Related papers: Scale-invariant breaking of conformal symmetry

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 present two examples of non-trivial field theories which are scale invariant, but not conformally invariant. This is done by placing certain field theories, which are conformally invariant in flat space, onto curved backgrounds of a…

For a generic conformal field theory (CFT) in four dimensions, the scale anomaly dictates that the universal part of entanglement entropy across a sphere ($\mathcal{C}_{\text{univ}}(S^{2})$) is positive. Based on this fact, we explore the…

We study the conformal bootstrap in fractional space-time dimensions, obtaining rigorous bounds on operator dimensions. Our results show strong evidence that there is a family of unitary CFTs connecting the 2D Ising model, the 3D Ising…

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…

In two dimensions, it is well known that the scale invariance can be considered as conformal invariance. However, there is no solid proof of this equivalence in four or higher dimensions. We address this issue in the context of 4d…

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…

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…

Defects in conformal field theories are interesting objects to study from both formal and applied points of view. In this paper, we construct conformal defects in free scalar field CFTs in diverse dimensions. After discussing the possible…

This paper addresses the question of whether there are 4D Lorentz invariant unitary quantum field theories with scale invariance but not conformal invariance. An important loophole in the arguments of Luty-Polchinski-Rattazzi and…

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…

We discuss the problem to develop a mathematical theory of a certain class of nonrational conformal field theories (CFT) which contain the unitary CFT. A variant of the concept of a modular functor is proposed that appears to be suitable…

We construct classical theories for scalar fields in arbitrary Carroll spacetimes that are invariant under Carrollian diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations. When the local symmetries are gauge fixed these theories become Carrollian…

Various relations between conformal quantum field theories in one, two and four dimensions are explored. The intention is to obtain a better understanding of 4D CFT with the help of methods from lower dimensional CFT.

Quantum field theories with quenched disorder are so hard to study that even exactly solvable free theories present puzzling aspects. We consider a free scalar field $\phi$ in $d$ dimensions coupled to a random source $h$ with quenched…

This is a set of introductory lecture notes on conformal field theory. Unlike most existing reviews on the subject, CFT is presented here from the perspective of a unitary quantum field theory in Minkowski space-time. It begins with a…

We propose a novel approach to study conformal field theories (CFTs) in general dimensions. In the conformal bootstrap program, one usually searches for consistent CFT data that satisfy crossing symmetry. In the new approach, we reverse the…

We construct field theories in $2+1$ dimensions with multiple conformal symmetries acting on only one of the spatial directions. These can be considered a conformal extension to "subsystem scale invariances", borrowing the language often…

We continue the series of articles on the application of Landau-Ginzburg mean-field theory to unveil the basic phase structure of tensorial field theories which are characterized by combinatorially non-local interactions. Among others, this…

Implications are explored of promoting non-conformal scale-invariant theories to conformal theories by nonlinearly realizing the missing symmetry. Properties of the associated Nambu-Goldstone mode imply that conformal invariance cannot be…