Renormalizable Theory Research Articles

Renormalization of gauge theories in the background-field approach

Using the background-field method we demonstrate the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) structure of counterterms in a broad class of gauge theories. Put simply, we show that gauge invariance is preserved by renormalization in local gauge field theories whenever they admit a sensible background-field formulation and anomaly-free path integral measure. This class encompasses Yang-Mills theories (with possibly Abelian subgroups) and relativistic gravity, including both renormalizable and non-renormalizable (effective) theories. Our results also hold for non-relativistic models such as Yang-Mills theories with anisotropic scaling or Hořava gravity. They strengthen and generalize the existing results in the literature concerning the renormalization of gauge systems. Locality of the BRST construction is emphasized throughout the derivation. We illustrate our general approach with several explicit examples.

Temperature dependence bending rigidity of 2D membranes: Graphene as an example

Bending rigidity plays an important role in graphene from mechanical behavior to magnetic and electrical properties. However, it is still in a theoretical debate whether the bending rigidity of graphene increase or decrease with increasing temperature. The liquid membranes renormalization theory is always used to calculate the bending modulus of 2D membrane (graphene) at different temperatures. Although this theory has been successfully used to describe the mechanical behavior of liquid membranes like cell membrane, we point out some possible unsuitable places when it is used to evaluate the temperature effect on the bending rigidity of graphene. The energy difference between the notional planar and pure bending graphene is related to the definition of the bending rigidity directly. Based on this energy variation analysis, we demonstrate that the bending rigidity of graphene increases with increasing temperature. Moreover, we reveal the mechanism is that the configurational entropy plays a crucial role in the variation of the free energy of graphene with increasing temperature. Our approach also paves a way to investigate the temperature effect on the bending rigidity of other 2D materials.

Structure of UV divergences in maximally supersymmetric gauge theories

We consider the UV divergences up to sub-subleading order for the four-point on-shell scattering amplitudes in $D=8$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in the planar limit. We trace how the leading, subleading, etc divergences appear in all orders of perturbation theory. The structure of these divergences is typical for any local quantum field theory independently on renormalizability. We show how the generalized renormalization group equations allow one to evaluate the leading, subleading, etc. contributions in all orders of perturbation theory starting from one-, two-, etc. loop diagrams respectively. We focus then on subtraction scheme dependence of the results and show that in full analogy with renormalizable theories the scheme dependence can be absorbed into the redefinition of the couplings. The only difference is that the role of the couplings play dimensionless combinations like ${g}^{2}{s}^{2}$ or ${g}^{2}{t}^{2}$, where $s$ and $t$ are the Mandelstam variables.

Forced magnetostriction of ferromagnetic Heusler alloy Ni2MnGa at the Curie temperature

An investigation on the relationship between magnetostriction and magnetization by means of the self-consistent renormalization (SCR) theory of an itinerant ferromagnet was performed for Ni2MnGa alloy. The magnetization results at the Curie temperature TC suggest that the critical index δ of H ∝ Mδ is 4.7–5.0, and this confirms Takahashi's spin fluctuation theory and the result of Nishihara et al. As a result, at TC, the relation between magnetostriction and M2 deviates from proportionality and the magnetostriction is proportional to M4. At TC, the plot of ΔL/L vs M4 crossed the point of origin. This result is in accordance with Takahashi's spin fluctuation theory.

Multiple couplings and renormalization scheme ambiguities

The ambiguities inherent in renormalization are considered when using mass independent renormalization in massless theories that involve two coupling constants. We review how unlike models in which there is just one coupling constant there is no renormalization scheme in which the β-functions can be chosen to vanish beyond a certain order in perturbation theory, and also the β-functions always contain ambiguities beyond first order. We examine how the coupling constants depend on the coefficients of the β-functions beyond one loop order. A way of characterizing renormalization schemes that doesn't use coefficients of the β-function is considered for models with either one or two couplings. The renormalization scheme ambiguities of physical quantities computed to finite order in perturbation theory are also examined. The renormalization group equation makes it possible to sum the logarithms that have explicit dependence on the renormalization scale parameter μ in a physical quantity R and this leads to a cancellation with the implicit dependence of R on μ through the running couplings, thereby removing the ambiguity associated with the renormalization scale parameter μ. It is also shown that there exists a renormalization scheme in which all radiative contributions beyond lowest order to R are incorporated into the behavior of the running couplings and the perturbative expansion for R is a finite series.

Quantum implications of a scale invariant regularization

We study scale invariance at the quantum level (three loops) in a perturbative approach. For a scale-invariant classical theory the scalar potential is computed at three-loop level while keeping manifest this symmetry. Spontaneous scale symmetry breaking is transmitted at quantum level to the visible sector (of $\phi$) by the associated Goldstone mode (dilaton $\sigma$) which enables a scale-invariant regularisation and whose vev $\langle\sigma\rangle$ generates the subtraction scale ($\mu$). While the hidden ($\sigma$) and visible sector ($\phi$) are classically decoupled in $d=4$ due to an enhanced Poincar\'e symmetry, they interact through (a series of) evanescent couplings $\propto\epsilon^k$, ($k\geq 1$), dictated by the scale invariance of the action in $d=4-2\epsilon$. At the quantum level these couplings generate new corrections to the potential, such as scale-invariant non-polynomial effective operators $\phi^{2n+4}/\sigma^{2n}$ and also log-like terms ($\propto \ln^k \sigma$) restoring the scale-invariance of known quantum corrections. The former are comparable in size to "standard" loop corrections and important for values of $\phi$ close to $\langle\sigma\rangle$. For $n=1,2$ the beta functions of their coefficient are computed at three-loops. In the infrared (IR) limit the dilaton fluctuations decouple, the effective operators are suppressed by large $\langle\sigma\rangle$ and the effective potential becomes that of a renormalizable theory with explicit scale symmetry breaking by the "usual" DR scheme (of $\mu=$constant).

Complete set of essential parameters of an effective theory

The present paper continues the series [V. V. Vereshagin, True self-energy function and reducibility in effective scalar theories, Phys. Rev. D 89, 125022 (2014); A. Vereshagin and V. Vereshagin, Resultant parameters of effective theory, Phys. Rev. D 69, 025002 (2004); K. Semenov-Tian-Shansky, A. Vereshagin, and V. Vereshagin, S-matrix renormalization in effective theories, Phys. Rev. D 73, 025020 (2006)] devoted to the systematic study of effective scattering theories. We consider matrix elements of the effective Lagrangian monomials (in the interaction picture) of arbitrary high dimension D and show that the full set of corresponding coupling constants contains parameters of both kinds: essential and redundant. Since it would be pointless to formulate renormalization prescriptions for redundant parameters, it is necessary to select the full set of the essential ones. This is done in the present paper for the case of the single scalar field.

Probing the unitarity of the renormalizable theory of massive conformal gravity

The presence of an unstable massive spin-2 ghost state in the renormalizable theory of massive conformal gravity leads to a pair of complex poles appearing in the first sheet of the energy plane. Here we show that the positions of these poles are gauge dependent, which makes the theory unitary.

Grüneisen Parameter and Thermal Expansion by the Self-Consistent Renormalization Theory of Spin Fluctuations

The thermal expansion coefficient $\alpha$ and the Gr\"{u}neisen parameter $\Gamma$ near the magnetic quantum critical point (QCP) are derived on the basis of the self-consistent renormalization (SCR) theory of spin fluctuation. From the SCR entropy, the specific heat $C_{V}$, $\alpha$, and $\Gamma$ are shown to be expressed in a simple form as $C_{V}=C_{\rm a}-C_{\rm b}$, $\alpha=\alpha_{\rm a}+\alpha_{\rm b}$, and $\Gamma=\Gamma_{\rm a}+\Gamma_{\rm b}$, respectively, where $C_{\rm i}$, $\alpha_{\rm i}$, and $\Gamma_{\rm i}$ $({\rm i}={\rm a}, {\rm b})$ are related with each other. As the temperature $T$ decreases, $C_{\rm a}$, $\alpha_{\rm b}$, and $\Gamma_{\rm b}$ become dominant in $C_{V}$, $\alpha$, and $\Gamma$, respectively. The inverse susceptibility of spin fluctuation coupled to the volume $V$ in $\Gamma_{\rm b}$ is found to give rise to the divergence of $\Gamma$ at the QCP for each class of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism (AFM) in spatial dimensions $d=3$ and $2$. This $V$-dependent inverse susceptibility in $\alpha_{b}$ and $\Gamma_{\rm b}$ contributes to the $T$ dependences of $\alpha$ and $\Gamma$, and even affects their criticality in the case of the AFM QCP in $d=2$. $\Gamma_{\rm a}$ is expressed as $\Gamma_{\rm a}(T=0)=-\frac{V}{T_0}\left(\frac{\partial T_0}{\partial V}\right)_{T=0}$ with $T_0$ being the characteristic temperature of spin fluctuation, which has an enhanced value in heavy electron systems.

The LHC Higgs Boson Discovery: Updated Implications for Finite Unified Theories and the SUSY Breaking Scale

Finite Unified Theories (FUTs) are N = 1 supersymmetric Grand Unified Theories, which can be made finite to all orders in perturbation theory, based on the principle of the reduction of couplings. The latter consists of searching for renormalization group invariant relations among parameters of a renormalizable theory holding to all orders in perturbation theory. FUTs have proven very successful so far. In particular, they predicted the top quark mass one and half years before its experimental discovery, while around five years before the Higgs boson discovery, a particular FUT was predicting the light Higgs boson in the mass range ∼121–126 GeV, in striking agreement with the discovery at LHC. Here, we review the basic properties of the supersymmetric theories and in particular finite theories resulting from the application of the method of reduction of couplings in their dimensionless and dimensionful sectors. Then, we analyze the phenomenologically-favored FUT, based on SU(5). This particular FUT leads to a finiteness constrained version of the Minimal SUSY Standard Model (MSSM), which naturally predicts a relatively heavy spectrum with colored supersymmetric particles above 2.7 TeV, consistent with the non-observation of those particles at the LHC. The electroweak supersymmetric spectrum starts below 1 TeV, and large parts of the allowed spectrum of the lighter might be accessible at CLIC. The FCC-hhwill be able to fully test the predicted spectrum.

Correlation matrix renormalization theory for correlated-electron materials with application to the crystalline phases of atomic hydrogen

Developing accurate and computationally efficient methods to calculate the electronic structure and total energy of correlated-electron materials has been a very challenging task in condensed matter physics and materials science. Recently, we have developed a correlation matrix renormalization (CMR) method which does not assume any empirical Coulomb interaction $U$ parameters and does not have double counting problems in the ground-state total energy calculation. The CMR method has been demonstrated to be accurate in describing both the bonding and bond breaking behaviors of molecules. In this study, we extend the CMR method to the treatment of electron correlations in periodic solid systems. Using a linear hydrogen chain as a benchmark system, we show that the results from the CMR method compare very well with those obtained recently by accurate quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) calculations. We also study the equation of states of three-dimensional crystalline phases of atomic hydrogen. We show that the results from the CMR method agree much better with the available QMC data in comparison with those from density functional theory and Hartree-Fock calculations.

Signs and stability in higher-derivative gravity

Perturbatively renormalizable higher-derivative gravity in four space–time dimensions with arbitrary signs of couplings has been considered. Systematic analysis of the action with arbitrary signs of couplings in Lorentzian flat space–time for no-tachyons, fixes the signs. Feynman [Formula: see text] prescription for these signs further grants necessary convergence in path-integral, suppressing the field modes with large action. This also leads to a sensible wick rotation where quantum computation can be performed. Running couplings for these sign of parameters make the massive tensor ghost innocuous leading to a stable and ghost-free renormalizable theory in four space–time dimensions. The theory has a transition point arising from renormalization group (RG) equations, where the coefficient of [Formula: see text] diverges without affecting the perturbative quantum field theory (QFT). Redefining this coefficient gives a better handle over the theory around the transition point. The flow equations push the flow of parameters across the transition point. The flow beyond the transition point is analyzed using the one-loop RG equations which shows that the regime beyond the transition point has unphysical properties: there are tachyons, the path-integral loses positive definiteness, Newton’s constant [Formula: see text] becomes negative and large, and perturbative parameters become large. These shortcomings indicate a lack of completeness beyond the transition point and need of a nonperturbative treatment of the theory beyond the transition point.

A model-dependent approach to the non-relativistic Lamb shift

The precise observation of the Lamb shift, between the $2s_{1/2}$ and $2p_{1/2}$ levels in hydrogen, was a genuine motivation for the development of modern quantum electrodynamics. According to Dirac theory, the $2s_{1/2}$ and $2p_{1/2}$ levels should have equal energies. However, “radiative corrections” due to the interaction between the atomic electron and the vacuum, shift the $2s_{1/2}$ level higher in energy by around $4.37493\times 10^{-6}$ eV or $ 2\pi\hbar\times 1057.85$ MHz relative to the $2p_{1/2}$ level. The measurement of Lamb and Retherford provided the stimulus for renormalization theory which has been so successful in handling troublesome divergences. The Lamb shift is still a central theme in atomic physics. W.E. Lamb was the first to see that this tiny shift, so elusive and hard to measure, would clarify in a fundamental way our thinking about particles and fields. In this article, the Lamb shift for the 2s energy level in hydrogen is assessed for three different electron models by using the variational principle. It is then verified that this shift arises mostly from the interaction of a bound electron with the zero-point fluctuations of the free electromagnetic field (Welton’s interpretation). We briefly comment on the construct validity of the proposed electron models.

Renormalization of Einstein gravity through a derivative-dependent field redefinition

This work explores an alternative solution to the problem of renormalizability in Einstein gravity. In the proposed approach, Einstein gravity is transformed into the renormalizable theory of four-derivative gravity by applying a local field redefinition containing an infinite number of higher derivatives. It is also shown that the current–current amplitude is invariant with the field redefinition, and thus the unitarity of Einstein gravity is preserved.

How Not to Establish the Non-renormalizability of Gravity

General relativity cannot be formulated as a perturbatively renormalizable quantum field theory. An argument relying on the validity of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula aims at dismissing gravity as non-renormalizable per se, against hopes (underlying programs such as Asymptotic Safety) that d-dimensional GR could turn out to have a non-perturbatively renormalizable d-dimensional quantum field theoretic formulation. In this note we discuss various forms of highly problematic semi-classical extrapolations assumed by both sides of the debate concerning what we call The Entropy Argument, and show that a large class of dimensional reduction scenarios leads to the blow-up of Bekenstein-Hawking entropy.

About renormalized effective action for the Yang-Mills theory in four-dimensional space-time

This work is related to the asymptotic approach in the renormalization theory and its problems. As the main example, the Yang-Mills theory in four-dimensional space-time is considered. It has been shown earlier [16] that using the asymptotic of the bare coupling constant one can find an expression for the renormalized effective action, however, this formula has problems (divergence ln " and infinite series). This work shows the relation of these values and provides an answer for the renormalized effective action.

On Gauge Invariant Cosmological Perturbations in UV-modified Hořava Gravity: A Brief Introduction

We revisit gauge invariant cosmological perturbations in UV-modified, z = 3 Hořava gravity with one scalar matter field, which has been proposed as a renormalizable gravity theory without the ghost problem in four dimensions. We confirm that there is no extra graviton modes and general relativity is recovered in IR, which achieves the consistency of the model. From the UV-modification terms which break the detailed balance condition in UV, we obtain scale-invariant power spectrums for non-inflationary backgrounds, like the power-law expansions, without knowing the details of early expansion history of Universe. This could provide a new framework for the Big Bang cosmology.

Singularity-free spinors in gravity with propagating torsion

We consider the most general renormalizable theory of propagating torsion in Einstein gravity for the Dirac matter distribution and we demonstrate that in this case, torsion is a massive axial-vector field whose coupling to the spinor gives rise to conditions in terms of which gravitational singularities are not bound to form; we discuss how our results improve those that are presented in the existing literature, and that no further improvement can be achieved unless one is ready to re-evaluate some considerations on the renormalizability of the theory.

A possibility to describe models of massive non-Abelian gauge fields in the framework of a renormalizable theory

Renormalizable theory of massive nonabelian gauge fields, which does not require the existence of observable scalar fields is proposed.

On gauge invariant cosmological perturbations in UV-modified Hořava gravity

We consider gauge invariant cosmological perturbations in UV-modified, z = 3 (non-projectable) Hořava gravity with one scalar matter field, which has been proposed as a renormalizable gravity theory without the ghost problem in four dimensions. In order to exhibit its dynamical degrees of freedom, we consider the Hamiltonian reduction method and find that, by solving all the constraint equations, the degrees of freedom are the same as those of Einstein gravity: one scalar and two tensor (graviton) modes when a scalar matter field presents. However, we confirm that there is no extra graviton modes and general relativity is recovered in IR, which achieves the consistency of the model. From the UV-modification terms which break the detailed balance condition in UV, we obtain scale-invariant power spectrums for non-inflationary backgrounds, like the power-law expansions, without knowing the details of early expansion history of Universe. This could provide a new framework for the Big Bang cosmology. Moreover, we find that tensor and scalar fluctuations travel differently in UV, generally. We present also some clarifying remarks about confusing points in the literatures.