An introduction to 2d conformal field theory

TL;DR

This paper offers a comprehensive introduction to 2d conformal field theory, covering foundational concepts, models, theorems, and their connections to entanglement entropy, suitable for educational purposes.

Contribution

It provides an organized overview of key topics in 2d conformal field theory, integrating recent developments and pedagogical insights.

Findings

Explains free fields and minimal models in 2d CFT

Discusses Zamolodchikov's c-theorem and Wess-Zumino-Witten models

Connects 2d CFT to entanglement entropy

Abstract

These lecture notes provide a comprehensive introduction to 2d conformal field theory, covering foundational topics such as free fields, minimal models, Zamolodchikov's $c$-theorem, Wess-Zumino-Witten models, modular invariant partition functions, and the connections to entanglement entropy. The material presented is based on lectures at the Southeast University Summer School and the course at Fudan University.