The beginning of the endpoint bootstrap for conformal line defects

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lanzetta, Ryan A., Liu, Shang, Metlitski, Max A.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Lanzetta, Ryan A.
Liu, Shang
Metlitski, Max A.
author_facet Lanzetta, Ryan A.
Liu, Shang
Metlitski, Max A.
contents A challenge in the study of conformal field theory (CFT) is to characterize the possible defects in specific bulk CFTs. Given the success of numerical bootstrap techniques applied to the characterization of bulk CFTs, it is desirable to develop similar tools to study conformal defects. In this work, we successfully demonstrate this possibility for endable conformal line defects. We achieve this by incorporating the endpoints of a conformal line defect into the numerical four-point bootstrap and exploit novel crossing symmetry relations that mix bulk and defect CFT data in a way that further possesses positivity, so that rigorous numerical bootstrap techniques are applicable. We implement this approach for the pinning field line defect of the $3d$ Ising CFT, obtaining estimates of its defect CFT data that agree well with other recent estimates, particularly those obtained via the fuzzy sphere regularization. An interesting consequence of our bounds is nearly rigorous evidence that the $\mathbb Z_2$-symmetric defect exhibiting long range order obtained as a direct sum of two conjugate pinning field defects is unstable to domain wall proliferation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_14964
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The beginning of the endpoint bootstrap for conformal line defects
Lanzetta, Ryan A.
Liu, Shang
Metlitski, Max A.
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Statistical Mechanics
High Energy Physics - Theory
A challenge in the study of conformal field theory (CFT) is to characterize the possible defects in specific bulk CFTs. Given the success of numerical bootstrap techniques applied to the characterization of bulk CFTs, it is desirable to develop similar tools to study conformal defects. In this work, we successfully demonstrate this possibility for endable conformal line defects. We achieve this by incorporating the endpoints of a conformal line defect into the numerical four-point bootstrap and exploit novel crossing symmetry relations that mix bulk and defect CFT data in a way that further possesses positivity, so that rigorous numerical bootstrap techniques are applicable. We implement this approach for the pinning field line defect of the $3d$ Ising CFT, obtaining estimates of its defect CFT data that agree well with other recent estimates, particularly those obtained via the fuzzy sphere regularization. An interesting consequence of our bounds is nearly rigorous evidence that the $\mathbb Z_2$-symmetric defect exhibiting long range order obtained as a direct sum of two conjugate pinning field defects is unstable to domain wall proliferation.
title The beginning of the endpoint bootstrap for conformal line defects
topic Strongly Correlated Electrons
Statistical Mechanics
High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.14964