{
  "abstract": "We explore the idea that the mass parameter $m$ can be used as a diagnostic tool for identifying the critical points of thermal two-point functions of massive free scalar fields in odd $d$ dimensions. For general values of $m$ these correlators admit an expansion in thermal conformal blocks associated with symmetric traceless operators of definite scaling dimension. For each spin the higher-twist contributions can be resummed into a closed-form dressing factor of the leading-twist coefficient. At special values of $m$ for which the thermal trace of the energy-momentum tensor vanishes they are identified as two-point functions of thermal CFTs. Through a dimensional uplift, valid for all $m$, we map these correlators to thermal two-point functions of higher-derivative massive theories in $d+2$ dimensions. We show that the thermal trace of the energy-momentum tensor of the $d+2$-dimensional theory is proportional to the free energy of the original $d$-dimensional theory. When that thermal trace vanishes for $m\\neq 0$ the uplifted correlators are identified as two-point functions of a higher-derivative nonunitary thermal CFT$_{d+2}$, but they differ from the uplifted nontrivial thermal two-point functions of the original unitary CFT$_d$.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.08925",
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Songyuan Li"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anastasios C. Petkou"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bxxra6r3mtmnv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.08925",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "bxxra6r3mtmnv",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.08925",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-th"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3106|Black Holes and Theoretical Physics"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221027781",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.08925",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-06",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bxxra6r3mtmnv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:27:37Z",
      "native_id": "2610.08925",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.08925"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:hep-th",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Dimensional uplifts of thermal two-point functions and higher-derivative CFTs",
  "title_text": "Dimensional uplifts of thermal two-point functions and higher-derivative CFTs",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:27:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bxxra6r3mtmnv",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}