A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition function

Abstract We prove the conjecture proposed by Hartman, Keller and Stoica (HKS) [1]: the grand-canonical free energy of a unitary 2D CFT with a sparse spectrum below the scaling dimension c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ + ϵ and below the twist c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ is universal in the large c limit for all...

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Main Authors: Indranil Dey, Sridip Pal, Jiaxin Qiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of High Energy Physics
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2025)163
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author Indranil Dey
Sridip Pal
Jiaxin Qiao
author_facet Indranil Dey
Sridip Pal
Jiaxin Qiao
author_sort Indranil Dey
collection DOAJ
description Abstract We prove the conjecture proposed by Hartman, Keller and Stoica (HKS) [1]: the grand-canonical free energy of a unitary 2D CFT with a sparse spectrum below the scaling dimension c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ + ϵ and below the twist c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ is universal in the large c limit for all β L β R ≠ 4π 2. The technique of the proof allows us to derive a one-parameter (with parameter α ∈ (0, 1]) family of universal inequalities on the unitary 2D CFT partition function with general central charge c ⩾ 0, using analytical modular bootstrap. We derive an iterative equation for the domain of validity of the inequality on the (β L , β R ) plane. The infinite iteration of this equation gives the boundary of maximal-validity domain, which depends on the parameter α in the inequality. In the c → ∞ limit, with the additional assumption of a sparse spectrum below the scaling dimension c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ + ϵ and the twist αc 12 $$ \frac{\alpha c}{12} $$ (with α ∈ (0, 1] fixed), our inequality shows that the grand-canonical free energy exhibits a universal large c behavior in the maximal-validity domain. This domain, however, does not cover the entire (β L , β R ) plane, except in the case of α = 1. For α = 1, this proves the conjecture proposed by HKS [1], and for α < 1, it quantifies how sparseness in twist affects the regime of universality. Furthermore, this implies a precise lower bound on the temperature of near-extremal BTZ black holes, above which we can trust the black hole thermodynamics.
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spelling doaj-art-2a8e4c6ce78549cbb50d7c0310311d762025-08-20T04:01:42ZengSpringerOpenJournal of High Energy Physics1029-84792025-07-012025714310.1007/JHEP07(2025)163A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition functionIndranil Dey0Sridip Pal1Jiaxin Qiao2Department of Theoretical Physics, Tata Institute of Fundamental ResearchWalter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics, California Institute of TechnologyLaboratory for Theoretical Fundamental Physics, Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneAbstract We prove the conjecture proposed by Hartman, Keller and Stoica (HKS) [1]: the grand-canonical free energy of a unitary 2D CFT with a sparse spectrum below the scaling dimension c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ + ϵ and below the twist c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ is universal in the large c limit for all β L β R ≠ 4π 2. The technique of the proof allows us to derive a one-parameter (with parameter α ∈ (0, 1]) family of universal inequalities on the unitary 2D CFT partition function with general central charge c ⩾ 0, using analytical modular bootstrap. We derive an iterative equation for the domain of validity of the inequality on the (β L , β R ) plane. The infinite iteration of this equation gives the boundary of maximal-validity domain, which depends on the parameter α in the inequality. In the c → ∞ limit, with the additional assumption of a sparse spectrum below the scaling dimension c 12 $$ \frac{c}{12} $$ + ϵ and the twist αc 12 $$ \frac{\alpha c}{12} $$ (with α ∈ (0, 1] fixed), our inequality shows that the grand-canonical free energy exhibits a universal large c behavior in the maximal-validity domain. This domain, however, does not cover the entire (β L , β R ) plane, except in the case of α = 1. For α = 1, this proves the conjecture proposed by HKS [1], and for α < 1, it quantifies how sparseness in twist affects the regime of universality. Furthermore, this implies a precise lower bound on the temperature of near-extremal BTZ black holes, above which we can trust the black hole thermodynamics.https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2025)163Conformal and W SymmetryField Theories in Lower DimensionsAdS-CFT CorrespondenceBlack Holes
spellingShingle Indranil Dey
Sridip Pal
Jiaxin Qiao
A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition function
Journal of High Energy Physics
Conformal and W Symmetry
Field Theories in Lower Dimensions
AdS-CFT Correspondence
Black Holes
title A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition function
title_full A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition function
title_fullStr A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition function
title_full_unstemmed A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition function
title_short A universal inequality on the unitary 2D CFT partition function
title_sort universal inequality on the unitary 2d cft partition function
topic Conformal and W Symmetry
Field Theories in Lower Dimensions
AdS-CFT Correspondence
Black Holes
url https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2025)163
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