Physics Commons^™

Calculational Methods In Conformal Field Theory, Thomas Andrew Vandermeulen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

We examine conformal field theories and their gaugings (orbifolds), first on the torus and then on surfaces of higher genus. Specific attention is paid to performing explicit calculations, to which end we introduce a number of specialized formalisms. Namely, the technology of flavored partition functions allows for a general treatment of orbifolds in theories with conserved currents, and Arakelov geometry facilitates the derivation of novel expressions for geometric quantities appearing commonly on higher genus worldsheets. Ultimately, we leverage the resulting expressions in the calculation of correlation functions via degeneration of Riemann surfaces.