Bootstrapping mixed correlators in $\mathcal{N}=4$ Super Yang-Mills

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical bootstrap methods to analyze mixed correlators in $ abla=4$ Super Yang-Mills, revealing new bounds and tensions with supergravity predictions at finite N, and suggesting a richer operator spectrum.

Contribution

It introduces a mixed correlator bootstrap approach for $ abla=4$ SYM, providing new bounds on operator dimensions and OPE coefficients, and highlighting discrepancies with large N supergravity.

Findings

Identifies tension between finite N results and supergravity predictions at N~100.

Provides bounds on operator dimensions previously inaccessible with single correlator analyses.

Suggests existence of a second tower of states with smaller dimension at large but finite N.

Abstract

We perform a numerical bootstrap study of the mixed correlator system containing the half-BPS operators of dimension two and three in $\mathcal N = 4$ Super Yang-Mills. This setup improves on previous works in the literature that only considered single correlators of one or the other operator. We obtain upper bounds on the leading twist in a given representation of the R-symmetry by imposing gaps on the twist of all operators rather than the dimension of a single one. As a result we find a tension between the large $N$ supergravity predictions and the numerical finite $N$ results already at $N\sim 100$. A few possible solutions are discussed: the extremal spectrum suggests that at large but finite $N$, in addition to the double trace operators, there exists a second tower of states with smaller dimension. We also obtain new bounds on the dimension of operators which were not accessible with a single correlator setup. Finally we consider bounds on the OPE coefficients of various operators. The results obtained for the OPE coefficient of the lightest scalar singlet show evidences of a two dimensional conformal manifold.