Related papers: On \epsilon-conjecture in a-theorem
We give a non-perturbative proof that any 4D unitary and Lorentz-invariant quantum field theory with a conserved scale current is in fact conformally invariant. We show that any scale invariant theory (unitary or not) must have either a…
We revisit the long-standing conjecture that in unitary field theories, scale invariance implies conformality. We explain why the Zamolodchikov-Polchinski proof in D=2 does not work in higher dimensions. We speculate which new ideas might…
For a four dimensional, unitary, diffeomorphism- and scale invariant quantum field theory without higher derivatives and a well defined scale current we argue that scale invariance implies conformal invariance. The proof relies on the…
Dilatation, i.e. scale, symmetry in the presence of the dilaton in Minkowski space is derived from diffeomorphism symmetry in curved spacetime, incorporating the volume-preserving diffeomorphisms. The conditions for scale invariance are…
We discuss the cosmological phenomenology of biscalar-tensor models displaying a maximally symmetric Einstein-frame kinetic sector and constructed on the basis of scale symmetry and volume-preserving diffeomorphisms. These theories contain…
There has been recent interest in the question of whether four dimensional scale invariant unitary quantum field theories are actually conformally invariant. In this note we present a complete analysis of possible scale anomalies in…
In this review article, we discuss the distinction and possible equivalence between scale invariance and conformal invariance in relativistic quantum field theories. Under some technical assumptions, we can prove that scale invariant…
We study the implications of scale invariance in four-dimensional quantum field theories. Imposing unitarity, we find that infinitely many matrix elements vanish in a suitable kinematical configuration. This vanishing is a nontrivial…
We construct a class of theories which are scale invariant on quantum level in all orders of perturbation theory. In a subclass of these models scale invariance is spontaneously broken, leading to the existence of a massless dilaton. The…
We argue that conformal invariance is a common thread linking several scalar effective field theories that appear in the double copy and scattering equations. For a derivatively coupled scalar with a quartic ${\cal O}(p^4)$ vertex,…
When quantizing Conformal Dilaton Gravity there is a conformal anomaly which starts at two loop order. This anomaly stems from evanescent operators on the divergent parts of the effective action. The general form of the finite counterterm…
We study the general class of gravitational field theories constructed on the basis of scale invariance (and therefore absence of any mass parameters) and invariance under transverse diffeomorphisms (TDiff), which are the 4-volume…
Running couplings can be understood as arising from the spontaneous breaking of an exact scale invariance in appropriate effective theories with no dilatation anomaly. Any ordinary quantum field theory, even if it has massive fields, can be…
There exists a certain argument that in even dimensions, scale invariant quantum field theories are conformal invariant. We may try to extend the argument in $2n + \epsilon$ dimensions, but the naive extension has a small loophole, which…
This article surveys our ongoing project about the relationship between invariants extending the classical Rohlin invariant of homology spheres and those coming from 4-dimensional (Yang-Mills) gauge theory. The main conjecture towards which…
In this paper we discuss dilaton shifts (Euler counterterms) arising in decomposition of two-dimensional quantum field theories with higher-form symmetries. These take a universal form, reflecting underlying (noninvertible, quantum)…
We consider a generic scale invariant scalar quantum field theory and its symmetry breakdown. Based on the dimension counting identity, we give a concise proof that dilaton is exactly massless at the classical level if scale invariance is…
An important unanswered question in quantum field theory is to understand precisely under which conditions scale invariance implies invariance under the full conformal group. While the general answer in two dimensions has been known for…
General Relativity receives quantum corrections relevant at cosmological distance scales from the conformal scalar degrees of freedom required by the trace anomaly of the quantum stress tensor in curved space. In the theory including the…
By adapting previously known arguments concerning Ricci flow and the c-theorem, we give a direct proof that in a two-dimensional sigma-model with compact target space, scale invariance implies conformal invariance in perturbation theory.…