We study the conformal bootstrap for a 4-point function of fermions ψψψψ in 3D. We first introduce an embedding formalism for 3D spinors and compute the conformal blocks appearing in fermion 4-point functions. Using these results, we find general bounds on the dimensions of operators appearing in the ψ × ψ OPE, and also on the central charge C T . We observe features in our bounds that coincide with scaling dimensions in the GrossNeveu models at large N . We also speculate that other features could coincide with a fermionic CFT containing no relevant scalar operators.

We study the conformal bootstrap for 4-point functions of fermions ψ i ψ j ψ k ψ in parity-preserving 3d CFTs, where ψ i transforms as a vector under an O(N ) global symmetry. We compute bounds on scaling dimensions and central charges, finding features in our bounds that appear to coincide with the O(N ) symmetric Gross-Neveu-Yukawa fixed points. Our computations are in perfect agreement with the 1/N expansion at large N and allow us to make nontrivial predictions at small N . For values of N for which the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa universality classes are relevant to condensed-matter systems, we compare our results to previous analytic and numerical results.

We propose an exact quantization of two-dimensional Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity by formulating the JT gravity theory as a 2D gauge theory placed in the presence of a loop defect. The gauge group is a certain central extension of P SL(2, R) by R. We find that the exact partition function of our theory when placed on a Euclidean disk matches precisely the finite temperature partition function of the Schwarzian theory. We show that observables on both sides are also precisely matched: correlation functions of boundaryanchored Wilson lines in the bulk are given by those of bi-local operators in the Schwarzian theory. In the gravitational context, the Wilson lines are shown to be equivalent to the world-lines of massive particles in the metric formulation of JT gravity.

We initiate an approach to constraining conformal field theory (CFT) data at finite temperature using methods inspired by the conformal bootstrap for vacuum correlation functions. We focus on thermal one-and two-point functions of local operators on the plane. The KMS condition for thermal two-point functions is cast as a crossing equation. By studying the analyticity properties of thermal two-point functions, we derive a "thermal inversion formula" whose output is the set of thermal one-point functions for all operators appearing in a given OPE. This involves identifying a kinematic regime which is the analog of the Regge regime for four-point functions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the inversion formula by recovering the spectrum and thermal one-point functions in mean field theory, and computing thermal onepoint functions for all higher-spin currents in the critical O(N ) model at leading order in 1/N . Furthermore, we develop a systematic perturbation theory for thermal data in the large spin, low-twist spectrum of any CFT. We explain how the inversion formula and KMS condition may be combined to algorithmically constrain CFTs at finite temperature. Throughout, we draw analogies to the bootstrap for vacuum four-point functions. Finally, we discuss future directions for the thermal conformal bootstrap program, emphasizing applications to various types of CFTs, including those with holographic duals.

Abstract:We compute the conformal blocks associated with scalar-scalar-fermionfermion 4-point functions in 3D CFTs. Together with the known scalar conformal blocks, our result completes the task of determining the so-called 'seed blocks' in three dimensions. Conformal blocks associated with 4-point functions of operators with arbitrary spins can now be determined from these seed blocks by using known differential operators.