Timelike boundary Liouville theory

Abstract

The timelike boundary Liouville (TBL) conformal field theory consisting of a negative norm boson with an exponential boundary interaction is considered. TBL theory and its close cousin, a positive norm boson with a non-Hermitian boundary interaction, arise in the description of the c=1 accumulation point of c<1 minimal models, as the worldsheet description of open string tachyon condensation in string theory and in scaling limits of superconductors with line defects. Bulk correlators are shown to be exactly soluble. In contrast, due to OPE singularities near the boundary interaction, the computation of boundary correlators is a challenging problem which we address but do not fully solve. Analytic continuation from the known correlators of spatial boundary Liouville to TBL theory encounters an infinite accumulation of poles and zeros. A particular contour prescription is proposed which cancels the poles against the zeros in the boundary correlator d(omega) of two operators of weight omega(2) and yields a finite result. A general relation is proposed between two-point CFT correlators and stringy Bogolubov coefficients, according to which the magnitude of d(omega) determines the rate of open string pair creation during tachyon condensation. The rate so obtained agrees at large omega with a minisuperspace analysis of previous work. It is suggested that the mathematical ambiguity arising in the prescription for analytic continuation of the correlators corresponds to the physical ambiguity in the choice of open string modes and vacua in a time dependent background.