Perturbed Defects and T-Systems in Conformal Field Theory

Defect lines in conformal field theory can be perturbed by chiral defect fields. If the unperturbed defects satisfy su(2)-type fusion rules, the operators associated to the perturbed defects are shown to obey functional relations known from the study of integrable models as T-systems. The procedure is illustrated for Virasoro minimal models and for Liouville theory.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures; v2: typos corrected, in particular in (2.10) and app. A.2, version to appear in J.Phys.

Influence of damping on the excitation of the double giant resonance

We study the effect of the spreading widths on the excitation probabilities of the double giant dipole resonance. We solve the coupled-channels equations for the excitation of the giant dipole resonance and the double giant dipole resonance. Taking Pb+Pb collisions as example, we study the resulting effect on the excitation amplitudes, and cross sections as a function of the width of the states and of the bombarding energy.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, corrected typo

Topological defects for the free boson CFT

Two different conformal field theories can be joined together along a defect line. We study such defects for the case where the conformal field theories on either side are single free bosons compactified on a circle. We concentrate on topological defects for which the left- and right-moving Virasoro algebras are separately preserved, but not necessarily any additional symmetries. For the case where both radii are rational multiples of the self-dual radius we classify these topological defects. We also show that the isomorphism between two T-dual free boson conformal field theories can be described by the action of a topological defect, and hence that T-duality can be understood as a special type of order-disorder duality.Comment: 43 pages, 4 figure

On the crossing relation in the presence of defects

The OPE of local operators in the presence of defect lines is considered both in the rational CFT and the $c>25$ Virasoro (Liouville) theory. The duality transformation of the 4-point function with inserted defect operators is explicitly computed. The two channels of the correlator reproduce the expectation values of the Wilson and 't Hooft operators, recently discussed in Liouville theory in relation to the AGT conjecture.Comment: TEX file with harvmac; v3: JHEP versio

From boundary to bulk in logarithmic CFT

The analogue of the charge-conjugation modular invariant for rational logarithmic conformal field theories is constructed. This is done by reconstructing the bulk spectrum from a simple boundary condition (the analogue of the Cardy `identity brane'). We apply the general method to the c_1,p triplet models and reproduce the previously known bulk theory for p=2 at c=-2. For general p we verify that the resulting partition functions are modular invariant. We also construct the complete set of 2p boundary states, and confirm that the identity brane from which we started indeed exists. As a by-product we obtain a logarithmic version of the Verlinde formula for the c_1,p triplet models.Comment: 35 pages, 2 figures; v2: minor corrections, version to appear in J.Phys.

Height variables in the Abelian sandpile model: scaling fields and correlations

We compute the lattice 1-site probabilities, on the upper half-plane, of the four height variables in the two-dimensional Abelian sandpile model. We find their exact scaling form when the insertion point is far from the boundary, and when the boundary is either open or closed. Comparing with the predictions of a logarithmic conformal theory with central charge c=-2, we find a full compatibility with the following field assignments: the heights 2, 3 and 4 behave like (an unusual realization of) the logarithmic partner of a primary field with scaling dimension 2, the primary field itself being associated with the height 1 variable. Finite size corrections are also computed and successfully compared with numerical simulations. Relying on these field assignments, we formulate a conjecture for the scaling form of the lattice 2-point correlations of the height variables on the plane, which remain as yet unknown. The way conformal invariance is realized in this system points to a local field theory with c=-2 which is different from the triplet theory.Comment: 68 pages, 17 figures; v2: published version (minor corrections, one comment added

Rigidity and defect actions in Landau-Ginzburg models

Studying two-dimensional field theories in the presence of defect lines naturally gives rise to monoidal categories: their objects are the different (topological) defect conditions, their morphisms are junction fields, and their tensor product describes the fusion of defects. These categories should be equipped with a duality operation corresponding to reversing the orientation of the defect line, providing a rigid and pivotal structure. We make this structure explicit in topological Landau-Ginzburg models with potential x^d, where defects are described by matrix factorisations of x^d-y^d. The duality allows to compute an action of defects on bulk fields, which we compare to the corresponding N=2 conformal field theories. We find that the two actions differ by phases.Comment: 53 pages; v2: clarified exposition of pivotal structures, corrected proof of theorem 2.13, added remark 3.9; version to appear in CM

Twisted boundary states in c=1 coset conformal field theories

We study the mutual consistency of twisted boundary conditions in the coset conformal field theory G/H. We calculate the overlap of the twisted boundary states of G/H with the untwisted ones, and show that the twisted boundary states are consistently defined in the diagonal modular invariant. The overlap of the twisted boundary states is expressed by the branching functions of a twisted affine Lie algebra. As a check of our argument, we study the diagonal coset theory so(2n)_1 \oplus so(2n)_1/so(2n)_2, which is equivalent with the orbifold S^1/\Z_2. We construct the boundary states twisted by the automorphisms of the unextended Dynkin diagram of so(2n), and show their mutual consistency by identifying their counterpart in the orbifold. For the triality of so(8), the twisted states of the coset theory correspond to neither the Neumann nor the Dirichlet boundary states of the orbifold and yield the conformal boundary states that preserve only the Virasoro algebra.Comment: 44 pages, 1 figure; (v2) minor change in section 2.3, references adde

Matrix model eigenvalue integrals and twist fields in the su(2)-WZW model

We propose a formula for the eigenvalue integral of the hermitian one matrix model with infinite well potential in terms of dressed twist fields of the su(2) level one WZW model. The expression holds for arbitrary matrix size n, and provides a suggestive interpretation for the monodromy properties of the matrix model correlators at finite n, as well as in the 1/n-expansion.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures; v2: typos corrected, reference added, version to be published in JHE

The fusion algebra of bimodule categories

We establish an algebra-isomorphism between the complexified Grothendieck ring F of certain bimodule categories over a modular tensor category and the endomorphism algebra of appropriate morphism spaces of those bimodule categories. This provides a purely categorical proof of a conjecture by Ostrik concerning the structure of F. As a by-product we obtain a concrete expression for the structure constants of the Grothendieck ring of the bimodule category in terms of endomorphisms of the tensor unit of the underlying modular tensor category.Comment: 16 page