How negative can null energy be in large N CFTs?

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 10-2025
Journal SciPost Physics
Article number 087
Volume | Issue number 19 | 4
Number of pages 45
Organisations
  • Faculty of Science (FNWI) - Institute of Physics (IoP) - Institute for Theoretical Physics Amsterdam (ITFA)
Abstract

Smeared null energy has been shown to be bounded from below for free minimally coupled quantum field theories. This is not the case for conformally coupled free bosonic theories where states of unbounded null energy can be constructed by increasing the particle number. Little is known for interacting conformal field theories (CFTs) in dimensions larger than two. In this work we consider states that are superpositions of scalar primary operators or the stress-energy tensor itself in large N CFTs. Within the large N approximation we present arguments that the negative smeared null energy of such states scales at worst as the central charge of the theory, CT . This provides evidence for a general bound for CFTs in d-dimensions proportional to the central charge.

Document type Article
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.21468/SciPostPhys.19.4.087
Other links https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105019520409
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SciPostPhys_19_4_087 (Final published version)
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