Weizmann Lectures on the Numerical Conformal Bootstrap

Abstract

These lectures were given at the Weizmann Institute in the spring of 2019. They are intended to familiarize students with the nuts and bolts of the numerical bootstrap as efficiently as possible. After a brief review of the basics of conformal field theory in $d>2$ spacetime dimensions, we discuss how to compute conformal blocks, formulate the crossing equations as a semi-definite programming problem, solve this problem using SDPB on a personal computer, and interpret the results. We include worked examples for all steps, including bounds for 3d CFTs with $\mathbb{Z}_2$ or $O(N)$ global symmetries. Each lecture includes a problem set, which culminate in a precise computation of the 3d Ising model critical exponents using the mixed correlator $\mathbb{Z}_2$ bootstrap. A Mathematica file is included that transforms crossing equations into the proper input form for SDPB.