2026-06-24T05:17:41.022Z