Bootstrapping string dynamics in the 6d $\mathcal{N} = (2, 0)$ theories

TL;DR

This paper develops analytical bootstrap methods and chiral algebra techniques to compute stress tensor correlators in 6d $ abla(2,0)$ theories with BPS surface defects, revealing new insights into their defect conformal field theory data.

Contribution

It introduces a supersymmetric inversion formula and applies chiral algebra methods to derive exact defect CFT data at any N, advancing understanding of 6d theories with surface defects.

Findings

Computed the first correction to stress tensor 2-point function at large N.

Derived a supersymmetric inversion formula and superconformal blocks.

Obtained exact BPS sector results valid for all N and surface operators.

Abstract

We present two complementary approaches to calculating the 2-point function of stress tensors in the presence of a 1/2 BPS surface defect of the 6d $\mathcal{N} = (2,0)$ theories. First, we use analytical bootstrap techniques at large $N$ to obtain the first nontrivial correction to this correlator, from which we extract the defect CFT (dCFT) data characterising the 2d dCFT of the 1/2 BPS plane. Along the way we derive a supersymmetric inversion formula, obtain the relevant superconformal blocks and check that crossing symmetry is satisfied. Notably our result features a holomorphic function whose appearance is related to the chiral algebra construction of Beem, Rastelli and van Rees. Second, we use that chiral algebra description to obtain exact results for the BPS sector of the dCFT, valid at any $N$ and for any choice of surface operator. These results provide a window into the dynamics of strings of the mysterious 6d theories.