Conformal symmetry

Generators

The Lie algebra of the conformal group has the following representation:

: \begin{align} & M_{\mu\nu} \equiv i(x_\mu\partial_\nu-x_\nu\partial_\mu) ,, \ &P_\mu \equiv-i\partial_\mu ,, \ &D \equiv-ix_\mu\partial^\mu ,, \ &K_\mu \equiv i(x^2\partial_\mu-2x_\mu x_\nu\partial^\nu) ,, \end{align}

where M_{\mu\nu} are the Lorentz generators, P_\mu generates translations, D generates scaling transformations (also known as dilatations or dilations) and K_\mu generates the special conformal transformations.

Commutation relations

The commutation relations are as follows:

: \begin{align} &[D,K_\mu]= -iK_\mu ,, \ &[D,P_\mu]= iP_\mu ,, \ &[K_\mu,P_\nu]=2i (\eta_{\mu\nu}D-M_{\mu\nu}) ,, \ &[K_\mu, M_{\nu\rho}] = i ( \eta_{\mu\nu} K_{\rho} - \eta_{\mu \rho} K_\nu ) ,, \ &[P_\rho,M_{\mu\nu}] = i(\eta_{\rho\mu}P_\nu - \eta_{\rho\nu}P_\mu) ,, \ &[M_{\mu\nu},M_{\rho\sigma}] = i (\eta_{\nu\rho}M_{\mu\sigma} + \eta_{\mu\sigma}M_{\nu\rho} - \eta_{\mu\rho}M_{\nu\sigma} - \eta_{\nu\sigma}M_{\mu\rho}),, \end{align} other commutators vanish. Here \eta_{\mu\nu} is the Minkowski metric tensor.

Additionally, D is a scalar and K_\mu is a covariant vector under the Lorentz transformations.

The special conformal transformations are given by : x^\mu \to \frac{x^\mu-a^\mu x^2}{1 - 2a\cdot x + a^2 x^2} where a^{\mu} is a parameter describing the transformation. This special conformal transformation can also be written as x^\mu \to x'^\mu , where : \frac{{x}'^\mu}{{x'}^2}= \frac{x^\mu}{x^2} - a^\mu, which shows that it consists of an inversion, followed by a translation, followed by a second inversion.

In two-dimensional spacetime, the transformations of the conformal group are the conformal transformations. There are infinitely many of them.

In more than two dimensions, Euclidean conformal transformations map circles to circles, and hyperspheres to hyperspheres with a straight line considered a degenerate circle and a hyperplane a degenerate hypercircle.

In more than two Lorentzian dimensions, conformal transformations map null rays to null rays and light cones to light cones, with a null hyperplane being a degenerate light cone.

Applications

Conformal field theory

Main article: Conformal field theory

In relativistic quantum field theories, the possibility of symmetries is strictly restricted by Coleman–Mandula theorem under physically reasonable assumptions. The largest possible global symmetry group of a non-supersymmetric interacting field theory is a direct product of the conformal group with an internal group.{{Cite journal | article-number = 214011

Second-order phase transitions

Main article: phase transitions

One particular application is to critical phenomena in systems with local interactions. Fluctuations in such systems are conformally invariant at the critical point. That allows for classification of universality classes of phase transitions in terms of conformal field theories.

Conformal invariance is also present in two-dimensional turbulence at high Reynolds number.{{Cite journal

High-energy physics

Many theories studied in high-energy physics admit conformal symmetry due to it typically being implied by local scale invariance. A famous example is d=4, N=4 supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory due its relevance for AdS/CFT correspondence. Also, the worldsheet in string theory is described by a two-dimensional conformal field theory coupled to two-dimensional gravity.

Mathematical proofs of conformal invariance in lattice models

Physicists have found that many lattice models become conformally invariant in the critical limit. However, mathematical proofs of these results have only appeared much later, and only in some cases.

In 2010, the mathematician Stanislav Smirnov was awarded the Fields medal "for the proof of conformal invariance of percolation and the planar Ising model in statistical physics".

In 2020, the mathematician Hugo Duminil-Copin and his collaborators proved that rotational invariance exists at the boundary between phases in many physical systems.

References

Sources

References

1. "gravity - What makes General Relativity conformal variant?".
2. Rehmeyer, Julie. (19 August 2010). "Stanislav Smirnov profile". [[International Congress of Mathematicians]].
3. "Mathematicians Prove Symmetry of Phase Transitions".
4. (2020-12-21). "Rotational invariance in critical planar lattice models".