Local Counterterms Research Articles

Gauge invariance and holographic renormalization

We study the gauge invariance of physical observables in holographic theories under the local diffeomorphism. We find that gauge invariance is intimately related to the holographic renormalization: the local counter terms defined in the boundary cancel most of gauge dependences of the on-shell action as well as the divergences. There is a mismatch in the degrees of freedom between the bulk theory and the boundary one. We resolve this problem by noticing that there is a residual gauge symmetry (RGS). By extending the RGS such that it satisfies infalling boundary condition at the horizon, we can understand the problem in the context of general holographic embedding of a global symmetry at the boundary into the local gauge symmetry in the bulk.

Ward identities and gauge independence in general chiral gauge theories

Using the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism, we study the Ward identities and the equations of gauge dependence in potentially anomalous general gauge theories, renormalizable or not. A crucial new term, absent in manifestly nonanomalous theories, is responsible for interesting effects. We prove that gauge invariance always implies gauge independence, which in turn ensures perturbative unitarity. Precisely, we consider potentially anomalous theories that are actually free of gauge anomalies thanks to the Adler-Bardeen theorem. We show that when we make a canonical transformation on the tree-level action, it is always possible to re-renormalize the divergences and re-fine-tune the finite local counterterms, so that the renormalized $\Gamma $ functional of the transformed theory is also free of gauge anomalies, and is related to the renormalized $\Gamma $ functional of the starting theory by a canonical transformation. An unexpected consequence of our results is that the beta functions of the couplings may depend on the gauge-fixing parameters, although the physical quantities remain gauge independent. We discuss nontrivial checks of high-order calculations based on gauge independence and determine how powerful they are.

Adler-Bardeen theorem and cancellation of gauge anomalies to all orders in nonrenormalizable theories

We prove the Adler-Bardeen theorem in a large class of general gauge theories, including nonrenormalizable ones. We assume that the gauge symmetries are general covariance, local Lorentz symmetry, and Abelian and non-Abelian Yang-Mills symmetries, and that the local functionals of vanishing ghost numbers satisfy a variant of the Kluberg-Stern--Zuber conjecture. We show that if the gauge anomalies are trivial at one loop, for every truncation of the theory there exists a subtraction scheme where they manifestly vanish to all orders, within the truncation. Outside the truncation the cancellation of gauge anomalies can be enforced by fine-tuning local counterterms. The framework of the proof is worked out by combining a recently formulated chiral dimensional regularization with a gauge invariant higher-derivative regularization. If the higher-derivative regularizing terms are placed well beyond the truncation, and the energy scale $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ associated with them is kept fixed, the theory is superrenormalizable and has the property that, once the gauge anomalies are canceled at one loop, they manifestly vanish from two loops onwards by simple power counting. When the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ divergences are subtracted away and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ is sent to infinity, the anomaly cancellation survives in a manifest form within the truncation and in a nonmanifest form outside. The standard model coupled to quantum gravity satisfies all the assumptions, so it is free of gauge anomalies to all orders.

Kähler potential and ambiguities in 4d N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 SCFTs

The partition function of four-dimensional N=2 superconformal field theories on S^4 computes the exact Kahler potential on the space of exactly marginal couplings [1]. We present a new elementary proof of this result using supersymmetry Ward identities. The partition function is a section rather than a function, and is subject to ambiguities coming from Kahler transformations acting on the Kahler potential. This ambiguity is realized by a local supergravity counterterm in the underlying SCFT. We provide an explicit construction of the Kahler ambiguity counterterm in the four dimensional N=2 off-shell supergravity theory that admits S^4 as a supersymmetric background.

Lifshitz holography: the whole shebang

We provide a general algorithm for constructing the holographic dictionary for any asymptotically locally Lifshitz background, with or without hyperscaling violation, and for any values of the dynamical exponents $z$ and $\theta$, as well as the vector hyperscaling violating exponent, that are compatible with the null energy condition. The analysis is carried out for a very general bottom up model of gravity coupled to a massive vector field and a dilaton with arbitrary scalar couplings. The solution of the radial Hamilton-Jacobi equation is obtained recursively in the form of a graded expansion in eigenfunctions of two commuting operators, which are the appropriate generalization of the dilatation operator for non scale invariant and Lorentz violating boundary conditions. The Fefferman-Graham expansions, the sources and 1-point functions of the dual operators, the Ward identities, as well as the local counterterms required for holographic renormalization all follow from this asymptotic solution of the radial Hamilton-Jacobi equation. We also find a family of exact backgrounds with $z>1$ and $\theta>0$ corresponding to a marginal deformation shifting the vector hyperscaling violating parameter and we present an example where the conformal anomaly contains the only $z=2$ conformal invariant in $d=2$ with four spatial derivatives.

Adler–Bardeen theorem and manifest anomaly cancellation to all orders in gauge theories

We reconsider the Adler-Bardeen theorem for the cancellation of gauge anomalies to all orders, when they vanish at one loop. Using the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism and combining the dimensional-regularization technique with the higher-derivative gauge invariant regularization, we prove the theorem in the most general perturbatively unitary renormalizable gauge theories coupled to matter in four dimensions, and identify the subtraction scheme where anomaly cancellation to all orders is manifest, namely no subtractions of finite local counterterms are required from two loops onwards. Our approach is based on an order-by-order analysis of renormalization, and, differently from most derivations existing in the literature, does not make use of arguments based on the properties of the renormalization group. As a consequence, the proof we give also applies to conformal field theories and finite theories.

Massive quasinormal mode in the holographic Lifshitz theory

We investigate the holographic renormalization of the Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory which provides an asymptotic Lifshitz geometry dual to a Lifshitz field theory. In this case, the existence of a field combination with zero scaling dimension causes an ambiguity in fixing local counter terms. Nevertheless, we show that all possible local counter terms give rise to consistent thermodynamic quantities with the Lifshitz black brane results. In addition, we also study the retarded Green functions of the current and momentum operator of a non-relativistic Lifshitz field theory. In the non-zero momentum regime, the results show intriguingly that there exists a massive quasi-normal mode whose effective mass is linearly proportional to temperature and that even at zero temperature there exists a quasi-normal mode in the non-relativistic Lifshitz medium.

The Brown-York mass of black holes in Warped Anti-de Sitter space

We give a direct computation of the mass of black holes in Warped Anti-de Sitter space (WAdS) in terms of the Brown-York stress-tensor at the boundary. This permits to explore to what extent the holographic renormalization techniques can be applied to such type of deformation of AdS. We show that, despite some components of the boundary stress-tensor diverge and resist to be regularized by the introduction of local counterterms, the precise combination that gives the quasilocal energy density yields a finite integral. The result turns out to be in agreement with previous computations of the black hole mass obtained with different approaches. This is seen to happen both in the case of Topologically Massive Gravity and of the so-called New Massive Gravity. Here, we focus our attention on the latter. We observe that, despite other conserved charges diverge in the near boundary limit, the finite part in the large radius expansion captures the physically relevant contribution. We compute the black hole angular momentum in this way and we obtain a result that is in perfect agreement with previous calculations.

Hamilton-Jacobi renormalization for Lifshitz spacetime

Just like AdS spacetimes, Lifshitz spacetimes require counterterms in order to make the on-shell value of the bulk action finite. We study these counterterms using the Hamilton-Jacobi method. Rather than imposing boundary conditions from the start, we will derive suitable boundary conditions by requiring that divergences can be canceled using only local counterterms. We will demonstrate in examples that this procedure indeed leads to a finite bulk action while at the same time it determines the asymptotic behavior of the fields. This puts more substance to the belief that Lifshitz spacetimes are dual to well-behaved field theories. As a byproduct, we will find the analogue of the conformal anomaly for Lifshitz spacetimes.

Holographic renormalization for asymptotically Lifshitz spacetimes

A variational formulation is given for a theory of gravity coupled to a massive vector in four dimensions, with Asymptotically Lifshitz boundary conditions on the fields. For theories with critical exponent z=2 we obtain a well-defined variational principle by explicitly constructing two actions with local boundary counterterms. As part of our analysis we obtain solutions of these theories on a neighborhood of spatial infinity, study the asymptotic symmetries, and consider different definitions of the boundary stress tensor and associated charges. A constraint on the boundary data for the fields figures prominently in one of our formulations, and in that case the only suitable definition of the boundary stress tensor is due to Hollands, Ishibashi, and Marolf. Their definition naturally emerges from our requirement of finiteness of the action under Hamilton-Jacobi variations of the fields. A second, more general variational principle also allows the Brown-York definition of a boundary stress tensor.

Holographic renormalization for irrelevant operators and multi-trace counterterms

We investigate the structure of holographic renormalization in the presence of sources for irrelevant operators. By working perturbatively in the sources we avoid issues related to the non-renormalizability of the dual field theory. We find new classes of divergences which appear to be non-local on the gravity side. However in all cases a systematic renormalization procedure exists involving either standard local counterterms or new counterterms which may be interpreted as multi-trace counterterms in the field theory. The multi-trace counterterms reflect a more intricate relation between sources and the asymptotics of bulk fields.

Towards the quantum S-matrix of the Pohlmeyer reduced version of [formula omitted] superstring theory

We investigate the structure of the quantum S-matrix for perturbative excitations of the Pohlmeyer reduced version of the AdS 5 × S 5 superstring following arXiv:0912.2958. The reduced theory is a fermionic extension of a gauged WZW model with an integrable potential. We use as an input the result of the one-loop perturbative scattering amplitude computation and an analogy with simpler reduced AdS n × S n theories with n = 2 , 3 . The reduced AdS 2 × S 2 theory is equivalent to the N = 2 2-d supersymmetric sine-Gordon model for which the exact quantum S-matrix is known. In the reduced AdS 3 × S 3 case the one-loop perturbative S-matrix, improved by a contribution of a local counterterm, satisfies the group factorisation property and the Yang–Baxter equation, and reveals the existence of a novel quantum-deformed 2-d supersymmetry which is not manifest in the action. The one-loop perturbative S-matrix of the reduced AdS 5 × S 5 theory has the group factorisation property but does not satisfy the Yang–Baxter equation suggesting some subtlety with the realisation of quantum integrability. As a possible resolution, we propose that the S-matrix of this theory may be identified with the quantum-deformed [ psu ( 2 | 2 ) ] 2 ⋉ R 2 symmetric R-matrix constructed in arXiv:1002.1097. We conjecture the exact all-order form of this S-matrix and discuss its possible relation to the perturbative S-matrix defined by the path integral. As in the AdS 3 × S 3 case the symmetry of the S-matrix may be interpreted as an extended quantum-deformed 2-d supersymmetry.

Simple formula for the infrared singular part of the integrand of one-loop QCD amplitudes

We show that a well-known simple formula for the explicit infrared poles of one-loop QCD amplitudes has a corresponding simple counterpart in unintegrated form. The unintegrated formula approximates the integrand of one-loop QCD amplitudes in all soft and collinear singular regions. It thus defines a local counterterm for the infrared singularities and can be used as an ingredient for the numerical calculation of one-loop amplitudes.

2PI functional techniques for gauge theories: QED

We discuss the formulation of the prototype gauge field theory, QED, in the context of two-particle-irreducible (2PI) functional techniques with particular emphasis on the issues of renormalization and gauge symmetry. We show how to renormalize all $n$-point vertex functions of the (gauge-fixed) theory at any approximation order in the 2PI loop-expansion by properly adjusting a finite set of local counterterms consistent with the underlying gauge symmetry. The paper is divided in three parts: a self-contained presentation of the main results and their possible implementation for practical applications; a detailed analysis of ultraviolet divergences and their removal; a number of appendices collecting technical details.

QUANTUM ANOMALIES AND SOME RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Some of the developments related to quantum anomalies and path integrals during the past 10 years are briefly discussed. The covered subjects include the issues related to the local counter term in the context of 2-dimensional path integral bosonization and the treatment of chiral anomaly and index theorem on the lattice. We also briefly comment on a recent analysis of the connection between the two-dimensional chiral anomalies and the four-dimensional black hole radiation.

TOWARDS (DE)CONSTRUCTING 4D YANG-MILLS THEORY

We investigate 3D Yang-Mills theory coupled to an adjoint scalar, which can be regarded as a zeroth order approximation in (de)constructing 4D Yang-Mills theory. We develop a new algorithm to obtain the renormalized Hamiltonian with the Karabali-Nair variable, by carefully identifying finite local counterterms. We also discuss how this formalism can be applied to obtain glueball spectrum.

Notes on the Hamiltonian formulation of 3D Yang-Mills theory

Three-dimensional Yang-Mills theory is investigated in the Hamiltonian formalism based on the Karabali-Nair variable. A new algorithm is developed to obtain the renormalized Hamiltonian by identifying local counterterms in Lagrangian with the use of fictitious holomorphic symmetry existing in the framework with the KN variable. Our algorithm is totally algebraic and enables one to calculate the ground state wave functional recursively in gauge potentials. In particular, the Gaussian part thus calculated is shown to coincide with that obtained by Leigh et al. Higher-order corrections to the Gaussian part are also discussed.

A simple construction of fermion measure term in U(1) chiral lattice gauge theories with exact gauge invariance

In the gauge invariant formulation of U(1) chiral lattice gauge theories based on the Ginsparg-Wilson relation, the gauge field dependence of the fermion measure is determined through the so-called measure term. We derive a closed formula of the measure term on the finite volume lattice. The Wilson line degrees of freedom (torons) of the link field are treated separately to take care of the global integrability. The local counter term is explicitly constructed with the local current associated with the cohomologically trivial part of the gauge anomaly in finite volume. The resulted formula is very close to the known expression of the measure term in infinite volume with a single parameter integration, and would be useful in practical implementations.

MIRROR MATTER ADMIXTURES IN KL→μ+μ-

Our previous analysis on the contributions of mirror matter admixtures in ordinary hadrons to KL→γγ is extended to study the relevance of such contributions to the KL→μ+μ-rare decay. The mixing angle of the admixtures previously determined to describe the enhancement phenomenon in two-body non-leptonic decays of strange hadrons is used, along with recent results for the description of the strong and electromagnetic interaction parts of the transition amplitudes. We find that these admixtures give a significant contribution with a small SU(2) breaking of only 2.8%, we also find a value of ~ -17.9° for the η–η′ mixing angle consistent with some of its determinations in the literature and a preferred negative value around -16 for the local counterterm contribution χ1+χ2consistent with the existence of a unique counterterm assuming lepton universality. We conclude that those mixings may be relevant in low energy physics and should not be ignored.

π/K→eν̄ebranching ratios toO(e2p4) in Chiral Perturbation Theory

We calculate the ratios R_{e/mu}^{(P)} = Gamma(P -> e nu)/Gamma (P -> mu nu) (P=pi,K) in Chiral Perturbation Theory to order e^2 p^4. We complement the one- and two-loop effective theory results with a matching calculation of the local counterterm, performed within the large-$N_C$ expansion. We find R_{e/mu}^{(\pi)} = (1.2352 \pm 0.0001)*10^{-4} and R_{e/mu}^{(K)} = (2.477 \pm 0.001)*10^{-5}, with uncertainty induced by the matching procedure and chiral power counting. Given the sensitivity of upcoming new measurements, our results provide a clean baseline to detect or constrain effects from weak-scale new physics in these rare decays. As a by-product, we also update the theoretical analysis of the individual pi/K -> \ell nu modes.