Exact Renormalization Group Approach Research Articles

Properties of a proposed background independent exact renormalization group

We explore the properties of a recently proposed background independent exact renormalization group approach to gauge theories and gravity. In the process we also develop the machinery needed to study it rigorously. The proposal comes with some advantages. It preserves gauge invariance manifestly, avoids introducing unphysical fields, such as ghosts and Pauli-Villars fields, and does not require gauge-fixing. However, we show that in the simple case of $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills it does not completely regularize the longitudinal part of vertex functions already at one loop, invalidating certain methods for extracting universal components. Moreover, we demonstrate a kind of no-go theorem: within the proposed structure, whatever choice is made for covariantization and cutoff profiles, the two-point vertex flow equation at one loop cannot be both transverse, as required by gauge invariance, and fully regularized.

Hybrid exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group approach to the thermodynamics of one-dimensional quantum models

Exact diagonalization of small model systems gives the thermodynamics of spin chains or quantum cell models at high temperatures $T$. Density matrix renormalization group calculations of progressively larger systems are used to obtain excitations up to a cutoff ${W}_{C}$ and the low-$T$ thermodynamics. The hybrid approach is applied to the magnetic susceptibility $\ensuremath{\chi}(T)$ and specific heat $C(T)$ of spin-$1/2$ chains with isotropic exchange such as the linear Heisenberg antiferromagnet and the frustrated ${J}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{J}_{2}$ model with ferromagnetic ${J}_{1}l0$ and antiferromagnetic ${J}_{2}g0$. The hybrid approach is fully validated by comparison with Heisenberg antiferromagnet results. It extends ${J}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{J}_{2}$ thermodynamics down to $T\ensuremath{\sim}0.01|{J}_{1}|$ for ${J}_{2}/|{J}_{1}|\ensuremath{\ge}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{c}=1/4$ and is consistent with other methods. The criterion for the cutoff ${W}_{C}(N)$ in systems of $N$ spins is discussed. The cutoff leads to bounds for the thermodynamic limit that are best satisfied at a specific $T(N)$ at system size $N$.

Cascades and Dissipative Anomalies in Nearly Collisionless Plasma Turbulence

We develop first-principles theory of kinetic plasma turbulence governed by the Vlasov-Maxwell-Landau equations in the limit of vanishing collision rates. Following an exact renormalization-group approach pioneered by Onsager, we demonstrate the existence of a "collisionless range" of scales (lengths and velocities) in 1-particle phase space where the ideal Vlasov-Maxwell equations are satisfied in a "coarse-grained sense". Entropy conservation may nevertheless be violated in that range by a "dissipative anomaly" due to nonlinear entropy cascade. We derive "4/5th-law" type expressions for the entropy flux, which allow us to characterize the singularities (structure-function scaling exponents) required for its non-vanishing. Conservation laws of mass, momentum and energy are not afflicted with anomalous transfers in the collisionless limit. In a subsequent limit of small gyroradii, however, anomalous contributions to inertial-range energy balance may appear due both to cascade of bulk energy and to turbulent redistribution of internal energy in phase space. In that same limit the "generalized Ohm's law" derived from the particle momentum balances reduces to an "ideal Ohm's law", but only in a coarse-grained sense that does not imply magnetic flux-freezing and that permits magnetic reconnection at all inertial-range scales. We compare our results with prior theory based on the gyrokinetic (high gyro-frequency) limit, with numerical simulations, and with spacecraft measurements of the solar wind and terrestrial magnetosphere.

A functional renormalization method for wave propagation in random media

We develop the exact renormalization group approach as a way to evaluate the effective speed of the propagation of a scalar wave in a medium with random inhomogeneities. We use the Martin–Siggia–Rose formalism to translate the problem into a non equilibrium field theory one, and then consider a sequence of models with a progressively lower infrared cutoff; in the limit where the cutoff is removed we recover the problem of interest. As a test of the formalism, we compute the effective dielectric constant of an homogeneous medium interspersed with randomly located, interpenetrating bubbles. A simple approximation to the renormalization group equations turns out to be equivalent to a self-consistent two-loops evaluation of the effective dielectric constant.

Higgs inflation and quantum gravity: an exact renormalisation group approach

We use the Wilsonian functional Renormalisation Group (RG) to study quantum corrections for the Higgs inflationary action including the effect of gravitons, and analyse the leading-order quantum gravitational corrections to the Higgs' quartic coupling, as well as its non-minimal coupling to gravity and Newton's constant, at the inflationary regime and beyond. We explain how within this framework the effect of Higgs and graviton loops can be sufficiently suppressed during inflation, and we also place a bound on the corresponding value of the infrared RG cut-off scale during inflation. Finally, we briefly discuss the potential embedding of the model within the scenario of Asymptotic Safety, while all main equations are explicitly presented.

Path integral action and exact renormalization group dualities for quantum systems in noncommutative plane

We employ the path integral approach developed in Gangopadhyay S. and Scholtz F. E., Phys. Rev. Lett., 102 (2009) 241602 to discuss the (generalized) harmonic oscillator in a noncommutative plane. The action for this system is derived in the coherent state basis with additional degrees of freedom. From this the action in the coherent state basis without any additional degrees of freedom is obtained. This gives the ground-state spectrum of the system. We then employ the exact renormalization group approach to show that an equivalence can be constructed between this (noncommutative) system and a commutative system.

Riding on irrelevant operators

We investigate the stability of a class of derivative theories known as P(X) and Galileons against corrections generated by quantum effects. We use an exact renormalisation group approach to argue that these theories are stable under quantum corrections at all loops in regions where the kinetic term is large compared to the strong coupling scale. This is the regime of interest for screening or Vainshtein mechanisms, and in inflationary models that rely on large kinetic terms. Next, we clarify the role played by the symmetries. While symmetries protect the form of the quantum corrections, theories equipped with more symmetries do not necessarily have a broader range of scales for which they are valid. We show this by deriving explicitly the regime of validity of the classical solutions for P(X) theories including Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) models, both in generic and for specific background field configurations. Indeed, we find that despite the existence of an additional symmetry, the DBI effective field theory has a regime of validity similar to an arbitrary P(X) theory. We explore the implications of our results for both early and late universe contexts. Conversely, when applied to static and spherical screening mechanisms, we deduce that the regime of validity of typical power-law P(X) theories is much larger than that of DBI.

Noncommutativity from exact renormalization group dualities

Here we demonstrate, first, the construction of dualities using the exact renormalization group approach and, second, that spatial noncommutativity can emerge as such a duality. This is done in a simple quantum mechanical setting that establishes an exact duality between the commutative and noncommutative quantum Hall systems with harmonic interactions. It is also demonstrated that this link can be understood as a blocking (coarse graining) transformation in time that relates commutative and noncommutative degrees of freedom.

Structural aspects of asymptotically safe black holes

We study the quantum modifications of classical, spherically symmetric Schwarzschild (anti-) de Sitter black holes within quantum Einstein gravity. The quantum effects are incorporated through the running coupling constants Gk and Λk, computed within the exact renormalization group approach, and a common scale-setting procedure. We find that, in contrast to common intuition, it is actually the cosmological constant that determines the short-distance structure of the RG-improved black hole: in the asymptotic UV the structure of the quantum solutions is universal and given by the classical Schwarzschild–de Sitter solution, entailing a self-similarity between the classical and quantum regime. As a consequence asymptotically safe black holes evaporate completely and no Planck-size remnants are formed. Moreover, the thermodynamic entropy of the critical Nariai black hole is shown to agree with the microstate count based on the effective average action, suggesting that the entropy originates from quantum fluctuations around the mean-field geometry.

Black hole solution for scale-dependent gravitational couplings and the corresponding coupling flow

We study a particular solution for the generalized Einstein Hilbert action with scale-dependent couplings G(r) and Λ(r). The form of the couplings is not imposed, but rather deduced from the existence of a non-trivial symmetrical solution. A classical-like choice of the integration constants is found. Finally, the induced flow of the couplings is derived and compared to the flow that is obtained in the context of the exact renormalization group approach.

Transition between localized and extended states in the hierarchical Anderson model

We present strong numerical evidence for the existence of a localization-delocalization transition in the eigenstates of the 1-D Anderson model with long-range hierarchical hopping. Hierarchical models are important because of the well-known mapping between their phases and those of models with short range hopping in higher dimensions, and also because the renormalization group can be applied exactly without the approximations that generally are required in other models. In the hierarchical Anderson model we find a finite critical disorder strength Wc where the average inverse participation ratio goes to zero; at small disorder W < Wc the model lies in a delocalized phase. This result is based on numerical calculation of the inverse participation ratio in the infinite volume limit using an exact renormalization group approach facilitated by the model's hierarchical structure. Our results are consistent with the presence of an Anderson transition in short-range models with D > 2 dimensions, which was predicted using renormalization group arguments. Our finding should stimulate interest in the hierarchical Anderson model as a simplified and tractable model of the Anderson localization transition which occurs in finite-dimensional systems with short-range hopping.

Ground states and dynamics of population-imbalanced Fermi condensates in one dimension

By using the numerically exact density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) approach, we investigate the ground states of harmonically trapped one-dimensional (1D) fermions with population imbalance and find that the Larkin–Ovchinnikov (LO) state, which is a condensed state of fermion pairs with nonzero center-of-mass momentum, is realized for a wide range of parameters. The phase diagram comprising the two phases of (i) an LO state at the trap center and a balanced condensate at the periphery and (ii) an LO state at the trap center and a pure majority component at the periphery is obtained. The reduced two-body density matrix indicates that most of the minority atoms contribute to the LO-type quasi-condensate. With the time-dependent DMRG, we also investigate the real-time dynamics of a system of 1D fermions in response to a spin-flip excitation.

Superfluidity and Anderson localisation for a weakly interacting Bose gas in a quasiperiodic potential

Using exact diagonalisation and Density Matrix Renormalisation group (DMRG) approach, we analyse the transition to a localised state of a weakly interacting quasi-1D Bose gas subjected to a quasiperiodic potential. The analysis is performed by calculating the superfluid fraction, density profile, momentum distribution and visibility for different periodicities of the second lattice and in the presence (or not) of a weak repulsive interaction. It is shown that the transition is sharper towards the maximally incommensurate ratio between the two lattice periodicities, and shifted to higher values of the second lattice strength by weak repulsive interactions. We also relate our results to recent experiments.

Critical behavior of interacting two-polymer system in a fractal solvent: an exactrenormalization group approach

We study the polymer system consisting of two polymer chains situated in a fractalcontainer that belongs to the three-dimensional Sierpinski gasket (3D SG) family offractals. Each 3D SG fractal has four fractal impenetrable 2D surfaces, which are, in fact,2D SG fractals. The two-polymer system is modeled by two interacting self-avoiding walks(SAW), one of them representing a 3D floating polymer, while the other corresponds to achain confined to one of the four 2D SG boundaries (with no monomer in the bulk).We assume that the studied system is immersed in a poor solvent inducing theintra-chain interactions. For the inter-chain interactions we propose two models:in the first model (ASAW) the SAW chains are mutually avoiding, whereas inthe second model (CSAW) chains can cross each other. By applying an exactrenormalization group (RG) method, we establish the relevant phase diagrams forb = 2,3 and 4 members of the 3D SG fractal family for the model with avoiding SAWs, and forb = 2 and 3 fractals for the model with crossing SAWs. Also, at the appropriate transition fixedpoints we calculate the contact critical exponents, associated with the number of contactsbetween monomers of different chains. Throughout this paper we compare results obtainedfor the two models and discuss the impact of the topology of the underlying lattices onemerging phase diagrams.

A comment on the path integral approach to cosmological perturbation theory

It is pointed out that the exact renormalization group approach to cosmological perturbationtheory, proposed in Matarrese and Pietroni (2007 J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. JCAP06(2007)026[astro-ph/0703563]) and Matarrese and Pietroni (2007 Preprintastro-ph/0702653), constitutes a misnomer. Rather, having instructivelycast this classical problem into path integral form, the evolution equation then derivedcomes about as a special case of considering how the generating functional responds tovariations of the primordial power spectrum.

Entanglement entropy in random quantum spin-Schains

We discuss the scaling of entanglement entropy in the random singlet phase (RSP) of disordered quantum magnetic chains of general spin-S. Through an analysis of the general structure of the RSP, we show that the entanglement entropy scales logarithmically with the size of a block and we provide a closed expression for this scaling. This result is applicable for arbitrary quantum spin chains in the RSP, being dependent only on the magnitude S of the spin. Remarkably, the logarithmic scaling holds for the disordered chain even if the pure chain with no disorder does not exhibit conformal invariance, as is the case for Heisenberg integer spin chains. Our conclusions are supported by explicit evaluations of the entanglement entropy for random spin-1 and spin-3/2 chains using an asymptotically exact real-space renormalization group approach.

Ferromagnetic Potts model under an external magnetic field: An exact renormalization group approach

The q-state ferromagnetic Potts model under a non-zero magnetic field coupled with the 0^th Potts state was investigated by an exact real-space renormalization group approach. The model was defined on a family of diamond hierarchical lattices of several fractal dimensions d_F. On these lattices, the renormalization group transformations became exact for such a model when a correlation coupling that singles out the 0^th Potts state was included in the Hamiltonian. The rich criticality presented by the model with q=3 and d_F=2 was fully analyzed. Apart from the Potts criticality for the zero field, an Ising-like phase transition was found whenever the system was submitted to a strong reverse magnetic field. Unusual characteristics such as cusps and dimensional reduction were observed on the critical surface.

Superfluidity within exact renormalization group approach

The application of the exact renormalisation group to a many-fermion system with a short-range attractive force is studied. We assume a simple ansatz for the effective action with effective bosons, describing pairing effects and derive a set of approximate flow equations for the effective coupling including boson and fermionic fluctuations. The phase transition to a phase with broken symmetry is found at a critical value of the running scale. The mean-field results are recovered if boson-loop effects are omitted. The calculations with two different forms of the regulator was shown to lead to similar results.

Exact renormalization group approach to a nonlinear diffusion equation

The exact renormalization group is applied to a nonlinear diffusion equation with a discontinuous diffusion coefficient. The generating functional of the solution for the initial-value problem of nonlinear diffusion equations is first introduced, and next a regularization scheme is presented. It is shown that the renormalization of an action functional in the generating functional leads to an anomalous diffusion exponent in full order of the perturbation series with respect to a nonlinearity.

Renormalization-group approach to strong-coupled superconductors

We develop an asymptotically exact renormalization group (RG) approach that treats electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions on equal footing. The approach allows an unbiased study of the instabilities of Fermi liquids without the assumption of a broken symmetry. We apply our method to the problem of strongly coupled superconductors and find the temperature T* below which the high-temperature Fermi liquid state becomes unstable towards Cooper pairing. We show that T* is the same as the critical temperature Tc obtained in Eliashberg's strong coupling theory starting from the low-temperature superconducting phase. We also show that Migdal's theorem is implicit in our approach. Finally, our results lead to a novel way to calculate numerically, from microscopic parameters, the transition temperature of superconductors.