Universal constraints on conformal operator dimensions

Abstract

We continue the study of model-independent constraints on the unitary conformal field theories (CFTs) in four dimensions, initiated in. Our main result is an improved upper bound on the dimension Δ of the leading scalar operator appearing in the operator product expansion (OPE) of two identical scalars of dimension d: φ d≠1+O δ+.... In the interval 1<1.7 this universal bound takes the form Δ≤2+0.7(d-1)1/2+2. 1(d-1)+0.43(d-1)3/2. The proof is based on prime principles of CFT: unitarity, crossing symmetry, OPE, and conformal block decomposition. We also discuss possible applications to particle phenomenology and, via a 2D analogue, to string theory. © 2009 The American Physical Society