Defect conformal blocks from Appell functions

Abstract

Abstract We develop a group theoretical formalism to study correlation functions in defect conformal field theory, with multiple insertions of bulk and defect fields. This formalism is applied to construct the defect conformal blocks for three-point functions of scalar fields. Starting from a configuration with one bulk and one defect field, for which the correlation function is determined by conformal symmetry, we explore two possibilities, adding either one additional defect or bulk field. In both cases it is possible to express the blocks in terms of classical hypergeometric functions, though the case of two bulk and one defect field requires Appell’s function F4.