Within the conformally reduced gravity model, where the metric is parametrised by a function $f(ϕ)$ of the conformal factor $ϕ$, we keep dependence on both the background and fluctuation fields, to local potential approximation and $\mathcal{O}(\partial^2)$ respectively, making no other approximation. Explicit appearances of the background metric are then dictated by realising a remnant diffeomorphism invariance. The standard non-perturbative Renormalization Group (RG) scale $k$ is inherently background dependent, which we show in general forbids the existence of RG fixed points with respect to $k$. By utilising transformations that follow from combining the flow equations with the modified split Ward identity, we uncover a unique background independent notion of RG scale, $\hat k$. The corresponding RG flow equations are then not only explicitly background independent along the entire RG flow but also explicitly independent of the form of $f$. In general $f(ϕ)$ is forced to be scale dependent and needs to be renormalised, but if this is avoided then $k$-fixed points are allowed and furthermore they coincide with $\hat k$-fixed points.
Applying functional renormalization group methods, we describe two inequivalent ways of defining the renormalization group of matter-coupled four dimensional gravity, in the approximation where only the conformal factor is dynamical and taking the trace anomaly explicitly into account. We make contact with earlier work and briefly discuss the presence or absence of fixed points, depending on the truncation of the action and other approximations.
This article describes some geometric invariants and conformal anomalies for conformally compact Einstein manifolds and their minimal submanifolds which have recently been discovered via the Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory correspondence.
In this work we study a significantly enlarged truncation of conformally reduced quantum gravity in the context of Asymptotic Safety, including all operators that can be resolved in such a truncation including up to the sixth order in derivatives. A fixed point analysis suggests that there is no asymptotically safe fixed point in this system once one goes beyond an Einstein-Hilbert approximation. We will put these findings into context and discuss some lessons that can be learned from these results for general non-perturbative renormalisation group flows.
We implement quantum corrections for a magnetic monopole in a classically conformally invariant theory containing gravity. This yields the trace (conformal) anomaly and introduces a length scale in a natural fashion via the process of renormalization. We evaluate the one-loop effective potential and extract the vacuum expectation value (VEV) from it; spontaneous symmetry breaking is radiatively induced. The VEV is set at the renormalization scale $M$ and we exchange the dimensionless scalar coupling constant for the dimensionful VEV via dimensional transmutation. The asymptotic (background) sp…
An exact solution is obtained for a massive scalar field conformally coupled with the curvature in a cosmological model with the scale factor $a(t) = a_0 / |t|$, corresponding to background matter with the equation of state $ p = - 5 \varepsilon /3 $. An expression for the number density of created particles is obtained, and its behavior is studies as the model approached the instant of a Big Rip. Renormalization of the energy-momentum tensor is considered, and it is shown that back reaction of the quantum effects of a conformally coupled scalar field on the space-time metric can be neglected …
We analyze the conceptual role of background independence in the application of the effective average action to quantum gravity. Insisting on a background independent renormalization group (RG) flow the coarse graining operation must be defined in terms of an unspecified variable metric since no rigid metric of a fixed background spacetime is available. This leads to an extra field dependence in the functional RG equation and a significantly different RG flow in comparison to the standard flow equation with a rigid metric in the mode cutoff. The background independent RG flow can possess a non…
The scaling properties of quantum gravity are discussed by employing a class of proper-time regulators in the functional flow equation for the conformal factor within the formalism of the background field method. Renormalization group trajectories obtained by projecting the flow on a flat topology are more stable than those obtained from a projection on a spherical topology. In the latter case the ultraviolet flow can be characterized by a Hopf bifurcation with an ultraviolet attractive limiting cycle. Although the possibility of determining the infrared flow for an extended theory space can b…
We explore the relation between stochastic quantization and holographic Wilsonian renormalization group flow further by studying conformally coupled scalar in $AdS_{d+1}$. We establish one to one mapping between the radial flow of its double trace deformation and stochastic 2-point correlation function. This map is shown to be identical, up to a suitable field re-definition of the bulk scalar, to the original proposal in arXiv:1209.2242.
We consider matter fields conformally coupled to a background metric and dilaton and describe in detail a quantization procedure and related renormalization group flow that preserve Weyl invariance. Even though the resulting effective action is Weyl-invariant, the trace anomaly is still present, with all its physical consequences. We discuss first the case of free matter and then extend the result to interacting matter. We also consider the case when the metric and dilaton are dynamical and gravitons enter in the loops.
The functional renormalization group treatment of the conform reduced Einstein-Hilbert gravity is extended by following the evolution of the time and space derivatives separately, in order to consider the Lorentz symmetry during the evolution. We found the Reuter fixed point in the ultraviolet region. It is shown that starting from the Gaussian fixed point the Lorentz symmetry breaks down in the vicinity of the Reuter fixed point. Similarly, in the symmetry broken phase it also breaks down in the infrared region close to a critical singularity scale. By calculating the anomalous dimension form…
The purpose of this paper is twofold: On the one hand, after a thorough review of the matter free case, we supplement the derivations in our companion paper on 'loop quantum gravity without the Hamiltonian constraint' with calculational details and extend the results to standard model matter, a cosmological constant, and non-compact spatial slices. On the other hand, we provide a discussion on the role of observables, focussed on the situation of a symmetry exchange, which is key to our derivation. Furthermore, we comment on the relation of our model to reduced phase space quantisations based …
In this paper the whole geometrical set-up giving a conformally invariant holographic projection of a diffeomorphism invariant bulk theory is clarified. By studying the renormalization group flow along null geodesic congruences a holographic version of Zamolodchikov's c-theorem is proven.
The vacuum dependence on boundary conditions in quantum field theories is analysed from a very general viewpoint. From this perspective the renormalization prescriptions not only imply the renormalization of the couplings of the theory in the bulk but also the appearance of a flow in the space of boundary conditions. For regular boundaries this flow has a large variety of fixed points and no cyclic orbit. The family of fixed points includes Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions. In one-dimensional field theories pseudoperiodic and quasiperiodic boundary conditions are also RG fixed points.…
Within the derivative expansion of conformally reduced gravity, the modified split Ward identities are shown to be compatible with the flow equations if and only if either the anomalous dimension vanishes or the cutoff profile is chosen to be power law. No solutions exist if the Ward identities are incompatible. In the compatible case, a clear reason is found for why Ward identities can still forbid the existence of fixed points; however, for any cutoff profile, a background independent (and parametrisation independent) flow equation is uncovered. Finally, expanding in vertices, the combined e…
We study a mathematical relationship between holographic Wilsonian renormalization group and stochastic quantization framework. We extend the original proposal given in arXiv:1209.2242 to interacting theories. The original proposal suggests that fictitious time(or stochastic time) evolution of stochastic 2-point correlation function will be identical to the radial evolution of the double trace operator of certain classes of holographic models, which are free theories in AdS space. We study holographic gravity models with interactions in AdS space and establish a map between the holographic ren…
We show that the Kounterterms for pure AdS gravity in arbitrary even dimensions coincide with the boundary counterterms obtained through holographic renormalization if and only if the boundary Weyl tensor vanishes. In particular, the Kounterterms lead to a well posed variational problem for generic asymptotically locally AdS manifolds only in four dimensions. We determine the exact form of the counterterms for conformally flat boundaries and demonstrate that, in even dimensions, the Kounterterms take exactly the same form. This agreement can be understood as a consequence of Anderson's theorem…
The classical action of quantum gravity, determined by renormalization, contains infinitely many independent couplings and can be expressed in different perturbatively equivalent ways. We organize it in a convenient form, which is based on invariants constructed with the Weyl tensor. We show that the FLRW metrics are exact solutions of the field equations in arbitrary dimensions, and so are all locally conformally flat solutions of the Einstein equations. Moreover, expanding the metric tensor around locally conformally flat backgrounds the quadratic part of the action is free of higher derivat…
Using a Hamiltonian approach to gauged WZW models, we present a general method for computing the conformally exact metric and dilaton, to all orders in the $1/k$ expansion, for any bosonic, heterotic, or type-II superstring model based on a coset $G/H$. We prove the following relations: (i) For type-II superstrings the conformally exact metric and dilaton are identical to those of the non-supersymmetric {\it semi-classical} bosonic model except for an overall renormalization of the metric obtained by $k\to k- g$. (ii) The exact expressions for the heterotic superstring are derived from their e…
Any theory can be made Weyl invariant by introducing a dilaton. It is shown how to construct renormalization group equations for gravity that maintain this property. Explicit calculations are given only in the simplest approximation, namely for the one loop beta functions of a dilaton conformally coupled to a dynamical metric, but the results have wider validity. This formalism could be used to define the meaning of a theory with a position-dependent cutoff: it is equivalent to a theory with a constant cutoff, but a conformally related metric.
We explore the nonperturbative renormalization group flow of Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG) on an infinite dimensional theory space. We consider "conformally reduced" gravity where only fluctuations of the conformal factor are quantized and employ the Local Potential Approximation for its effective average action. The requirement of "background independence" in quantum gravity entails a partial differential equation governing the scale dependence of the potential for the conformal factor which differs significantly from that of a scalar matter field. In the infinite dimensional space of potent…
We use the Wetterich-equation to study the renormalization group flow of $f(R)$-gravity in a three-dimensional, conformally reduced setting. Building on the exact heat kernel for maximally symmetric spaces, we obtain a partial differential equation which captures the scale-dependence of $f(R)$ for positive and, for the first time, negative scalar curvature. The effects of different background topologies are studied in detail and it is shown that they affect the gravitational RG flow in a way that is not visible in finite-dimensional truncations. Thus, while featuring local background independe…
We use the background-field method and the heat kernel to obtain all counterterms to two-loop order of conformally-coupled multiflavor $ϕ^3$ theory in six spacetime dimensions, defined in curved spacetime and with spacetime-dependent couplings. We also include spacetime-dependent mass terms for completeness. We use these results to write a general expression for the trace anomaly. With the use of Weyl consistency conditions we are able to show that the strong $a$-theorem for a certain natural candidate quantity $\tilde{a}$ is violated in this theory, and obtain a three-loop expression for the …
It has been argued that certain reduced actions play a role in AdS/CFT when comparing fast moving strings to long single trace operators in gauge theories. Such actions arise in two ways: as a limit of the string action and as a description of long single trace field theory operators. They are non-relativistic sigma models with the target space usually being a Kahler manifold. They are non-renormalizable and need a cut-off in the wave-length. If the total spin (or charge) contained in a minimal wavelength is large compared to one, the system behaves approximately classically and an expansion i…
We study the one loop renormalization in the most general metric-dilaton theory with the second derivative terms only. The general theory can be divided into two classes, models of one are equivalent to conformally coupled with gravity scalar field and also to general relativity with cosmological term. The models of second class have one extra degree of freedom which corresponds to dilaton. We calculate the one loop divergences for the models of second class and find that the arbitrary functions of dilaton in the starting action can be fine-tuned in such a manner that all the higher derivative…
Using the renormalization group techniques it was previously shown that the perturbative effective potential in the $\mathcal{O}(N)$ symmetric $ϕ^4$ theory, massless scalar electrodynamics as well as in the conformal limit of the standard model can be uniquely determined in terms of the known MS scheme renormalization group functions. Furthermore, re-summation of the leading order corrections plus portions of these higher order contributions to the effective potential in the $\mathcal{O}(N)$ symmetric $ϕ^4$ theory shows a peculiar shift in the usual "Landau singularity" apparent in the individ…
Using purely geometrical methods we present a mechanism to solve the scalar field equations of motion (non-minimally coupled with gravity) in a spherically symmetric background. We found that the \emph{full }set of spacetimes, which are of Petrov type O (conformally flat) and admit a \emph{gradient} Conformal Vector Field, can be determined completely. It is shown that the full group of scalar field equations reduced to a \emph{single} equation that depends only on the distance $w=r^{2}-t^{2}$ leaving the metric function (equivalently the functional form of the scalar field or the potential) f…
We establish a linear relation between the $a$-type Weyl anomaly and the 't Hooft anomaly coefficients for the $R$-symmetry and gravitational anomalies in six-dimensional $(1,0)$ superconformal field theories. For RG flows onto the tensor branch, where conformal symmetry is spontaneously broken, supersymmetry relates the anomaly mismatch $Δa$ to the square of a four-derivative interaction for the dilaton. This establishes the $a$-theorem for all such flows. The four-derivative dilaton interaction is in turn related to the Green-Schwarz-like terms that are needed to match the 't Hooft anomalies…
We propose a method for the (re)-construction of a regularized functional integral, well defined in the ultraviolet limit, from a solution of the functional renormalization group equation of the effective average action. The functional integral is required to reproduce this solution. The method is of particular interest for asymptotically safe theories. The bare action for the Einstein-Hilbert truncation of Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG) is computed and its flow is analyzed. As a second example conformally reduced gravity is explored. Various conceptual issues related to the reconstruction pro…
In holographic duality, dynamics along the emergent extra-dimensional space describes a renormalization group (RG) flow of the corresponding quantum field theory (QFT). Following this idea, we develop an emergent holographic description of a QFT, where not only the information of the RG flow is introduced into an IR holographic dual effective field theory (HDEFT), but also the UV information of the QFT is encoded in the HDEFT through the IR boundary condition. In particular, we argue that this dual holographic construction is self-consistent within the assumption of bulk locality, showing the …
The field theoretic renormalization study of reduced quantum electrodynamics (QED) is performed up to two loops. In the condensed matter context, reduced QED constitutes a very natural effective relativistic field theory describing (planar) Dirac liquids, e.g., graphene and graphene-like materials, the surface states of some topological insulators and possibly half-filled fractional quantum Hall systems. From the field theory point of view, the model involves an effective (reduced) gauge field propagating with a fractional power of the d'Alembertian in marked contrast with usual QEDs. The use …
The Maxwell extension of the conformal algebra is presented. With the help of gauging the Maxwell-conformal group, a conformally invariant theory of gravity is constructed. In contrast to the conventional conformally invariant actions, our gravitational action contains the Einstein-Hilbert term without introducing any additional (compensator) scalar field to satisfy the local scale invariance. This is achieved by using the curvatures of the algebra. In a special condition, we show that the resulting action is reduced to the Brans-Dicke like theory of gravity. We subsequently find the generaliz…
We explore entanglement entropy of a cap-like region for a generic quantum field theory residing in the Bunch-Davies vacuum on de Sitter space. Entanglement entropy in our setup is identical with the thermal entropy in the static patch of de Sitter, and we derive a simple relation between the vacuum expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor trace and the RG flow of entanglement entropy. In particular, renormalization of the cosmological constant and logarithmic divergence of the entanglement entropy are interrelated in our setup. We confirm our findings by recovering known universal cont…
Some of the simplest modifications to general relativity involve the coupling of additional scalar fields to the scalar curvature. By making a Weyl rescaling of the metric, these theories can be mapped to Einstein gravity with the additional scalar fields instead being coupled universally to matter. The resulting couplings to matter give rise to scalar fifth forces, which can evade the stringent constraints from local tests of gravity by means of so-called screening mechanisms. In this talk, we derive evolution equations for the matrix elements of the reduced density operator of a toy matter s…
We show that Polchinski equations in the D--dimensional matrix scalar field theory can be reduced at large $N$ to the Hamiltonian equations in a (D+1)-dimensional theory. In the subsector of the $\Tr ϕ^l$ (for all $l$) operators we find the exact form of the corresponding Hamiltonian. The relation to the Holographic renormalization group is discussed.
We systematically study the top-down model of loop quantum black holes (LQBHs), recently derived by Alesci, Bahrami and Pranzetti (ABP). To understand the structure of the model, we first derive several well-known LQBH solutions by taking proper limits. These include the Böhmer-Vandersloot and Ashtekar-Olmedo-Singh models, which were all obtained by the so-called bottom-up polymerizations within the framework of the minisuperspace quantizations. Then, we study the ABP model, and find that the inverse volume corrections become important only when the radius of the two-sphere is of the Planck si…
We perform the dimensional reduction of the linear $σ$ model at one-loop level. The effective potential of the reduced theory obtained from the integration over the nonzero Matsubara frequencies is exhibited. Thermal mass and coupling constant renormalization constants are given, as well as the thermal renormalization group equation which controls the dependence of the counterterms on the temperature. We also recover, for the reduced theory, the vacuum unstability of the model for large N.
It has been proposed in \cite{Park:2014tia} that 4D Einstein gravity becomes effectively reduced to 3D after solving the Lagrangian analogues of the Hamiltonian and momentum constraints of the Hamiltonian quantization. The analysis in \cite{Park:2014tia} was carried out at the classical/operator level. We review the proposal and make a transition to the path integral account. We then set the stage for explicitly carrying out the two-loop renormalization procedure of the resulting 3D action. We also address a potentially subtle issue in the gravity context concerning whether renormalizability d…
The renormalization group (RG) method is extended for global asymptotic analysis of discrete systems. We show that the RG equation in the discretized form leads to difference equations corresponding to the Stuart-Landau or Ginzburg-Landau equations. We propose a discretization scheme which leads to a faithful discretization of the reduced dynamics of the original differential equations.
Using the Pauli-Villars regularization, we make a perturbative analysis of the quantum master equation (QME), $Σ=0$, for the Wilsonian effective action. It is found that the QME for the UV action determines whether exact gauge symmetry is realized along the renormalization group (RG) flow. The basic task of solving the QME can be reduced to compute the Troost-van Niuwenhuizen-Van Proyen jacobian factor for the classical UV action. When the QME cannot be satisfied, the non-vanishing $Σ$ is proportional to a BRS anomaly, which is shown to be preserved along the RG flow. To see how the UV action …
The order parameters of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in QCD, the dynamical mass of quarks and the chiral condensates, are evaluated by numerically solving the Non-Perturbative Renormalization Group (NPRG) equations. We employ an approximation scheme beyond ``the ladder'', that is, beyond the (improved) ladder Schwinger-Dyson equations. The chiral condensates are enhanced compared with the ladder ones, which is phenomenologically favorable. The gauge dependence of the order parameters is fairly reduced in this scheme.
We present a real-space renormalization group approach for the corner Hamiltonian, which is relevant to the reduced density matrix in the density matrix renormalization group. A set of self-consistent equations that the renormalized Hamiltonian should satisfy in the thermodynamic limit is also derived from the fixed point of the recursion relation for the corner Hamiltonian. We demonstrate the renormalization group algorithm for the $S=1/2$ XXZ spin chain and show that the results are consistent with the exact solution. We further examine the renormalization group for the S=1 Heisenberg spin c…
We propose a new renormalization scheme of tensor networks made only of third order tensors. The isometry used for coarse-graining the network can be prepared at an $O(D^6)$ computational cost in any $d$ dimension ($d \ge 2$), where $D$ is the truncated bond dimension of tensors. Although it is reduced to $O(D^5)$ if a randomized singular value decomposition is employed, the total cost is $O(D^{d+3})$ because the contraction part for creating a renormalized tensor with isometries has $D^{d+3}$ multiplications. We test our method in three dimensional Ising model and find that the numerical resu…
We explore entanglement loss along renormalization group trajectories as a basic quantum information property underlying their irreversibility. This analysis is carried out for the quantum Ising chain as a transverse magnetic field is changed. We consider the ground-state entanglement between a large block of spins and the rest of the chain. Entanglement loss is seen to follow from a rigid reordering, satisfying the majorization relation, of the eigenvalues of the reduced density matrix for the spin block. More generally, our results indicate that it may be possible to prove the irreversibilit…
We compute, both explicitly up to next-to-leading order and in a proof by induction for all loop levels, the critical exponents for thermal Lorentz-violating O($N$) self-interacting scalar field theory. They are evaluated in a massless theory renormalized at arbitrary external momenta, where a reduced number of Feynman diagrams is eeded. The results are presented and shown to be identical to that found previously in distinct theories renormalized at different renormalization schemes. At the end we give both mathematical explanation and physical interpretation for them based on coordinates rede…
The renormalization group is a tool that allows one to obtain a reduced description of systems with many degrees of freedom while preserving the relevant features. In the case of quantum systems, in particular, one-dimensional systems defined on a chain, an optimal formulation is given by White's "density matrix renormalization group". This formulation can be shown to rely on concepts of the developing theory of quantum information. Furthermore, White's algorithm can be connected with a peculiar type of quantization, namely, angular quantization. This type of quantization arose in connection w…
