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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Conformal dispersion relation for mixed correlators

Dean Carmi1,*, Javier Moreno2,3,†, and Shimon Sukholuski1,‡

  • *Contact author: deancarmi1@gmail.com
  • †Contact author: fjaviermoreno@udec.cl
  • ‡Contact author: ssm@technion.ac.il

Phys. Rev. D 112, L101701 – Published 7 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/s5sx-9yjz

Abstract

Dispersion relations are nonperturbative formulas that relate the ultraviolet and infrared behavior of an observable with wide-ranging applications applications in linear response theory, quantum field theory scattering amplitudes, and conformal correlators. We derive a position-space dispersion relation for scalar four-point mixed correlation functions in an arbitrary conformal field theory. This formula expresses the correlator in terms of its integrated double-discontinuity times a kinematic kernel. The kernel is analytically computed, and expressed in a remarkably simple form as a two-variable Appell function. The dispersion kernel is found by solving a coupled partial differential equation that the kernel obeys. Numerical checks of the dispersion relation are successfully performed for generalized free field correlators. Finally, we show that our position-space dispersion relation is equivalent to a Cauchy-type dispersion relation of the Mellin amplitude of the correlator.

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References (49)

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  31. We define the first-order differential operators D2≡zw/(z−w)[(1−w)∂w−(1−z)∂z]+(z↔z¯)−1, D4≡zz¯(w−w¯)/[(z−z¯)ww¯](zw[(1−w)∂w−(1−z)∂z)/(z−w)+(z↔z¯)], and the second-order one Dρz≡ρz2∂ρz2+2ρz2(2a+2b+ρz)∂ρz/(ρz2−1)−4abρz/(ρz+1)2.

  32. This is because we have D(z,z¯,w,w¯)(24)[zz¯ww¯]=D(w¯,z¯,w,z)(24)[zz¯ww¯]=0 as well as D(z,z¯,w,w¯)(24)[f(x,y)]=D(w¯,z¯,w,z)(24)[f(x,y)]=−f(x,y), where f(x,y) is any function of variables x and y in (13) and (14).

  33. See Supplemental Material at http://link.aps.org/supplemental/10.1103/s5sx-9yjz for details on (i) the Appell functions, (ii) their role in the partial differential equations for the bulk kernel, (iii) numerical checks of the dispersion relation for generalized free fields, and (iv) the collinear limit of the dispersion kernel.
  34. Here S˜(a,b)=S˜a(a,b)+S˜−a(a,b)+S˜b(b,a)+S˜−b(b,a).

  35. In terms of the variables (w,w¯,z,z¯) or (U′,V′,U,V), we have, ξ≡12(1+y−s2)=12(1+VV′+U(1−V′)+U′(1−V)2UU′),ηξ+η−ξη=21+y+s2=21+q12(32)η≡12y(1+y−s2)=12VV′(1+VV′+U(1−V′)+U′(1−V)2UU′),ξξ+η−ξη=2y1+y+s2=21+p2−1(33)where U′≡ww¯, V′≡(1−w)(1−w¯), U≡zz¯, V≡(1−z)(1−z¯), and s≡ww¯zz¯(w−1+w¯−1+z−1+z¯−1−2), and y=(1−z)(1−z¯)(1−w)(1−w¯).

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  39. Note that from (20) one can get all four terms that go into (9), using S˜−a(a,b)=S˜a(−a,−b).

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  49. For the case of identical operators, such results were obtained in [25, 27].

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