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This is an invited contribution to the 2nd edition of the Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics. We review the following algebraic structures which appear in two-dimensional conformal field theory (CFT): The symmetries of two-dimensional…
A reformulation of a physical theory in which measurements at the initial and final moments of time are treated independently is discussed, both on the classical and quantum levels. Methods of the standard quantum mechanics are used to…
We consider logarithmic conformal field theories near a boundary and derive the general form of one and two point functions. We obtain results for arbitrary and two dimensions. Application to two dimensional magnetohydrodynamics is…
The interpretation of D-branes in terms of open strings has lead to much interest in boundary conditions of two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs). These studies have deepened our understanding of CFT and allowed us to develop new…
We study two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) with boundaries via the conformal bootstrap. We derive a positive semi-definite program from crossing symmetry of three observables: the annulus partition function, the two-point…
We review how modular categories, and commutative and non-commutative Frobenius algebras arise in rational conformal field theory. For Euclidean CFT we use an approach based on sewing of surfaces, and in the Minkowskian case we describe CFT…
This is an introduction to two-dimensional conformal field theory and its applications in string theory. Modern concepts of conformal field theory are explained, and it is outlined how they are used in recent studies of D-branes in the…
We use various topological operations to systematically study phase transitions between theories with $\mathbb{Z}_2$ and time reversal symmetry in two spacetime dimensions. The phases (and accompanying CFTs) we consider come in two types -…
Algebraic quantum field theory provides a general, mathematically precise description of the structure of quantum field theories, and then draws out consequences of this structure by means of various mathematical tools -- the theory of…
For a given conformal field theory (CFT), one can deform it via the addition of a marginal operator to the spectrum. In two dimensions, when the added operator has conformal weights $h=\bar{h}=1$, conformal symmetry is not broken and the…
Boundary conformal field theory (BCFT) is the study of conformal field theory (CFT) in semi-infinite space-time. In non-relativistic limit ($x\rightarrow\epsilon x, t\rightarrow t, \epsilon\rightarrow 0$), boundary conformal algebra changes…
Recently, a new approach, based on boundary conformal field theory, has been applied to a variety of quantum impurity problems in condensed matter and particle physics. A particularly enlightening example is the multi-channel Kondo problem.…
We present a solution of the problem of a free massless scalar field on the half line interacting through a periodic potential on the boundary. For a critical value of the period, this system is a conformal field theory with a non-trivial…
A conformal field theory (CFT) is a quantum field theory which is invariant under conformal transformations; a group action that preserve angles but not necessarily lengths. There are two traditional approaches to the construction of CFTs:…
A concise review of the notions of elliptic functions, modular forms, and theta-functions is provided, devoting most of the paper to applications to Conformal Field Theory (CFT), introduced within the axiomatic framework of quantum field…
The trace anomaly of conformal field theories in four dimensions is characterized by '$a$' and '$c$'-functions. The scaling properties of the effective action of a CFT in the presence of boundaries is shown to be determined by $a$, $c$ and…
We argue, in the context of Ads/CFT correspondence, that the degree of entanglement on the CFTs side determines the orientation of space and time on the dual global spacetime. That is, the global spacetime dual to entangled copies of field…
The question of boundary conditions in conformal field theories is discussed, in the light of recent progress. Two kinds of boundary conditions are examined, along open boundaries of the system, or along closed curves or ``seams''. Solving…
We study the constraints of crossing symmetry and unitarity for conformal field theories in the presence of a boundary, with a focus on the Ising model in various dimensions. We show that an analytic approach to the bootstrap is feasible…
A quantum field theory is referred to as bosonic (non-spin) if its physical quantities are independent of the spacetime spin structure, and as fermionic (spin) if they depend on it. We explore fermionic conformal field theories (CFTs) that…