Monodromies of CFT correlators on the Lorentzian cylinder
Open Access
- 23 December 2025
- journal article
- Published by Stichting SciPost in SciPost Physics
- Vol. 19 (6)
Abstract
While correlators of a CFT are single valued in Euclidean Space, they are multi-valued - and have a complicated sheet structure - in Lorentzian space. Correlators on R^{1,1} are well known to access a finite number of these sheets. In this paper, we demonstrate the spiral nature of lightcones on $S^1 × $ time, which allows the time-ordered correlators of a CFT_2 on this spacetime - the Lorentzian cylinder - to access an infinite number of sheets of the correlator. We present a complete classification, both of the sheets accessed as well as of the various distinct causal configurations that lie on a particular sheet. Our construction provides a physical interpretation for an infinite number of sheets of the correlator, while, however, leaving a larger infinity of these sheets uninterpreted.
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Funding Information
- Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India (JCB/2019/000052)
- Infosys Foundation
- Israel Science Foundation (2289/18)
- Koshland Foundation
- Simons Foundation (994296)
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