Topics in Conformal Field Theory

October 19, 2014

1 Ward Identities, 2 and 3 point functions and the OPE
Objectives of this section:
Review Noethers theorem
Derive the Conformal Ward Identities.
Compute the OPE from 2-pt and 3-pt functions in the case of free elds.
Express the Ward identies in holomorphic/anti-holomorphic notation in 2d.
1.1 Symmetries and Conservation laws
We look at how the action changes under a coordinate transformation. A coordinate transformation is given
by,
x x

; (x)

(x

) = F((x)) (1)
The action transforms as follows,
S

=
_
d
d
x L(

(x),

(x

)) (2)
=
_
d
d
x

L(

(x

),

(x

)) (3)
=
_
d
d
x |
x

x
| L
_
F((x)), (
x

F((x))
_
(4)
1.1.1 Innitesimal Transformations and Generators
We parametrize an innitesimal transformation by nitely many parameters {
a
}.
x

= x

+
a
x

a
+O(
2
) (5)

(x

) = (x) +
a
F

a
(x) +O(
2
) (6)
1
A generator of the transformation is given by the following equation:

(x) =

(x) (x) = i
a
G
a
(x) (7)
where there is an implied summation over a.
We can write a formula for G
a
as follows,

(x

) = (x) +
a
F

a
(8)
= (x

)
a
x

+
a
F

a
(9)
iG
a
=
x

a
(10)
1.1.2 Noethers Theorem
We suppose the action is invariant under transformations generated by G
a
Now, an elegant way to derive
Noethers theorem is to suppose that the parameters
a
are now position dependent, so that,
x

(
a
x

a
) (11)
det(1 +E) = 1 + Tr E implies,
|
x

| = 1 +

(
a
x

a
) (12)
We will also need the following,
x

(
a
x

a
) (13)
Hence,
S

=
_
d
d
x
_
1 +

(
a
x

a
)
_
L( +
a
F

a
,
_

(
a
x

a
)
__

(
a
F

a
)
_
) (14)
Now, S = S

S contains terms with no derivatives of

a
. If our choice of generators is a symmetry, then
these must sum to zero. This implies, S involves only terms with a rst derivative of
a
.
S =
_
d
d
x j

a
(15)
where
j

a
=
_
L
(

_
x

L
(
m
u)
F

a
(16)
Integrating Eq.15 by parts, we have,
S =
_
dx(

a
)
a
(x) (17)
2
This implies

a
= 0 (18)
The reasoning from Eq.17 to Eq.18 is rather subtle.
1.1.3 Transformation of Correlation Functions
We denote by X, the expression,
1
(x
1
)
2
(x
2
) . . .
n
(x
n
). Then,
X =
1
(x
1
)
2
(x
2
) . . .
n
(x
n
) =
1
Z
_
[d]
1
(x
1
)
2
(x
2
) . . .
n
(x
n
) exp(S[]) (19)
If the action and the path integration measure are invariant under the transformation given in Eq.1, then,

1
(x

1
)
2
(x

2
) . . .
n
(x

n
) = F(
1
(x
1
))F(
2
(x
2
)) . . . F(
n
(x
n
)) (20)
Proof:

1
(x

1
) . . .
n
(x

n
) =
1
Z
_
[d]
1
(x

1
) . . .
n
(x

n
)e
S[]
(21)
=
1
Z
_
[d

1
(x

1
) . . .

n
(x

n
)e
S[

]
(just a renaming) (22)
=
1
Z
_
[d]F(
1
(x
1
)) . . . F(
n
(x
n
))e
S[]
(23)
= F(
1
(x
1
)) . . . F(
n
(x
n
)) (24)
1.1.4 Ward Identities
X =
1
Z
_
[d

](X +X)e
{S[]+

d
d
x a(x)

a
}
(25)
Expanding to rst order,
X =
_
d
d
x
a
(x)

a
(x)X (26)
The variation X is also explicitly given by,
X = i
n

i=1
(x
1
) . . . (G
a
(x
i
)) . . . (x
n
)
a
(x
i
) (27)
= i
_
d
d
x
a
(x)
n

i=1
{(x
1
) . . . (G
a
(x
i
)) . . . (x
n
)(x x
i
)} (28)
Hence we get the following local relation,

a
X = i
n

i=1
(x x
i
) (x
1
) . . . (G
a
(x
i
)) . . . (x
n
) (29)
3
where now X = (x
1
)(x
2
) . . . (x
n
). This is the Ward identity associated with the current j

a
.
How to use the Ward Identity:
Example 1:
Integrate the Ward identity over a large region of space-time. Then LHS is a surface term which can be
argued to be vanishing. Hence we get,
0 = i
a
n

i=1
(x
1
) . . . (G
a
(x
i
)) . . . (x
n
) =

X (30)
This is just the innitesimal version of Eq.20.
Example 2: Conserved charge as the generator:
We dene the charge associated to a conserved current as,
Q
a
=
_
d
d1
x j
0
a
(x) (31)
Let Y = (x
2
) . . . (x
n
) and suppose t = x
0
1
< x
0
i
for all i > 1. Integrating the Ward identity over a
pill-box lying in between the surfaces x
0
= t

= t and x
0
= t
+
= t + (The integration is over entire
spatial region),
Q
a
(t
+
)(x
1
)Y Q
a
(t

)(x
1
)Y = i (G
a
(x
1
))Y (32)
Using the fact that n-pt functions are vacuum expectation value of time-ordered product of operators, and
letting 0, and assuming that Y has been time-ordered, we get,
0 | [Q
a
, (x
1
)]Y | 0 = i 0 | (G
a
(x
1
))Y | 0 (33)
This is valid for any Y , implying that,
iG
a
= [Q
a
, ] (34)
The Ward identities related to conformal symmetry are as follows:

X = i
n

i=1
(x x
i
)

X
2 Stress Tensor and its OPE in 2d CFTs
(A): The OPE:
T(z)T(w)
1
2
c
(z w)
4
+
2T(w)
(z w)
2
+
T

(w)
z w
(35)
(B): The 2-pt and 3-pt functions of T:
T(z)T(w) =
1
2
c
(z w)
4
(36)
T(z
1
)T(z
2
)T(z
3
) =
c
(z
1
z
2
)
2
(z
2
z
3
)
2
(z
3
z
1
)
2
(37)
(C): Mode expansion of T and the algebra of the modes (Virasoro algebra):
T(z) =

n
L
n
z
n2
(38)
4
[L
n
, L
m
] = (n m)L
n+m
+
c
12
n(n
2
1) (39)
Claim: (A), (B) and (C) are equivalent.
We prove rst that (A) implies (C) and that takes us into the concepts of Radial Quantization and mode
expansions.
2.1 Radial quantization
Consider a cylinder with coordinates (t, x) such that x (0, L) and t (, +). Dene = t ix. The
cylinder is mapped to the Riemann sphere by the mapping:
z = e
2/L
(40)
Under this mapping, t is situated at the origin and t is situated at innity. Hence we dene:
|
in
= lim
z, z0
(z, z) |0 (41)
|
out
= lim
z, z
(z, z) |0 (42)
Where we assume the existence of a vacuum |0 which is annihilated by a suitable set of operators (to be
claried later).
2.1.1 Hermitian Product
The Hermitian conjugate (in euclidean space where = it) must reverse the sign of and keep x unchanged.
This corresponds to z 1/z

. Hence, on the real surface ( z = z

) we have
[(z, z)]

= z
2h
z
2

h
(1/ z, 1/z) (43)
The prefactors are required so that
out
| equals [|
in
]

as shown below:

out
|
in
= lim
z, z,w, w0

(z, z)

(w, w)

0
_
(44)
= lim z
2h
z
2

h
0 | (1/ z, 1/z)(w, w) | 0 (45)
= lim
,

2h

, )(0, 0)

0
_
(46)
The last expression is well dened precisely due to our choice of the prefactors. Note that we have used the
formula for the 2-pt correlator and this is allowed since the operators sitting inside the vacuum expectation
are correctly radially ordered.
5
2.1.2 Mode Expansion
An operator in the theory having scaling dimensions (h,

h) can be expanded in a mode expansion as follows:

(z, z) =

m,n
z
mh
z
n

m,n
(47)

m,n
=
1
(2i)
2
_
dz z
m+h1
d z z
n+

h1
(z, z) (48)
Simply taking a hermitian conjugate of the above expression, we can see (on the real surface z = z

) that:
(z, z)

m,n
z
mh
z
n

m,n
(49)
=

m,n
z
2h
z
2

m,n
_
1
z
_
mh
_
1
z
_
n

m,n
(50)
The last line of this equation was written using Eq.43.
This now implies that

m,n
=
m,n
. Further for the in and out states to be well dened we must
have m > h and n >

h.
Remark: For notational convenience, in the future, we may drop the antiholomorphic part of many equations
since it is restored in a straightforward manner. However, it exists and must be restored to get a meaningful
equation.
2.1.3 Radial Ordering, Algebra of modes from OPE
Time ordering in the cylinder implies radial ordering in the complex plane.
Let a(z) and b(z) be two elds. Consider:
_
w
dz a(z)b(w) =
_
C1
dz a(z)b(w)
_
C2
dz a(z)b(w) (51)
, where
_
w
represents an integration around a coutour that goes around w and C
1
is a circular contour with
radius |w| + and C
2
is a circular contour with radius |w| . By writing A =
_
dz a(z), we see that
_
w
dz a(z)b(w) = [A, b(w)] (52)
Integrating this over w over a circular contour about the origin, we see that ,
[A, B] =
_
0
dw
_
w
dz a(z)b(w) (53)
Eq.52 and Eq.53 are then used to relate the OPE with algebra of modes.
6
2.1.4 Virasoro Algebra
The stress tensor can be mode-expanded as follows:
T(z) =

n
z
n2
L
n
(54)
L
n
=
1
2i
_
dz z
n+1
T(z) (55)
since it has a holomorphic scaling dimension of 2, (since it is a density). In particular, all densities must
have h +

h = 2.
Hence,
[L
n
, L
m
] =
1
(2i)
2
_
dw w
m+1
_
w
dz z
n+1
_
c
2
(z w)
4
+
2T(w)
(z w)
2
+
T

(w)
z w
_
(56)
=
1
2i
_
dw w
m+1
_
1
12
n(n
2
1)w
n2
+ 2(n + 1)w
n
T(w) +w
n+1
T

(w)
_
(57)
=
1
12
cn(n
2
1) + 2(n + 1)L
m+n
(n +m+ 2)L
m+n
(58)
=
1
12
cn(n
2
1) + (n m)L
n+m
(59)
7