English

A solution space for a system of null-state partial differential equations 4

Mathematical Physics 2015-02-06 v2 math.MP

Abstract

This article is the last of four that completely characterize a solution space SN\mathcal{S}_N for a homogeneous system of 2N+32N+3 linear partial differential equations (PDEs) in 2N2N variables that arises in conformal field theory (CFT) and multiple Schramm-Loewner evolution (SLE). The system comprises 2N2N null-state equations and three conformal Ward identities that govern CFT correlation functions of 2N2N one-leg boundary operators. In the first two articles, we use methods of analysis and linear algebra to prove that dimSNCN\dim\mathcal{S}_N\leq C_N, with CNC_N the NNth Catalan number. Building on these results in the third article, we prove that dimSN=CN\dim\mathcal{S}_N=C_N and SN\mathcal{S}_N is spanned by (real-valued) solutions constructed with the Coulomb gas (contour integral) formalism of CFT. In this article, we use these results to prove some facts concerning the solution space SN\mathcal{S}_N. First, we show that each of its elements equals a sum of at most two distinct Frobenius series in powers of the difference between two adjacent points (unless 8/κ8/\kappa is odd, in which case a logarithmic term may appear). This establishes an important element in the operator product expansion (OPE) for one-leg boundary operators, assumed in CFT. We also identify particular elements of SN\mathcal{S}_N, which we call connectivity weights, and exploit their special properties to conjecture a formula for the probability that the curves of a multiple-SLEκ_\kappa process join in a particular connectivity. Finally, we propose a reason for why the "exceptional speeds" (certain κ\kappa values that appeared in the analysis of the Coulomb gas solutions in the third article) and the minimal models of CFT are connected.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1405.2747,
  title  = {A solution space for a system of null-state partial differential equations 4},
  author = {Steven M. Flores and Peter Kleban},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1405.2747},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

Minor typos from v1 corrected

R2 v1 2026-06-22T04:11:47.985Z