Abstract
I study the two-dimensional defects of the d dimensional critical O(N) model and the defect RG flows between them. By combining the ϵ-expansion around d = 4 and d = 6 as well as large N techniques, I find new conformal defects and examine their behavior across dimensions and at various N. I discuss how some of these fixed points relate to the known ordinary, special and extraordinary transitions in the 3d theory, as well as examine the presence of new symmetry breaking fixed points preserving an O(p) × O(N − p) subgroup of O(N) for N ≤ Nc (with the estimate Nc = 6). I characterise these fixed points by obtaining their conformal anomaly coefficients, their 1-point functions and comment on the calculation of their string potential. These results establish surface operators as a viable approach to the characterisation of interface critical phenomena in the 3d critical O(N) model.
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Acknowledgments
It is a pleasure to thank Nadav Drukker, Zohar Komargodski, Diego Rodriguez-Gomez, Ritam Sihna, Andy Stergiou, Volodia Schaub and Yifan Wang for stimulating discussions. Special thanks go to N. Drukker and A. Stergiou for their helpful guidance, thoughtful comments on the preliminary version of this manuscript and many suggestions. I also want to thank M. Probst and D. Rodriguez-Gomez for sharing their notes on related topics with me.
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Trépanier, M. Surface defects in the O(N) model. J. High Energ. Phys. 2023, 74 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2023)074
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2023)074