Related papers: A counterexample to the CFT convexity conjecture
We consider convex trace functions $\Phi_{p,q,s} = Trace[ (A^{q/2}B^p A^{q/2})^s]$ where $A$ and $B$ are positive $n\times n$ matrices and ask when these functions are convex or concave. We also consider operator convexity/concavity of…
We analyse the Weak Gravity Conjecture for chiral four-dimensional F-theory compactifications with N=1 supersymmetry. Extending our previous work on nearly tensionless heterotic strings in six dimensions, we show that under certain…
Swampland criteria like the Weak Gravity Conjecture should not only apply to particles, but also to other lower-codimension charged objects in 4d EFTs like strings and membranes. However, the description of the latter is in general subtle…
We conjecture that weak interactions are peculiar manifestations of quantum gravity at the Fermi scale, and that the Fermi constant is related to the Newtonian constant of gravitation.In this framework one may understand the violations of…
Symmetry under time-reversal appears in the microscopic description of many physical systems. In a quantum mechanical setting it acts as an anti-unitary operator, so does not fall under general analyses based on unitary symmetries. In…
The Checkerboard conformal field theory is an interesting representative of a large class of non-unitary, logarithmic Fishnet CFTs (FCFT) in arbitrary dimension which have been intensively studied in the last years. Its planar Feynman…
There appears a universal logarithmic term of entanglement entropy, i.e., $-a(\Omega) \log(H/\delta)$, for 3d CFTs when the entangling surface has a sharp corner. $a(\Omega)$ is a function of the corner opening angle and behaves as…
We study the properties of 2+1d conformal field theories (CFTs) in a background magnetic field. Using generalized particle-vortex duality, we argue that in many cases of interest the theory becomes gapped, which allows us to make a number…
We examine two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) at central charge c=0. These arise typically in the description of critical systems with quenched disorder, but also in other contexts including dilute self-avoiding polymers and…
The study of convex functions - in particular, of their optimization (really minimization) is one of the most important fields of applied mathematics. Convexity seems to be one of those incredibly well-chosen hypotheses which is just…
Clock-comparison experiments are among the sharpest existing tests of Lorentz symmetry in matter. We characterize signals in these experiments arising from modifications to electron or nucleon propagators and involving Lorentz- and…
Let $V$ be a rational, selfdual, $C_2$-cofinite vertex operator algebra of CFT type, and $G$ a finite automorphism group of $V.$ It is proved that the kernel of the representation of the modular group on twisted conformal blocks associated…
We present results about minimization of convex functionals defined over a finite set of vectors in a finite dimensional Hilbert space, that extend several known results for the Benedetto-Fickus frame potential. Our approach depends on…
For any unitary conformal field theory in two dimensions with the central charge $c$, we prove that, if there is a nontrivial primary operator whose conformal dimension $\Delta$ vanishes in some limit on the conformal manifold, the…
We discuss walking behavior in gauge theories and weak first-order phase transitions in statistical physics. Despite appearing in very different systems (QCD below the conformal window, the Potts model, deconfined criticality) these two…
We consider the problem of choosing a portfolio that maximizes the cumulative prospect theory (CPT) utility on an empirical distribution of asset returns. We show that while CPT utility is not a concave function of the portfolio weights, it…
Approximations of functions with finite data often do not respect certain "structural" properties of the functions. For example, if a given function is non-negative, a polynomial approximation of the function is not necessarily also…
In this note, we study the dynamics and associated zeta functions of conformally compact manifolds with variable negative sectional curvatures. We begin with a discussion of a larger class of manifolds known as convex co-compact manifolds…
We consider correlators for the flux of energy and charge in the background of operators with large global $U(1)$ charge in conformal field theory (CFT). It has recently been shown that the corresponding Euclidean correlators generically…
In this note we provide a full conjugacy and subdifferential calculus for convex convex-composite functions in finite-dimensional space. Our approach, based on infimal convolution and cone-convexity, is straightforward and yields the…