Aspects of the zero $Λ$ limit in the AdS/CFT correspondence

TL;DR

This work investigates the zero-Λ limit of the AdS/CFT correspondence by focusing on the bulk metric and a non-backreacting scalar, using Gaussian null coordinates to analyze near-boundary asymptotics and holographic renormalization. It shows that the limit is well-defined only for a restricted subspace of bulk solutions and requires finite counterterms that partially break diffeomorphism invariance, with the 3D case yielding a Weyl anomaly tied to the BMS3 central charge c = 3. The study demonstrates a consistent mapping between bulk charges (e.g., BTZ, Kerr) and boundary energy-momentum data in the Λ → 0 limit and derives the renormalized two-point functions of scalar operators, noting scheme-dependent contributions in higher dimensions and potential contact terms from anomalous counterterms. These results offer a pathway toward a holographic formulation of asymptotically flat spacetimes and contribute to the understanding of how flat-space physics emerges from the AdS/CFT framework.

Abstract

We examine the correspondence between QFT observables and bulk solutions in the context of AdS/CFT in the limit as the cosmological constant $Λ\to 0$. We focus specifically on the spacetime metric and a non-backreacting scalar in the bulk, compute the one-point functions of the dual operators and determine the necessary conditions for the correspondence to admit a well-behaved zero $Λ$ limit. We discuss holographic renormalization in this limit and find that it requires schemes that partially break diffeomorphism invariance of the bulk theory. In the specific case of three bulk dimensions, we compute the zero $Λ$ limit of the holographic Weyl anomaly and reproduce the central charge that arises in the central extension of $\mathfrak{bms}_{3}$. We compute holographically the energy and momentum of those QFT states dual to flat cosmological solutions and to the Kerr solution and find an agreement with the bulk theory. We also compute holographically the renormalized 2-point function of a scalar operator in the zero $Λ$ limit and find it to be consistent with that of a conformal operator in two dimensions less. Finally, our results can be used in a new definition of asymptotic Ricci-flatness at null infinity based on the zero $Λ$ limit of asymptotically Einstein manifolds.