English

Einstein gravity from ANEC correlators

High Energy Physics - Theory 2019-09-16 v2

Abstract

We study correlation functions with multiple averaged null energy (ANEC) operators in conformal field theories. For large NN CFTs with a large gap to higher spin operators, we show that the OPE between a local operator and the ANEC can be recast as a particularly simple differential operator acting on the local operator. This operator is simple enough that we can resum it and obtain the finite distance OPE. Under the large NN - large gap assumptions, the vanishing of the commutator of ANEC operators tightly constrains the OPE coefficients of the theory. An important example of this phenomenon is the conclusion that a=ca=c in d=4d=4. This implies that the bulk dual of such a CFT is semi-classical Einstein-gravity with minimally coupled matter.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1904.05892,
  title  = {Einstein gravity from ANEC correlators},
  author = {Alexandre Belin and Diego M. Hofman and Gregoire Mathys},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1904.05892},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

32 pages + appendices, 6 figures; v2:typos corrected and a comment added in introduction

R2 v1 2026-06-23T08:37:10.332Z