Bootstrap Approach to Conformal Field Theories and Applications

Scale invariant theories, i.e. theories which look the same at all distance and energy scales, play an important role in physics. Through Wilson’s renormalization group, scale invariant theories arise naturally in phase transitions. They are also the bread and butter of current thinking about particle physics beyond the Standard Model. These theories usually possess an emergent symmetry, conformal invariance, and are hence referred to as `Conformal Field Theories’ (CFTs). The quest to classify and solve CFTs is a major goal of theoretical physics. Recently, this quest has received a strong boost with the development of the ‘conformal bootstrap’ technique. This workshop will bring together two groups of researchers: theorists working on the conformal bootstrap and on formal aspects of CFTs, and condensed-matter and statistical theoretical physicists working on the concrete examples of systems exhibiting phase transitions described by CFTs. The goal will be to inform about the most important theoretical and practical developments in the conformal bootstrap, and about the most urgent questions relevant for condensed matter and statistical physics which can be addressed using conformal bootstrap.

OIST is deeply committed to the advancement of women in science, in Japan and worldwide. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.