$F$-extremization determines certain large-$N$ CFTs

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Fraser-Taliente, Ludo, Wheater, John
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Fraser-Taliente, Ludo
Wheater, John
author_facet Fraser-Taliente, Ludo
Wheater, John
contents We show that the conformal data of a range of large-$N$ CFTs, the melonic CFTs, are specified by constrained extremization of the universal part of the sphere free energy $F=-\log Z_{S^d}$, called $\tilde{F}$. This family includes the generalized SYK models, the vector models (O$(N)$, Gross-Neveu, etc.), and the tensor field theories. The known $F$ and $a$-maximization procedures in SCFTs are therefore extended to these non-supersymmetric CFTs in continuous $d$. We establish our result using the two-particle irreducible (2PI) effective action, and, equivalently, by Feynman diagram resummation. $\tilde{F}$ interpolates in continuous dimension between the known $C$-functions, so we interpret this result as an extremization of the number of IR degrees of freedom, in the spirit of the generalized $c,F,a$-theorems. The outcome is a complete classification of the melonic CFTs: they are the conformal mean field theories which extremize the universal part of the sphere free energy, subject to an IR marginality condition on the interaction Lagrangian.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_10499
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle $F$-extremization determines certain large-$N$ CFTs
Fraser-Taliente, Ludo
Wheater, John
High Energy Physics - Theory
Mathematical Physics
We show that the conformal data of a range of large-$N$ CFTs, the melonic CFTs, are specified by constrained extremization of the universal part of the sphere free energy $F=-\log Z_{S^d}$, called $\tilde{F}$. This family includes the generalized SYK models, the vector models (O$(N)$, Gross-Neveu, etc.), and the tensor field theories. The known $F$ and $a$-maximization procedures in SCFTs are therefore extended to these non-supersymmetric CFTs in continuous $d$. We establish our result using the two-particle irreducible (2PI) effective action, and, equivalently, by Feynman diagram resummation. $\tilde{F}$ interpolates in continuous dimension between the known $C$-functions, so we interpret this result as an extremization of the number of IR degrees of freedom, in the spirit of the generalized $c,F,a$-theorems. The outcome is a complete classification of the melonic CFTs: they are the conformal mean field theories which extremize the universal part of the sphere free energy, subject to an IR marginality condition on the interaction Lagrangian.
title $F$-extremization determines certain large-$N$ CFTs
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
Mathematical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.10499