Approximate Symmetries in $d=4$ CFTs with an Einstein Gravity Dual

Abstract

By applying the stress-tensor-scalar operator product expansion (OPE) twice, we search for algebraic structures in $d=4$ conformal field theories (CFTs) with a pure Einstein gravity dual. We find that a rescaled mode operator defined by an integral of the stress tensor $T^{++}$ on a $d=2$ plane satisfies a Virasoro-like algebra when the dimension of the scalar is large. The structure is enhanced to include a Kac-Moody-type algebra if we incorporate the $T^{--}$ component. In our scheme, the central terms are finite. It remains challenging to directly compute the stress-tensor sector of $d=4$ scalar four-point functions at large central charge, which, based on holography and bootstrap methods, were recently shown to have a Virasoro/${\cal W}$-algebra vacuum block-like structure.