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The stress-energy tensor generates translations. One may improve it by adding a divergence without changing the translation charges under suitable boundary conditions, and choose it symmetric in a relativistic theory. If ${\Theta }^{\mu \nu }$ is symmetric and conserved, a spacetime vector field $\omega$ defines the current $j^{\mu }={\Theta }^{\mu \nu }{\omega }_{\nu }$. For a Conformal Killing vector field,Thus a traceless conserved stress-energy tensor produces all the conformal charges. The dilation current is $x_{\nu }{\Theta }^{\mu \nu }$, and the special conformal currents are $(2x_{\lambda }{x}_{\nu }-x^2{\eta }_{\lambda \nu }){\Theta }^{\mu \nu }$. A trace that is merely the divergence of a virial current gives scale invariance; conformal invariance requires the additional improvement that removes the trace. These statements distinguish an actual traceless tensor from a trace discarded without justification.

For a free massless scalar field, the canonical stress-energy tensor has trace $(1-d/2)(\partial \varphi {)}^2$. For $d>1$, the improved stress-energy tensor of a free massless scalar isIts improvement is identically conserved. On $\square \varphi =0$, the identity $\square {\varphi }^2=2(\partial \varphi {)}^2$ shows that its trace vanishes. In $d=2$, no improvement is needed: the canonical stress-energy tensor is already traceless. In Lorentzian null coordinates, conservation and tracelessness imply that its two surviving components depend separately on $x^{+}$ and $x^{-}$. After Euclidean continuation, these become the holomorphic stress-energy tensor $T(z)$ and its antiholomorphic counterpart $\bar{T}(\bar{z})$, withLocal conformal changes are arbitrary holomorphic and antiholomorphic coordinate changes, not just the three global Möbius transformation generators in either sector.

To make the free-field quantum normalization explicit, rescale the field to $\phi =\sqrt{4\pi }\varphi$, so that its plane contraction is $\phi (z,\bar{z})\phi (w,\bar{w})\sim -\log |z-w{|}^2$. Define $J=i\partial \phi$, so $J(z)J(w)\sim (z-w{)}^{-2}$. Normal ordering givesA single Wick contraction shows that $J$ is a weight-one primary operator. The two double contractions in $T(z)T(w)$ produce $\frac{1}{2}(z-w{)}^{-4}$; single contractions, followed by Taylor expansion at $w$, produce $2T(w)/(z-w{)}^2+\partial T(w)/(z-w)$. Thus the operator product expansion isThe same holds independently for $\bar{T}$, with $\bar{c}=1$. The undifferentiated noncompact scalar has a logarithmic contraction and a zero-mode subtlety; its derivative current has the ordinary primary transformation law.

The holomorphic stress-energy tensor implements infinitesimal conformal transformations through contour charges $Q_v=\frac{1}{2\pi i}\oint dzv(z)T(z)$. A primary field $\mathcal{O}$ of weight $h$ obeysFor example the free-field vertex operator $:e^{i\alpha \phi }:$ has holomorphic weight $h={\alpha }^2/2$, as follows by contracting $\partial \phi$ with the exponential twice. In correlators the contour may encircle each insertion, giving the conformal Ward identity $⟨T(z){\prod }_i{\mathcal{O}}_i(z_i)⟩={\sum }_i[h_i/(z-z_i{)}^2+{\partial }_{z_i}/(z-z_i)]⟨{\prod }_i{\mathcal{O}}_i(z_i)⟩$. This also yields the global conformal Ward identities for chiral correlators.

Writing $T(z)={\sum }_n{L}_n{z}^{-n-2}$ and integrating the stress-tensor operator product expansion gives the Virasoro algebraIts central charge is the quantum correction to the classical conformal algebra; the correction vanishes on $L_{-1},L_0,L_1$. Equivalently, in the pullback convention a finite holomorphic change $z\mapsto f(z)$ sends $T$ to $(f^{\prime }{)}^{2}T(f)+\frac{c}{12}\{f,z\}$, where $\{f,z\}=f^{\prime \prime \prime }/f^{\prime }-\frac{3}{2}(f^{\prime \prime }/f^{\prime }{)}^2$ is the Schwarzian derivative. This anomalous term vanishes for Möbius transformations. On a curved background the related trace anomaly is proportional to its curvature; it does not destroy the flat-space conformal symmetry of this massless theory.

The nonzero fixed point of the logistic map is $x_{\ast }=(\mu -1)/\mu$, with multiplier $F^{\prime }(x_{\ast })=2-\mu$. It is stable for $1<\mu <3$, and its multiplier crosses $-1$ at $\mu =3$. To identify the emerging orbit explicitly, factorThe remaining two roots, interchanged by $F$, areThey coincide with $x_{\ast }$ at three and are distinct for $\mu >3$. Their cycle multiplier isIt lies between $-1$ and $1$ for $3<\mu <1+\sqrt{6}$. This establishes the first period-doubling bifurcation and the stable bifurcating two-cycle.

At ${\mu }_2=1+\sqrt{6}$, ${\Lambda }_2=-1$ and $d{\Lambda }_2/d\mu =-2\sqrt{6}\ne 0$. The second flip is nondegenerate: for $H=F^2$ at either cycle point, the cubic flip coefficient is $c=(H^{\prime \prime \prime }/6)+(H^{\prime \prime }/2{)}^2=-\mathcal{S}H/6$ when $H^{\prime }=-1$. Here $\mathcal{S}$ denotes the Schwarzian derivative. Since $\mathcal{S}F=-6/(1-2x{)}^2<0$ and $\mathcal{S}(F^2)=(\mathcal{S}F\circ F)(F^{\prime }{)}^2+\mathcal{S}F$, this coefficient is positive. Locally, after following the fixed point of $H$, its second iterate has the form $H^2(y)-y=2a(\mu -{\mu }_2)y-2c{y}^3+\cdots$, with $a=2\sqrt{6}>0$. Nonzero roots therefore appear with $y^2\sim a(\mu -{\mu }_2)/c$ on the increasing-parameter side. These are a four-cycle of $F$, proving the second period-doubling bifurcation occurs at $\mu =1+\sqrt{6}$.

Write the Schwarzian derivative asThe first prolonged generator is ${\partial }_x$, and $S$ has no explicit dependence on $x$, so ${\mathrm{pr}}^{(3)}{V}_1(S)=0$. Under ${\mathrm{pr}}^{(3)}{V}_2$, each $u_j$ has weight $-j$. Both terms in $S$ therefore have weight $-2$, giving ${\mathrm{pr}}^{(3)}{V}_2(S)=-2S$. Substitution offor $V_3$ gives ${\mathrm{pr}}^{(3)}{V}_3(S)=-4xS$. Therefore the projective transformation weights of the Schwarzian derivative are

For an equation $\Delta =S-f(x)=0$, the Lie point symmetry of an ordinary differential equation criterion is

Transforming the point-split normal ordering changes the subtraction as well as the two derivatives. Expanding $w(z\pm \delta /2)$ to third order giveswhere the Schwarzian derivative isThe inhomogeneous Schwarzian term means that $T$ is not a primary operator. It reflects the central charge $c=1$ of one free scalar.