A bstract Dispersion relations for S-matrices and CFT correlators translate UV consistency into bounds on IR observables. In this note, we construct dispersive sum rules for 1D CFTs. We use them to prove bounds on higher-derivative couplings in weakly-coupled non-gravitational EFTs in AdS 2 . At the leading order in the bulk-point limit, the bounds agree with the flat-space result. We compute the leading universal effect of finite AdS radius on the bounds. Along the way, we give an explicit formula for anomalous dimensions in general higher-derivative contact Witten diagrams in AdS 2 .
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AdS bulk locality from sharp CFT bounds
A bstract It is a long-standing conjecture that any CFT with a large central charge and a large gap ∆ gap in the spectrum of higher-spin single-trace operators must be dual to a local effective field theory in AdS. We prove a sharp form of this conjecture by deriving numerical bounds on bulk Wilson coefficients in terms of ∆ gap using the conformal bootstrap. Our bounds exhibit the scaling in ∆ gap expected from dimensional analysis in the bulk. Our main tools are dispersive sum rules that provide a dictionary between CFT dispersion relations and S-matrix dispersion relations in appropriate limits. This dictionary allows us to apply recently-developed flat-space methods to construct positive CFT functionals. We show how AdS 4 naturally resolves the infrared divergences present in 4D flat-space bounds. Our results imply the validity of twice-subtracted dispersion relations for any S-matrix arising from the flat-space limit of AdS/CFT.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1915093
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10376824
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of High Energy Physics
- Volume:
- 2021
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 1029-8479
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2021)164
