We present a class of spherically symmetric vacuum solutions to an asymptotically safe theory of gravity containing high-derivative terms. We find quantum corrected Schwarzschild-(anti)-de Sitter solutions with running gravitational coupling parameters. The evolution of the couplings is determined by their corresponding renormalization group flow equations. These black holes exhibit properties of a classical Schwarzschild solution at large length scales. At the center, the metric factor remains smooth but the curvature singularity, while softened by the quantum corrections, persists. The solutions have an outer event horizon and an inner Cauchy horizon which equate when the physical mass decreases to a critical value. Super-extremal solutions with masses below the critical value correspond to naked singularities. The Hawking temperature of the black hole vanishes when the physical mass reaches the critical value. Hence, the black holes in the asymptotically safe gravitational theory never completely evaporate. For appropriate values of the parameters such stable black hole remnants make excellent dark matter candidates.
In this paper we investigate the perturbation theory of the asymptotically safe inflation and we find that all modes of gravitational waves perturbation become ghosts in order to achieve a large enough number of e-folds. Formally we can calculate the power spectrum of gravitational waves perturbation, but we find that it is negative. It indicates that there is serious trouble with the asymptotically safe inflation.
Inflation is studied in the context of asymptotically safe theories of gravitation. Conditions are explored under which it is possible to have a long period of nearly exponential expansion that eventually comes to an end.
Asymptotically safe theories of gravitation have received great attention in recent times. In this framework an effective action embodying the basic features of the renormalized flow around the non-gaussian fixed point is derived and its implications for the early universe are discussed. In particular, a "landscape" of a countably infinite number of cosmological inflationary solutions characterized by an unstable de Sitter phase lasting for a large enough number of e-folds is found.
We compute the effective potential for scalar fields in asymptotically safe quantum gravity. A scaling potential and other scaling functions generalize the fixed point values of renormalizable couplings. The scaling potential takes a non-polynomial form, approaching typically a constant for large values of scalar fields. Spontaneous symmetry breaking may be induced by non-vanishing gauge couplings. We strengthen the arguments for a prediction of the ratio between the masses of the top quark and the Higgs boson. Higgs inflation in the standard model is unlikely to be compatible with asymptotic …
A recently proposed Asymptotically Safe cosmology provides an elegant mechanism towards understanding the nature of dark energy and its associated cosmic coincidence problem. The underlying idea is that the accelerated expansion of the universe can occur due to infrared quantum gravity modifications at intermediate astrophysical scales (galaxies or galaxy clusters) which produce local anti-gravity sources. In this cosmological model no extra unproven energy scales or fine-tuning are used. In this study the Asymptotically Safe model is confronted with the most recent observational data from low…
This is an introduction to asymptotically safe quantum gravity, explaining the main idea of asymptotic safety and how it could solve the problem of predictivity in quantum gravity. In the first part, the concept of an asymptotically safe fixed point is discussed within the functional Renormalization Group framework for gravity, which is also briefly reviewed. A concise overview of key results on asymptotically safe gravity is followed by a short discussion of important open questions. The second part highlights how the interplay with matter provides observational consistency tests for all quan…
Asymptotically safe gravity is one effective approach to quantum gravity. It is important to differentiate the modified gravity inspired by asymptotically safe gravity. In this paper, we examine the matter particles dynamics near the improved version of Schwarzschild black hole. We assume that in the context of asymptotically safe gravity scenario the ambient matter surrounding the black hole is of isothermal in nature and investigate the spherical accretion of matter by deriving solutions at critical points. The analysis for the various values of the state parameter for isothermal test fluids…
We present a general framework to systematically study the derivative expansion of asymptotically safe quantum gravity. It is based on an exact decoupling and cancellation of different modes in the Landau limit, and implements a correct mode count as well as a regularisation based on geometrical considerations. It is applicable independent of the truncation order. To illustrate the power of the framework, we discuss the quartic order of the derivative expansion and its fixed point structure as well as physical implications.
Matter-quantum gravity interactions can be used for direct and also indirect experimental tests of quantum gravity. We focus on photon-photon scattering in asymptotically safe gravity as a direct test of the small-scale structure of spacetime, and discuss how near-future experiments can probe asymptotic safety in a setting with large extra dimensions.
We explore the question why our universe is four dimensional from an asymptotically safe vantage point. We find hints that asymptotically safe quantum fluctuations of gravity can only solve the $U(1)$ Landau-pole problem in the Standard Model in four dimensions. This could single out the observed dimensionality of the universe as the critical dimensionality of asymptotically safe interactions.
By studying the notion of a fundamentally minimal length scale in asymptotically safe gravity we find that a specific version of deformed special relativity (DSR) naturally arises in this approach. We then consider two thought experiments to examine the interpretation of the scenario and discuss similarities and differences to other approaches to DSR.
We construct a new inflation model in which the standard model Higgs boson couples minimally to gravity and acts as the inflaton. Our construction of Higgs inflation incorporates the standard model with Einstein gravity which exhibits asymptotic safety in the ultraviolet region. The slow roll condition is satisfied at large field value due to the asymptotically safe behavior of Higgs self-coupling at high energies. We find that this minimal construction is highly predictive, and is consistent with both cosmological observations and collider experiments.
Asymptotic Safety, based on a non-Gaussian fixed point of the gravitational renormalization group flow, provides an elegant mechanism for completing the gravitational force at sub-Planckian scales. At high energies the fixed point controls the scaling of couplings such that unphysical divergences are absent while the emergence of classical low-energy physics is linked to a crossover between two renormalization group fixed points. These features make Asymptotic Safety an attractive framework for cosmological model building. The resulting scenarios may naturally give rise to a quantum gravity dr…
We comment on Weinberg's interesting analysis of asymptotically safe inflation (arXiv:0911.3165). We find that even if the gravity theory exhibits an ultraviolet fixed point, the energy scale during inflation is way too low to drive the theory close to the fixed point value. We choose the specific renormalization groupflow away from the fixed point towards the infrared region that reproduces the Newton's constant and today's cosmological constant. We follow this RG flow path to scales below the Planck scale to study the stability of the inflationary scenario. Again, we find that some fine tuni…
We study quantum modifications to cosmology in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe with and without scalar fields by taking the renormalisation group running of gravitational and matter couplings into account. We exploit the Bianchi identity to relate the renormalisation group scale with scale factor and derive the improved cosmological evolution equations. We find two types of cosmological fixed points where the renormalisation group scale either freezes in, or continues to evolve with scale factor. We discuss the implications of each of these, and classify the different cosmological fixed …
We review aspects of the interplay of asymptotically safe gravity with matter, focusing on the potential predictive power of the quantum scale-symmetry underlying the asymptotically safe fixed point. We explain how an asymptotically safe fixed point for the Standard Model, induced by quantum-gravity fluctuations, might i) render the Standard Model ultraviolet complete and ii) allow us to calculate the values of some of the Standard-Model couplings. In particular, we highlight that such a fixed point might explain the mass-difference between the top and bottom quark.
We explore whether quantum gravity effects within the asymptotic safety paradigm can provide a predictive ultraviolet completion for Abelian gauge theories. We evaluate the effect of quantum gravity fluctuations on the running couplings in the gauge sector and discover an asymptotically safe fixed point of the Renormalization Group. In particular, if the strength of gravitational interactions remains below a critical strength, the minimal gauge coupling becomes asymptotically free. Further, we point out that a completely asymptotically free dynamics for the gauge field is impossible to achieve…
Four-dimensional Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG) is likely to be an asymptotically safe theory which is applicable at arbitrarily small distance scales. On sub-Planckian distances it predicts that spacetime is a fractal with an effective dimensionality of 2. The original argument leading to this result was based upon the anomalous dimension of Newton's constant. In the present paper we demonstrate that also the spectral dimension equals 2 microscopically, while it is equal to 4 on macroscopic scales. This result is an exact consequence of asymptotic safety and does not rely on any truncation. C…
The field of asymptotically safe matter-gravity systems is maturing from the study of simple toy models to the exploration of sectors of the Standard Model and beyond. This status update reviews the current state of the art and points out open questions and future perspectives.
We explore the phenomenology of scalar fields coupled to asymptotically safe quantum gravity, in light of their potential significance for dark matter, for the inflaton as well as dynamical dark energy, and in the Higgs sector in and beyond the Standard Model. This work is a step towards delineating the boundaries of the asymptotically safe swampland by exploiting the constraining power of the asymptotic-safety paradigm. Firstly, we strengthen indications that quantum gravitational fluctuations could drive scalar potentials towards flatness, with intriguing potential implications for inflation…
We investigate axion-like particles (ALPs) in the context of asymptotically safe gravity-matter systems. The ALP-photon interaction, which facilitates experimental searches for ALPs, is a dimension-5-operator. Quantum fluctuations of gravity lower its scaling dimension, and the ALP-photon coupling can become asymptotically free or even asymptotically safe. However, quantum fluctuations of gravity need to be strong to overcome the canonical scaling and this strong-gravity regime is in tension with the weak-gravity bound in asymptotic safety. Thus, we tentatively conclude that fundamental ALPs c…
Asymptotic safety generalizes asymptotic freedom and could contribute to understanding physics beyond the Standard Model. It is a candidate scenario to provide an ultraviolet extension for the effective quantum field theory of gravity through an interacting fixed point of the Renormalization Group. Recently, asymptotic safety has been established in specific gauge-Yukawa models in four dimensions in perturbation theory, providing a starting point for asymptotically safe model building. Moreover, an asymptotically safe fixed point might even be induced in the Standard Model under the impact of …
Within asymptotically safe Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG), the quantum 4-sphere is discussed as a specific example of a fractal spacetime manifold. The relation between the infrared cutoff built into the effective average action and the corresponding coarse graining scale is investigated. Analyzing the properties of the pertinent cutoff modes, the possibility that QEG generates a minimal length scale dynamically is explored. While there exists no minimal proper length, the QEG sphere appears to be "fuzzy" in the sense that there is a minimal angular separation below which two points cannot be …
To find out the possible scenarios for quantum gravity consistent with the observed universe, we numerically investigate the non-perturbative renormalization group equations of a general quadratic gravity theory recently derived by Sen, Wetterich and Yamada (\textit{JHEP} 03 (2022) 130). As boundary conditions, we impose consistency with the Hubble scale and the laboratory scale experiments, and the Starobinsky model of inflation. We find two kinds of trajectories which go to different regime at the trans-Planckian scales: i) a trajectory which flows to the asymptotically free regime, and ii) …
Asymptotically Safe theories of gravity have recently received much attention. In this work we discuss a class of inflationary models derived from quantum-gravity modification of quadratic gravity according to the induced scaling around the non-Gaussian fixed point at very high energies. It is argued that the presence of a three dimensional ultraviolet critical surface generates operators of non-integer power of the type $R^{2-θ/2}$ in the effective Lagrangian, where $θ>0$ is a critical exponent. The requirement of a successful inflationary model in agreement with the recent Planck 2015 data p…
Recent results based on renormalization group approaches to Quantum Gravity suggest that the Newton's and cosmological constants should be treated as dynamical variables whose evolution depend on the characteristic energy scale of the system. An open question is how to embed this modified Einstein's theory in the Dirac constrained dynamics. In this work, the Hamiltonian formalism for a renormalization-group scale dependent Einstein-Hilbert action is discussed paying particular attention to Dirac's constraint analysis. It is shown that the algebra of the Dirac's constraints, in some cases, is c…
Entanglement entropies calculated in the framework of quantum field theory on classical, flat or curved, spacetimes are known to show an intriguing area law in four dimensions, but they are also notorious for their quadratic ultraviolet divergences. In this paper we demonstrate that the analogous entanglement entropies when computed within the Asymptotic Safety approach to background independent quantum gravity are perfectly free from such divergences. We argue that the divergences are an artifact due to the over-idealization of a rigid, classical spacetime geometry which is insensitive to the…
We study the non-perturbative renormalization group flow of higher-derivative gravity employing functional renormalization group techniques. The non-perturbative contributions to the $β$-functions shift the known perturbative ultraviolet fixed point into a non-trivial fixed point with three UV-attractive and one UV-repulsive eigendirections, consistent with the asymptotic safety conjecture of gravity. The implication of this transition on the unitarity problem, typically haunting higher-derivative gravity theories, is discussed.
We explore the fate of the curvature singularity of Schwarzschild (deSitter) black holes in asymptotically safe quantum gravity. Specifically, we upgrade the classical spacetime by including the running of the Newton coupling and cosmological constant. In this setting, the antiscreening character of the gravitational interaction can remove the singularity, yet a nonzero value of the cosmological constant in the ultraviolet appears to reintroduce it. We find hints that a finite value of the cosmological constant in the infrared is compatible with singularity resolution provided that the cosmolo…
Asymptotically safe quantum gravity is a promising candidate scenario to provide a UV extension for the effective quantum field theory of Einstein's gravity. The theory has its foundations on the very successful framework of quantum field theory, which has been extensively tested for electromagnetic and nuclear interactions. However, observational tests of asymptotically safe quantum gravity are more challenging. Recently, a rotating black hole metric inspired by asymptotically safe quantum gravity has been proposed, and this opens the possibility of astrophysical tests of the theory. In the p…
We investigate the impact of quantum gravity on accretion onto a modified Schwarzschild black hole within the context of the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP). The minimal measurable length connected to GUP modifies the Schwarzschild black hole, giving it the capacity to accommodate the correction due to quantum gravity. We look at potential critical point locations and calculate the critical speed of the matter accreting. We determine the temperature and total integrated flux correction at the event horizon for the polytropic matter using the least measurable length conjecture offered b…
The gravitational asymptotic safety program strives for a consistent and predictive quantum theory of gravity based on a non-trivial ultraviolet fixed point of the renormalization group (RG) flow. We investigate this scenario by employing a novel functional renormalization group equation which takes the causal structure of space-time into account and connects the RG flows for Euclidean and Lorentzian signature by a Wick-rotation. Within the Einstein-Hilbert approximation, the $β$-functions of both signatures exhibit ultraviolet fixed points in agreement with asymptotic safety. Surprisingly, th…
We study the constraints imposed by the requirement of Asymptotic Safety on a class of inflationary models with an inflaton field non-minimally coupled to the Ricci scalar. The critical surface in the space of theories is determined by the improved renormalization group flow which takes into account quantum corrections beyond the one loop approximation. The combination of constraints deriving from Planck observations and those from theory puts severe bounds on the values of the parameters of the model and predicts a quite large tensor to scalar ratio. We finally comment on the dependence of th…
We study asymptotically safe gravity with Einstein-Hilbert truncation taking into account the renormalization group running of both gravitational and cosmological constants. We show the classical behavior of the theory is equivalent to a specific class of Jordan-Brans-Dicke theories with vanishing Brans-Dicke parameter, and potential determined by the renormalization group equation. The theory may be reformulated as an $f(R)$ theory. In the simplest cosmological scenario, we find large--field inflationary solutions near the Planck scale where the effective field theory description breaks down.…
Within the Asymptotic Safety scenario, we discuss whether Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG) can give rise to a semi-classical regime of propagating physical gravitons (gravitational waves) governed by an effective theory which complies with the standard rules of local quantum field theory. According to earlier investigations based on single-metric truncations there is a tension between this requirement and the condition of Asymptotic Safety since the former (latter) requires a positive (negative) anomalous dimension of Newton's constant. We show that the problem disappears using the bi-metric ren…
Assuming QCD exhibits an interacting fixed-point behaviour in the ultraviolet regime, I argue that the axion can be substantially heavier than in the conventional case of asymptotically free QCD due to the enhanced contribution of small size instantons to its mass.
We study the fixed point structure of the Higgs-Yukawa model, with its scalar being non-minimally coupled to the asymptotically safe gravity, using the functional renormalization group. We have obtained the renormalization group equations for the cosmological and Newton constants, the scalar mass-squared and quartic coupling constant, and the Yukawa and non-minimal coupling constants, taking into account all the scalar, fermion, and graviton loops. We find that switching on the fermionic quantum fluctuations makes the non-minimal coupling constant irrelevant around the Gaussian-matter fixed po…
We use functional renormalization group methods to study gravity minimally coupled to a free scalar field. This setup provides the prototype of a gravitational theory which is perturbatively non-renormalizable at one-loop level, but may possess a non-trivial renormalization group fixed point controlling its UV behavior. We show that such a fixed point indeed exists within the truncations considered, lending strong support to the conjectured asymptotic safety of the theory. In particular, we demonstrate that the counterterms responsible for its perturbative non-renormalizability have no qualita…
We summarize the status of constructing fixed functionals within the f(R)-truncation of Quantum Einstein Gravity in three spacetime dimensions. Focusing on curvatures much larger than the IR-cutoff scale, it is shown that the fixed point equation admits three different scaling regimes: for classical and quantum dominance the equation becomes linear and has power-law solutions, while the balanced case gives rise to a generalized homogeneous equation whose order is reduced by one and whose solutions are non-analytical.
Asymptotic safety is a theoretical proposal for the ultraviolet completion of quantum field theories, in particular for quantum gravity. Significant progress on this program has led to a first characterization of the Reuter fixed point. Further advancement in our understanding of the nature of quantum spacetime requires addressing a number of open questions and challenges. Here, we aim at providing a critical reflection on the state of the art in the asymptotic safety program, specifying and elaborating on open questions of both technical and conceptual nature. We also point out systematic pat…
The gauge hierarchy problem could find a solution within the scenario of asymptotic safety for quantum gravity. We discuss a "resurgence mechanism" where the running dimensionless coupling responsible for the Higgs scalar mass first decreases in the ultraviolet regime and subsequently increases in the infrared regime. A gravity induced large anomalous dimension plays a crucial role for the required "self-tuned criticality" in the ultraviolet regime beyond the Planck scale.
4D Einstein gravity coupled to scalars and abelian gauge fields in its 2-Killing vector reduction is shown to be quasi-renormalizable to all loop orders at the expense of introducing infinitely many essential couplings. The latter can be combined into one or two functions of the `area radius' associated with the two Killing vectors. The renormalization flow of these couplings is governed by beta functionals expressible in closed form in terms of the (one coupling) beta function of a symmetric space sigma-model. Generically the matter coupled systems are asymptotically safe, that is the flow po…
We compute the ghost anomalous dimension within the asymptotic-safety scenario for quantum gravity. For a class of covariant gauge fixings and using a functional RG scheme, the anomalous dimension $η_c$ is negative, implying an improved UV behavior of ghost fluctuations. At the non-Gaussian UV fixed point, we observe a maximum value of $η_c\simeq -0.78$ for the Landau-deWitt gauge within the given scheme and truncation. Most importantly, the backreaction of the ghost flow onto the Einstein-Hilbert sector preserves the non-Gaussian fixed point with only mild modifications of the fixed-point val…
We discuss the existence of inflationary solutions in a class of renormalization group improved polynomial f(R) theories, which have been studied recently in the context of the asymptotic safety scenario for quantum gravity. These theories seem to possess a nontrivial ultraviolet fixed point, where the dimensionful couplings scale according to their canonical dimensionality. Assuming that the cutoff is proportional to the Hubble parameter, we obtain modified Friedmann equations which admit both power law and exponential solutions. We establish that for sufficiently high order polynomial the so…
General non-singular accelerating cosmological solutions for an initial cosmic period of pure vacuum birth era are derived. This vacuum era is described by a varying cosmological "constant" suggested by the Renormalisation Group flow of Asymptotic Safety scenario near the ultraviolet fixed point. In this scenario, natural exit from inflation to the standard decelerating cosmology occurs when the energy scale lowers and the cosmological "constant" becomes insignificant. In the following period where matter is also present, cosmological solutions with characteristics similar to the vacuum case a…
The effective potential of the conformal factor in the effective average action approach to Quantum Einstein Gravity is discussed. It is shown, without invoking any truncation or other approximations, that if the theory has has a non-Gaussian ultraviolet fixed point and is asymptotically safe the potential has a characteristic behavior near the origin. This behavior might be observable in numerical simulations.
According to the asymptotic safety conjecture, gravity is a renormalizable quantum field theory whose continuum limit is defined by an interacting fixed point of the renormalization group flow. In these proceedings we review some implications of the existence of this non-trivial fixed point in cosmological contexts. Specifically, we discuss a toy model exemplifying how the departure from the fixed-point regime can explain the approximate scale-invariance of the power spectrum of temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background.
The weak-gravity bound has been discovered in asymptotically safe gravity-matter systems, where it limits the maximum strength of gravitational fluctuations. In the present paper, we explore it for the first time in systems with more than one gauge field, to discover whether systems with 12 gauge fields (like the Standard Model) exhibit a weak-gravity bound and whether the gravitational fixed point evades it. Further, we test the robustness of the present and previous results on the weak-gravity bound by exploring their dependence on a gravitational gauge parameter. Finally, the existence of t…
We consider reheating in a class of asymptotically safe quantum field theories recently studied in \cite{Litim:2014uca, Litim:2015iea}. These theories allow for an inflationary phase in the very early universe. Inflation ends with a period of reheating. Since the models contain many scalar fields which are intrinsically coupled to the inflaton there is the possibility of parametric resonance instability in the production of these fields, and the danger that the induced curvature fluctuations will become too large. Here we show that the parametric instability indeed arises, and that hence the e…
In this paper we study the traversability of a wormhole in the context of Asymptotically Safe Gravity (ASG) for two different cases, namely, the spherical case and the pseudospherical case. We carried out an analysis in the throat of the wormhole with an specific choice of the cutoff function $f=ξR$. Recently, this study has been performed in Ref \cite{Moti:2020whf}, however the authors consider only a classical source with constant state parameter $ω$. Here we have generalized their study in two ways: a) with a classical state parameter which is dependent of the position $ω(r)$ and b) with an…
In this paper, new electrically charged asymptotically flat black hole solutions are numerically derived in the context of higher derivative gravity. These solutions can be interpreted as generalizations of two different classes of non-charged asymptotically flat spacetimes: Schwarzschild and non-Schwarzschild solutions. Extreme black hole solutions and black holes with negative mass were found.
Niels Bohr Institute（尼尔斯·玻尔研究所）；Niels Bohr International Academy（尼尔斯·玻尔国际学院）；SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies（SISSA-高级研究国际学院）；INFN, Sezione di Trieste（意大利国家核物理研究所的里雅斯特分部）；IFPU - Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe（宇宙基础物理研究所）
In this paper we study a class of wormhole solutions called generalized Ellis-Bronnikov wormholes in the context of asymptotically safe gravity (ASG). These solutions are characterized by two parameters: an even number $n$ and the wormhole throat radius $r_t$. The particular case $n=2$ recovers the usual Ellis-Bronnikov spacetime, which has already been addressed in the literature. We analyzed the nature of matter in the wormhole's throat, and in nearby regions, of these generalized solutions with $n>2$, using three curvature scalars in the ASG approach, namely, the Ricci scalar, squared Ricci…
