Bootstrapping the $a$-anomaly in $4d$ QFTs

Abstract

We study gapped 4d quantum field theories (QFTs) obtained from a relevant deformation of a UV conformal field theory (CFT). For simplicity, we assume the existence of a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry and a single $\mathbb{Z}_2$-odd stable particle and no $\mathbb{Z}_2$-even particles at low energies. Using unitarity, crossing and the assumption of maximal analyticity we compute numerically a lower bound on the value of the $a$-anomaly of the UV CFT as a function of various non-perturbative parameters describing the two-to-two scattering amplitude of the particle.