Constraints on Conformal Field Theories in Diverse Dimensions from the Bootstrap Mechanism

Abstract

Recently an efficient numerical method has been developed to implement the constraints of crossing symmetry and unitarity on the operator dimensions and operator product expansion coefficients of conformal field theories in diverse space-time dimensions. It appears that the calculations can be done only for theories lying at the boundary of the allowed parameter space. Here it is pointed out that a similar method can be applied to a larger class of conformal field theories, whether unitary or not, and no free parameter remains, provided we know the fusion algebra of the low lying primary operators. As an example we calculate using first principles, with no phenomenological input, the lowest scaling dimensions of the local operators associated with the Yang-Lee edge singularity in three and four space dimensions. The edge exponents compare favorably with the latest numerical estimates. A consistency check of this approach on the 3D critical Ising model is also made.