nLab
conformal block

Idea

In a conformal field theory the conditions on correlators can be divided into two steps

1. for a fixed cobordism the correlators need to depend in a certain way on the choice of conformal structure, they need to satisfy the Ward identities (e.g. Gawedzki 99, around p. 30);

2. the correlators need to glue correctly underly composition of cobordisms.

The spaces of functionals that satisfy the first of these conditions are called conformal blocks . The second condition is called the sewing constraint on conformal blocks.

So conformal blocks are something like “precorrelators” or “potential correlators” of a CFT.

The assignment of spaces of conformal blocks to surfaces and their isomorphisms under diffeomorphisms of these surfaces together constitutes the modular functor. Under CS/WZW holography this is essentially the data also given by the Hitchin connection, see at quantization of 3d Chern-Simons theory for more on this.

From a point of view closer to number theory and geometric Langlands correspondence elements of conformal blocks are naturally thought of (Beauville-Laszlo 93) as generalized theta functions (see there for more).

Properties

Holographic correspondence

The conformal blocks at least of the WZW model are by a holographic correspondence given by the space of quantum states of 3d Chern-Simons theory. See at AdS3-CFT2 and CS-WZW correspondence.

Relation to equivariant elliptic cohomology

For the $G$-WZW model the assignment of spaces of conformal blocks, hence by the above equivalently modular functor for $G$-Chern-Simons theory restricted to genus-1 surfaces (elliptic curves) is essentially what is encoded in the universal $G$-equivariant elliptic cohomology (equivariant tmf). In fact equivariant elliptic cohomology remembers also the pre-quantum incarnation of the modular functor as a systems of prequantum line bundles over Chern-Simons phase spaces (which are moduli stacks of flat connections) and remembers the quantization-process from there to the actual space of quantum states by forming holomorphic sections. See at equivariant elliptic cohomology – Idea – Interpretation in Quantum field theory for more on this.

Related concepts

• FFRS-formalism

holographic principle in quantum field theory

bulk field theory	boundary field theory
dimension $n+1$	dimension $n$
field	source
wave function	correlation function
space of quantum states	conformal blocks

References

For 2d CFT

A review is around p. 30 of

• Krzysztof Gawędzki, Conformal field theory: a case study (arXiv:hep-th/9904145)

On the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov connection on configuration spaces of point? and conformal blocks:

• Toshitake Kohno, Local Systems on Configuration Spaces, KZ Connections and Conformal Blocks, Acta Math Vietnam 39, 575–598 (2014) (doI;10.1007/s40306-014-0088-6, pdf)

Detailed discussion in terms of conformal nets is in

• Arthur Bartels, Christopher Douglas, André Henriques, Conformal nets II: conformal blocks (arXiv:1409.8672)

See also

• A. Tsuchiya, Kenji Ueno, Y. Yamada, Conformal field theory on universal family of stable curves with gauge symmetries, Adv. Studies in Pure Math. 19, 459–566, Academic Press (1989) MR92a:81191

• Kenji Ueno, Conformal field theory with gauge symmetry, Fields Institute Monographs 2008 book page

Relation to theta functions

Relation to theta functions:

• Arnaud Beauville, Yves Laszlo, Conformal blocks and generalized theta functions, Comm. Math. Phys. 164 (1994), 385 - 419, euclid, alg-geom/9309003, MR1289330

• Arnaud Beauville, Conformal blocks, fusion rings and the Verlinde formula, Proc. of the Hirzebruch 65 Conf. on Algebraic Geometry, Israel Math. Conf. Proc. 9, 75-96 (1996) pdf

• Krzysztof Gawędzki, Lectures on CFT (from Park City, published in QFT and strings for mathematicians, Dijkgraaf at al editors, site, source, dvi, ps

• A.A. Beilinson, Yu.I. Manin, V.V. Schechtman, Sheaves of Virasoro and Neveu-Schwarz algebras, Lecture Notes in Math. 1289, Springer 1987, 52–66

• A.Mironov, A.Morozov, Sh.Shakirov, Conformal blocks as Dotsenko-Fateev integral discriminants, arxiv/1001.0563

Braid representations via twisted cohomology of configuration spaces

The “hypergeometric” construction of conformal blocks for affine Lie algebra/WZW model-2d CFTs and of more general solutions to the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation, via twisted de Rham cohomology of configuration spaces of points, originates with:

• Vadim Schechtman, Alexander Varchenko, Integral representations of N-point conformal correlators in the WZW model, Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik, (1989) Preprint MPI/89- $[$cds:1044951$]$

• Vadim Schechtman, Alexander Varchenko, Hypergeometric solutions of Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations, Lett. Math. Phys. 20 (1990) 279–283 $[$doi:10.1007/BF00626523$]$

• Vadim Schechtman, Alexander Varchenko, Arrangements of hyperplanes and Lie algebra homology, Inventiones mathematicae 106 1 (1991) 139-194 $[$dml:143938, pdf$]$

following precursor observations due to:

• Vladimir S. Dotsenko, Vladimir A. Fateev, Conformal algebra and multipoint correlation functions in 2D statistical models, Nuclear Physics B 240 3 (1984) 312-348 $[$doi:10.1016/0550-3213(84)90269-4$]$

• Philippe Christe, Rainald Flume, The four-point correlations of all primary operators of the $d = 2$ conformally invariant $SU(2)$ $\sigma$-model with Wess-Zumino term, Nuclear Physics B 282 (1987) 466-494 $[$doi:10.1016/0550-3213(87)90693-6$]$

The proof that for rational levels this construction indeed yields conformal blocks is due to:

• Boris Feigin, Vadim Schechtman, Alexander Varchenko, On algebraic equations satisfied by correlators in Wess-Zumino-Witten models, Lett Math Phys 20 (1990) 291–297 $[$doi:10.1007/BF00626525$]$

• Boris Feigin, Vadim Schechtman, Alexander Varchenko, On algebraic equations satisfied by hypergeometric correlators in WZW models. I, Commun. Math. Phys. 163 (1994) 173–184 $[$doi:10.1007/BF02101739$]$

  (for $\mathfrak{sl}(2)$)

• Boris Feigin, Vadim Schechtman, Alexander Varchenko, On algebraic equations satisfied by hypergeometric correlators in WZW models. II, Comm. Math. Phys. 170 1 (1995) 219-247 $[$euclid:cmp/1104272957$]$

Review:

• Alexander Varchenko, Multidimensional Hypergeometric Functions and Representation Theory of Lie Algebras and Quantum Groups, Advanced Series in Mathematical Physics 21, World Scientific 1995 (doi:10.1142/2467)

• Pavel Etingof, Igor Frenkel, Alexander Kirillov, Lecture 7 in: Lectures on Representation Theory and Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov Equations, Mathematical surveys and monographs 58, American Mathematical Society (1998) $[$ISBN:978-1-4704-1285-2, review pdf$]$

• Toshitake Kohno, Local Systems on Configuration Spaces, KZ Connections and Conformal Blocks, Acta Math Vietnam 39, 575–598 (2014). (doi:10.1007%2Fs40306-014-0088-6, pdf)

• Toshitake Kohno, Homological representations of braid groups and KZ connections, Journal of Singularities 5 (2012) 94-108 (doi:10.5427/jsing.2012.5g, pdf)

See also:

• Edward Frenkel, David Ben-Zvi, Section 14.3 in: Vertex Algebras and Algebraic Curves, Mathematical Surveys and Monographs

  88, AMS 2004 (ISBN:978-1-4704-1315-6, web)

This “hypergeometric” construction uses results on the twisted de Rham cohomology of configuration spaces of points due to:

• Peter Orlik, Louis Solomon, Combinatorics and topology of complements of hyperplanes, Invent Math 56 (1980) 167–189 $[$doi:10.1007/BF01392549$]$

• Kazuhiko Aomoto, Gauss-Manin connection of integral of difference products, J. Math. Soc. Japan 39 2 (1987) 191-208 $[$doi:10.2969/jmsj/03920191$]$

• Hélène Esnault, Vadim Schechtman, Eckart Viehweg, Cohomology of local systems on the complement of hyperplanes, Inventiones mathematicae 109.1 (1992) 557-561 $[$pdf$]$

• Vadim Schechtman, H. Terao, Alexander Varchenko, Local systems over complements of hyperplanes and the Kac-Kazhdan conditions for singular vectors, Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra 100 1–3 (1995) 93-102 $[$arXiv:hep-th/9411083, doi:10.1016/0022-4049(95)00014-N$]$

reviewed in:

• Yukihito Kawahara, The twisted de Rham cohomology for basic constructionsof hyperplane arrangements and its applications, Hokkaido Math. J. 34 2 (2005) 489-505 $[$doi:10.14492/hokmj/1285766233$]$

Interpretation of the hypergeometric construction as happening in twisted equivariant differential K-theory, showing that the K-theory classification of D-brane charge and the K-theory classification of topological phases of matter both reflect braid group representations as expected for defect branes and for anyons/topological order, respectively:

• Hisham Sati, Urs Schreiber, Anyonic defect branes in TED-K-theory $[$arXiv:2203.11838$]$

For higher dimensional CFT

Conformal blocks for self-dual higher gauge theory are discussed in

• Kiyonori Gomi, An analogue of the space of conformal blocks in $(4k+2)$-dimensions (pdf)