AdS-CFT

Toby Wiseman (Imperial College)

BUSSTEPP 2016, Manchester

Problem sheet 1: CFT

1 a). Recall that P acts on a function as P f = i f and generates the

infinitessimal translation x x a by f eia P f . Confirm that the

dilatation transformation,
x x

(1)

has corresponding generator D acting on a function as,

Df (x) = i (x ) f

(2)

1 b). Confirm that for the special conformal transformation in Minkowski,

x

x + b x 2
1 + 2x b + b2 x2

the corresponding generator K has the action on a function,

K f (x) = i x2 2x x f

(3)

(4)

1 c). Confirm the following two commutators hold for the action on functions;
[D, P ]f = iP f ,

[D, K ]f = iK f

(5)

2. Show that in a relativistic QFT the one point function of a scalar field
(x) in vacuum is constant,
h(x)i = c

(6)

and cannot be x dependent.

3. Show that in a CFT the one point function of a primary scalar field (x)
in vacuum must vanish if the field has dimension > 0 (as typically required
by unitarity).
4. Show that two scalar fields 1 (x) and 2 (x) with scale dimensions 1 and
2 respectively have a two point function,
c

h1 (x)2 (y)i =

((x y)2 )

1 +2
2

(7)

5. If instead the fields are both primary, show that the two point function
vanishes unless they have the same scale dimension so, 1 = 2 . Then of
course we recover the usual result,
h1 (x)2 (y)i =

c
|x y|2

where is the common scale dimension.

(8)