Bootstrapping Boundaries and Branes
Scott Collier, Dalimil Mazac, Yifan Wang

TL;DR
This paper develops a bootstrap approach to classify and constrain conformal boundary conditions in 2D CFTs, deriving universal bounds and identifying solutions in rational theories, with implications for string theory and quantum gravity.
Contribution
It introduces a systematic bootstrap framework for conformal boundaries in 2D CFTs, revealing strong constraints and solutions, and connecting to sphere packing and gravity.
Findings
Universal bounds on boundary entropy for stable boundary conditions
Unique solutions for stable branes in rational CFTs
Connections between bootstrap constraints and sphere packing problem
Abstract
The study of conformal boundary conditions for two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) has a long history, ranging from the description of impurities in one-dimensional quantum chains to the formulation of D-branes in string theory. Nevertheless, the landscape of conformal boundaries is largely unknown, including in rational CFTs, where the local operator data is completely determined. We initiate a systematic bootstrap study of conformal boundaries in 2d CFTs by investigating the bootstrap equation that arises from the open-closed consistency condition of the annulus partition function with identical boundaries. We find that this deceivingly simple bootstrap equation, when combined with unitarity, leads to surprisingly strong constraints on admissible boundary states. In particular, we derive universal bounds on the tension (boundary entropy) of stable boundary conditions,…
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Taxonomy
TopicsBlack Holes and Theoretical Physics · Cosmology and Gravitation Theories · Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies
