Theory HEP Seminar

A Cardy Formula for Three-Point Coefficients: How the Black Hole Got its Spots

Alex Maloney

McGill

Two dimensional conformal field theories are among the most well-studied quantum field theories. They describe the dynamics of statistical and condensed matter systems near criticality, and possess enough symmetry that they can - in some cases - be solved exactly. We will describe a new constraint on the dynamics of general two dimensional CFTs, generalizing Cardy's formula for the asymptotic density of states. Our asymptotic formula matches a dual AdS computation in a black hole background, providing new evidence that black hole geometries emerge upon course-graining over a suitable family of microstates.