33 pages, 4 figures. Review for the special issue "Coarse Graining in Quantum Gravity: Bridging the Gap between Microscopic Models and Spacetime-Physics", Frontiers in Physics
According to the asymptotic-safety conjecture, the gravitational renormalization group flow features an ultraviolet-attractive fixed point that makes the theory renormalizable and ultraviolet complete. The existence of this fixed point entails an antiscreening of the gravitational interaction at short distances. In this paper we review the state-of-the-art of phenomenology of Asymptotically Safe Gravity, focusing on the implications of the gravitational antiscreening in cosmology.
Assuming an effective gravitational action with scale dependent coupling constants, a consistency condition for the local form of the cut-off scale is derived. The approach is applied to homogeneous cosmology and running couplings with an ultraviolet fixed point. Within the given approach this allows to derive bounds on the value of the fixed point.
A discussion of inhomogeneity is indispensable to understand quantum cosmology, even if one uses the dynamics of homogeneous geometries as a first approximation. While a full quantization of inhomogeneous gravity is not available, a broad framework of effective field theory provides important ingredients for quantum cosmology. Such a setting also allows one to take into account lessons from the Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz (BKL) scenario. Based on several new ingredients, this article presents conditions on various parameters and mathematical constructions that appear in minisuperspace models…
Soliton solutions are recovered as scale-invariant asymptotic states of vacuum inhomogeneous cosmologies using renormalization group method. The stability analysis of these states is also given.
We study the anisotropic Bianchi type-I cosmological model at late times, taking into account quantum gravitational corrections in the formalism of the exact renormalization group flow of the effective average action for gravity. The cosmological evolution equations are derived by including the scale dependence of Newton's constant $G$ and cosmological constant $Λ$. We have considered the solutions of the flow equations for $G$ and $Λ$ at next to leading order in the infrared cutoff scale. Using these scale dependent $G$ and $Λ$ in Einstein equations for the Bianchi-I model, we obtain the scal…
A critical examination is made of two simple implementations of the idea that cosmology can be viewed as a renormalization group flow. Both implementations are shown to fail when applied to a massless, minimally coupled scalar with a quartic self-interaction on a locally de Sitter background. Cosmological evolution in this model is not driven by any RG screening of couplings but rather by inflationary particle production gradually filling an initially empty universe with a sea of long wavelength scalars.
The renormalization group method has been adapted to the analysis of the long-time behavior of non-linear partial differential equation and has demonstrated its power in the study of critical phenomena of gravitational collapse. In the present work we apply the renormalization group to the Einstein equation in cosmology and carry out detailed analysis of renormalization group flow in the vicinity of the scale invariant fixed point in the spherically symmetric and inhomogeneous dust filled universe model.
A modified gravitational theory is developed in which the gravitational coupling constants $G$ and $Q$ and the effective mass $m_ϕ$ of a repulsive vector field run with momentum scale $k$ or length scale $\ell =1/k$, according to a renormalization group flow. The theory can explain cosmological early universe data with a dark hidden photon and late time galaxy and cluster dynamics without dark matter. The theory agrees with solar system and binary pulsar observations.
We study small perturbations around the exactly marginal time-dependent string configuration of [1], and demonstrate the lack of the appropriate linearization. This implies that this configuration is an isolated fixed point of the $α^{'}$ flow in the pertinent space of theories.
We analyze the semiclassical Einstein equations for quantum scalar fields satisfying modified dispersion relations. We first discuss in detail the renormalization procedure based on adiabatic subtraction and dimensional regularization. We show that, contrary to what expected from power counting arguments, in 3+1 dimensions the subtraction involves up to the fourth adiabatic order even for dispersion relations containing higher powers of the momentum. Then we analyze the dependence of the trace of the renormalized energy momentum tensor with the scale of new physics, and we recover the usual tr…
We derive the renormalized nonequilibrium equations of motion for a scalar field and its quantum back reaction in a conformally flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. We use a fully covariant formalism proposed by us recently for handling numerically and analytically nonequilibrium dynamics in one-loop approximation. The system is assumed to be in a conformal vacuum state initially. We use dimensional regularization; we find that the counter terms can be chosen independent of the initial conditions though the divergent leading order graphs do depend on them.
Homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies of the Planck era before the classical Einstein equations become valid are studied taking quantum gravitational effects into account. The cosmological evolution equations are renormalization group improved by including the scale dependence of Newton's constant and of the cosmological constant as it is given by the flow equation of the effective average action for gravity. It is argued that the Planck regime can be treated reliably in this framework because gravity is found to become asymptotically free at short distances. The epoch immediately after the in…
The two-dimensional renormalization group acting as the Ricci flow $Λ\frac{\partial}{\partialΛ} g_{μν} = R_{μν}$ produces a specific 1+3 dimensional space-time metric which describes an expanding universe that starts with a big bang $a \sim t^{\scriptscriptstyle 1/\sqrt3}$ then decelerates until $z=0.2$ then accelerates until ending at $t_{\max}=1.6\,t_{H}$ with a big blowup $a \sim (t_{\max}-t)^{\scriptscriptstyle -1/\sqrt3}$. The only free parameters are the overall time scale and the value of the present time $t_{0}$. These are fixed by the Hubble constant $H_{0}=t_{H}^{-1}$ and the present…
Cosmologies with a time dependent Newton constant and cosmological constant are investigated. The scale dependence of $G$ and $Λ$ is governed by a set of renormalization group equations which is coupled to Einstein's equation in a consistent way. The existence of an infrared attractive renormalization group fixed point is postulated, and the cosmological implications of this assumption are explored. It turns out that in the late Universe the vacuum energy density is automatically adjusted so as to equal precisely the matter energy density, and that the deceleration parameter approaches $q = -1…
We study the ``renormalization group action'' induced by cycles of cosmic expansion and contraction, within the context of a family of stochastic dynamical laws for causal sets derived earlier. We find a line of fixed points corresponding to the dynamics of transitive percolation, and we prove that there exist no other fixed points and no cycles of length two or more. We also identify an extensive ``basin of attraction'' of the fixed points but find that it does not exhaust the full parameter space. Nevertheless, we conjecture that every trajectory is drawn toward the fixed point set in a suit…
We consider quantum modifications to phantom cosmology in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime. The cosmological evolution equations improved by the renormalization group are obtained. For exponential potential, we find two types of cosmological fixed point; the renormalization group scale either freezes in, or continues to evolve with scale factor. We discuss the implications of each of these points, and investigate especially whether the big rip can be avoided. If the fixed point of renormalization group flow coincides with the cosmological fixed point, the universe will be dominated by da…
We study primordial cosmology with two scalar fields that participate in inflation at the same time, by coupling quantum gravity (i.e., the theory $R+R^{2}+C^{2}$ with the fakeon prescription/projection for $C^{2}$) to a scalar field with a quadratic potential. We show that there exists a perturbative regime that can be described by an asymptotically de Sitter, cosmic RG flow in two couplings. Since the two scalar degrees of freedom mix in nontrivial ways, the adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations are not RG invariant on superhorizon scales. It is possible to identify the correct perturbati…
In this report we introduce the basic techniques (of the Closed Time Path - Coarse Grained Effective Action CTP-CGEA) and ideas (scaling, coarse-graining and backreaction) behind the treatment of quantum processes in dynamical background spacetimes and fields. We show how they are useful for the construction of renormalization group (RG) theories for studying these nonequilibrium processes and discuss the underlying issues. Examples are drawn from quantum field processes in an inflationary universe, semiclassical cosmology and stochastic gravity. In Part I we show how eternal inflation can be …
Finite expressions for the mean value of the stress tensor corresponding to a scalar field with a generalized dispersion relation in a Friedman--Robertson--Walker universe are obtained using adiabatic renormalization. Formally divergent integrals are evaluated by means of dimensional regularization. The renormalization procedure is shown to be equivalent to a redefinition of the cosmological constant and the Newton constant in the semiclassical Einstein equations.
In Weinberg's asymptotic safety approach, a finite dimensional critical surface for a UV stable fixed point generates a theory of quantum gravity with a finite number of physical parameters. We argue that, in an extension of Feynman's original formulation of the theory, we recover this fixed-point UV behavior from an exact re-arrangement of the respective perturbative series. Our results are consistent with the exact field space Wilsonian renormalization group results of Reuter {\it et al.} and with recent Hopf- algebraic Dyson-Schwinger renormalization theory results of Kreimer. We obtain the…
We study inflation as a "cosmic" renormalization-group flow. The flow, which encodes the dependence on the background metric, is described by a running coupling $α$, which parametrizes the slow roll, a de Sitter free, analytic beta function and perturbation spectra that are RG invariant in the superhorizon limit. Using RG invariance as a guiding principle, we classify the main types of flows according to the properties of their spectra, without referring to their origins from specific actions or models. Novel features include spectra with essential singularities in $α$ and violations of the re…
Recent results of Hartle-Hawking wave functions on asymptotic dS boundaries show non-normalizability, while the bulk origin is not clear. This paper attempts to addresse this problem by studying (Kerr-)dS_3 cosmology in Einstein gravity deformed by a minimally coupled scalar field. Various saddle-point contributions exp[i(saddle-point action)] to the Hartle-Hawking wave functions are computed with mini-superspace formalism. The saddle-point actions are first obtained in the spacetime bulks by direct computation, then on the asymptotic dS boundary by holographic renormalization. It is found tha…
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…
This article reviews some aspects of local covariance and of the ambiguities and anomalies involved in the definition of the stress energy tensor of quantum field theory in curved spacetime. Then, a summary is given of the approach proposed by Buchholz et al. to define local thermal equilibrium states in quantum field theory, i.e., non-equilibrium states to which, locally, one can assign thermal parameters, such as temperature or thermal stress-energy. The extension of that concept to curved spacetime is discussed and some related results are presented. Finally, the recent approach to cosmolog…
We reanalyze the construction of the gravitational functional renormalization group equation tailored to the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner formulation emphasizing its connection to the covariant formulation. The results obtained from projecting the renormalization group flow onto the Einstein-Hilbert action are reviewed in detail and we provide a novel example illustrating how the formalism may be connected to the Causal Dynamical Triangulations approach to quantum gravity.
We apply the renormalization group (RG) method to examine the observable scaling properties in Newtonian cosmology. The original scaling properties of the equations of motion in our model are modified for averaged observables on constant time slices. In the RG flow diagram, we find three robust fixed points: Einstein-de Sitter, Milne and Quiescent fixed points. Their stability (or instability) property does not change under the effect of fluctuations. Inspired by the inflationary scenario in the early Universe, we set the Einstein-de Sitter fixed point with small fluctuations, as the boundary …
We consider the renormalization group improvement in the theory of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson playing the role of an inflaton with a strong non-minimal coupling to gravity. At the one-loop level with the running of constants taken into account, it leads to a range of the Higgs mass that is entirely determined by the lower WMAP bound on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectral index. We find that the SM phenomenology is sensitive to current cosmological data, which suggests to perform more precise CMB measurements as a SM test complementary to the LHC program. By using the concep…
The exact renormalization group equation for pure quantum gravity is used to derive the non-perturbative $\Fbeta$-functions for the dimensionless Newton constant and cosmological constant on the theory space spanned by the Einstein-Hilbert truncation. The resulting coupled differential equations are evaluated for a sharp cutoff function. The features of these flow equations are compared to those found when using a smooth cutoff. The system of equations with sharp cutoff is then solved numerically, deriving the complete renormalization group flow of the Einstein-Hilbert truncation in $d=4$. The…
We revisit here the problem of generalized cosmology using renormalization group approach. A complete analysis of these cosmologies, where specific models appear as asymptotic fixed-points, is given here along with their linearized stability analysis.
In this paper, we use a known duality between expanding and contracting cosmologies to construct a dual of the inflationary flow hierarchy applicable to contracting cosmologies such as Ekpyrotic and Cyclic models. We show that the inflationary flow equations are invariant under the duality and therefore apply equally well to inflation or to cyclic cosmology. We construct a self-consistent small-parameter approximation dual to the slow-roll approximation in inflation, and calculate the power spectrum of perturbations in this limit. We also recover the matter-dominated contracting solution of Wa…
The purpose of this work is to use a renormalized quantum scalar field to investigate very early cosmology, in the Planck era immediately following the big bang. Renormalization effects make the field potential dependent on length scale, and are important during the big bang era. We use the asymptotically free Halpern-Huang scalar field, which is derived from renormalization-group analysis, and solve Einstein's equation with Robertson-Walker metric as an initial-value problem. The main prediction is that the Hubble parameter follows a power law: $H\equiv\dot{a}/a\sim t^{-p}$, and the universe …
We consider the inverse mean curvature flow in Robertson-Walker spacetimes that satisfy the Einstein equations and have a big crunch singularity and prove that under natural conditions the rescaled inverse mean curvature flow provides a smooth transition from big crunch to big bang. We also construct an example showing that in general the transition flow is only of class $C^3$.
We compute the renormalization group flow of O(N) scalar field theories in de Sitter space using nonperturbative renormalization group techniques in the local potential approximation. We obtain the flow of the effective potential on superhorizon scales for arbitrary space-time dimension D=d+1. We show that, due to strong infrared fluctuations, the latter is qualitatively similar to the corresponding one in Euclidean space with D=0. It follows that spontaneously broken symmetries are radiatively restored in any space-time dimension and for any value of N.
We analyze the Ising model on a random surface with a boundary magnetic field using matrix model techniques. We are able to exactly calculate the disk amplitude, boundary magnetization and bulk magnetization in the presence of a boundary field. The results of these calculations can be interpreted in terms of renormalization group flow induced by the boundary operator. In the continuum limit this RG flow corresponds to the flow from non-conformal to conformal boundary conditions which has recently been studied in flat space theories.
A convincing explanation for the nature of the dark energy and dark matter is still missing. In recent works a RG-improved swiss-cheese cosmology with an evolving cosmological constant dependent on the \sch radius has been proven to be a promising model to explain the observed cosmic acceleration. In this work we extend this model to consider the combined scaling of the Newton constant $G$ and the cosmological constant $Λ$ according to the IR-fixed point hypothesis. We shall show that our model easily generates the observed recent passage from deceleration to acceleration without need of extra…
General relativity (GR) extensions based on renormalization group (RG) flows may lead to scale-dependent couplings with nontrivial effects at large distance scales. Here we develop further the approach in which RG effects at large distance scales are fully encoded in an effective action and we apply it to cosmology. In order to evaluate the cosmological consequences, our main assumption is the use of a RG scale such that the (infrared) RG effects only appear at perturbative order (not at the background level). The emphasis here is on analytical results and qualitative understanding of the impl…
Saulder et al [2019, A&A, 622, A83; arXiv:1811.11976] have performed a novel observational test of the local expansion of the Universe for the standard cosmology as compared to an alternative model with differential cosmic expansion. Their analysis employs mock galaxy samples from the Millennium Simulation, a Newtonian $N$-body simulation on a $Λ$CDM background. For the differential expansion case the simulation has been deformed in an attempt to incorporate features of a particular inhomogeneous cosmology: the timescape model. It is shown that key geometrical features of the timescape cosmolo…
