Constraint on Defect and Boundary Renormalization Group Flows

A conformal field theory (CFT) in dimension d≥3 coupled to a planar, two-dimensional, conformal defect is characterized in part by a "central charge" b that multiplies the Euler density in the defect's Weyl anomaly. For defect renormalization group flows, under which the bulk remains critical, we use reflection positivity to show that b must decrease or remain constant from the ultraviolet to the infrared. Our result applies also to a CFT in d=3 flat space with a planar boundary.