4 Path Integral Techniques in Conformal Field Theory

We present the theory of a two-dimensional conformal scalar field using path integral techniques. We derive the conformal anomaly using an adaptation of the method of Fujikawa, and compare the result with a derivation based on a Pauli-Villars measure, where the anomaly is shifted from the path integral measure to the energy-momentum trace. In the path integral approach the energy-momentum is a true coordinate-invariant tensor quantity, and we explain how it is related to the corresponding non-tensor object arising in the operator approach, obtaining an intuitive explanation within the context of the path integral approach for the anomalous transformation law and anomalous Ward identities of the latter. After carefully calculating nontrivial contact terms arising in certain energy-momentum products, we use these to provide a simple consistency check confirming the change of variables formula for the path integral and to review the relationship between the conformal anomaly and the energy-momentum two-point functions.