Temperature dependence of coupling constants

We study the temperature-dependence of coupling constants at the one-loop level for massive ?⁴ theory and massive scalar electrodynamics (SED). It is found that the scalar coupling constant λ for m² > 0 decreases with temperature leading to a phase transition to a non-interacting phase. In a model with m² < 0, λ increases as 1n T. The gauge coupling constant of SED increases uniformly with temperature.     

Ghost-free non-Abelian gauge theory: renormalization and gauge-invariance

Although it has been known for a long time that the special case n^μA_μ = 0 for an axial gauge of a vector field A_μ, characterized by a direction n_μ, is free from the peculiar loop complications inherent in all other known gauges of non-Abelian gauge theories, practical use of this ghost-free gauge has often met with some reserve. The reasons were always difficulties in the development of the theoretical formalism, all of which can be traced back to a singularity at n^μp_μ = 0 where p is some four-momentum. This paper, which is a sequel to an earlier one by one of the authors, is intended to show that within the functional integration formalism a consistent field theory can be developed. Here we first prove the gauge invariance of the renormalized theory, allowing for the presence of an arbitrary number of scalar and fermion fields with spontaneous symmetry breaking. Then it is shown that all on-shell elements for the physical S-matrix between properly selected physical sources are independent of n_μ (gauge invariant) and so are the renormalized masses.     

Infrared and pinching singularities in out of equilibrium QCD plasmas

We examine collinear, infrared and pinching singularities in the production of weakly interacting particles from out of equilibrium relativistic plasmas. We show that collinear singularities cancel out in a scalar theory, exactly as at equilibrium. The same result holds in a quark-gluon plasma, provided the matter degrees of freedom are quantized in a physical gauge. However the cancellation does not hold in a covariant gauge; we comment on a possible explanation of this result. Finally we show that pinching singularities give contributions of order g ² δn, where δn is the deviation from equilibrium of the distribution function and g the QCD coupling constant.     

Spin gauge fields: From Berry phase to topological spin transport and Hall effects

The paper examines the emergence of gauge fields during the evolution of a particle with a spin that is described by a matrix Hamiltonian with n different eigenvalues. It is shown that by introducing a spin gauge field a particle with a spin can be described as a spin multiplet of scalar particles situated in a non-Abelian pure gauge (forceless) field U (n). As the result, one can create a theory of particle evolution that is gauge-invariant with regards to the group Uⁿ (1). Due to this, in the adiabatic (Abelian) approximation the spin gauge field is an analogue of n electromagnetic fields U (1) on the extended phase space of the particle. These fields are force ones, and the forces of their action enter the particle motion equations that are derived in the paper in the general form. The motion equations describe the topological spin transport, pumping, and splitting. The Berry phase is represented in this theory analogously to the Dirac phase of a particle in an electromagnetic field. Due to the analogy with the electromagnetic field, the theory becomes natural in the four-dimensional form. Besides the general theory, the article considers a number of important particular examples, both known and new.     

A path-functional field theory of lattice gauge models and the large-N limit

We transform lattice gauge models to a theory of functional fields defined on a set of closed paths. Some relevant properties of the formalism are discussed in detail, with emphasis on symmetry and topological structure. We then investigate the large-N limit of the U(N) lattice gauge model in arbitrary dimensions using this formalism. Assuming the existence of the limit, we show, to arbitrary order of the strong coupling expansion parameter (g²N)^?, which is kept fixed, that for the leading contribution in the limit: (i) the flow of indices in color space can be represented by planar diagrams; (ii) when the diagrams are immersed in space-time they are random surfaces without handles; (iii) there are interactions of the surfaces which can be depicted as the formation of multisheet bubblesw in the surfaces. This formalism also makes it possible to set up a gauge-invariant mean-field approximation.     

Gaussian effective potential for the U(1) Higgs model

In order to investigate the Higgs mechanism nonperturbatively, we compute the Gaussian effective potential of the U(1) Higgs model (“scalar electrodynamics”). We show that the same simple result is obtained in three different formalisms. A general covariant gauge is used, with Landau gauge proving to be optimal. The renormalization generalizes the “autonomous” renormalization for λ?⁴ theory and requires a particular relationship between the bare gauge coupling e _B and the bare scalar self-coupling λ _B. When both couplings are small, then λ is proportional to e⁴ and the scalar/vector mass-squared ratio is of order e², as in the classic 1-loop analysis of Coleman and Weinberg. However, as λ increases, e reaches a maximum value and then decreases, and in this “nonperturbative” regime the Higgs scalar can be much heavier than the vector boson. We compare our results to the autonomously renormalized 1-loop effective potential, finding close agreement in the physical predictions. The main phenomenological implication is a Higgs mass of about 2 TeV.     

The Q2 evolution of flavour singlet wave functions in QCD

We calculate the Q² evolution of the quark-antiquark and gluon-gluon components of helicity-zero, flavour and colour singlet wave functions by summing diagrams to all orders in axial gauge QCD perturbation theory in the leading logarithm approximation. We find that Gegenbauer moments of these components have exactly the same scale-breaking behaviour as moments of singlet quark and gluon distribution functions in leptoproduction. The resulting singlet wave function is used to calculate the amplitudes for quark-antiquark and gluon-gluon jet production in off-shell photon-photon collisions.     

Global existence of coupled Yang-Mills and scalar fields in 2 + 1 dimensional space-time

We present results on the Cauchy problem for coupled classical Yang-Mills and scalar fields in n + 1 dimensional space-time both in the temporal and in the Lorentz gauge. We prove the existence of local solutions for any n, and the existence of global solutions for n = 1, 2 in the temporal gauge and for n = 1 in the Lorentz gauge. The last result also holds for massive Yang-Mill fields.     

Generalized gauge fields and applications to weak interactions

Yang-Mills' field is generalized to possess a nontrivial scalar part. The most general transformations for such a field under the 3-parameter isotopic gauge transformation is obtained. Using this generalized gauge field, a gauge invariant Lagrangian is constructed within the framework of the quark model. Interactions for spin-1 as well as for spin-0 are generated. As a further application a weak interaction theory mediated by the generalized gauge (boson) field is formulated. The entire weak interactions are generated in two halfs; the hadron-boson interaction is generated according to Yang-Mills' trick using the generalized gauge field and the other half (boson-lepton, etc.) is then generated by making use of the scalar part of the gauge fields according to the conventional pion gauge principle. The effective Lagrangian is then found to be mediated by the effective propagators which fall off as p⁻² at high momenta; the unitarity of the theory can thereby be insured. Universality in weaker sense than the usual one is applied to the intermediate bosons; our theory for β-decay then reduces to Cabibbo's at low energy.     

Structure of supergravity

It is shown how to construct actions and kinetic multiplets out of scalar multiplets of supergravity. The multiplets containing the scalar and the conformal tensor are obtained and yield the gauge actions of Einstein and Weyl supergravity. The complete supersymmetric R² and Bel-Robinson invariants are also obtained as well as general n-loop counterterms.     

An analytic calculation of the weak field limit of the static color dielectric constant

We analyze the Dyson equation/Ward identity system for the axial gauge n · A = 0 gluon propagator Δ_μν(q)whenn · q = 0. The solution behaves like (q^?4 + (q²)^ν?1) for small q₂, and we are able to calculate the power ν analytically. It turns out to be 0.1737. This analytic calculation verifies our earlier numerical solutions to these equations. For static problems, n · q = 0 is the temporal gauge, and in this gauge the gluon propagator is directly related to the color dielectric constant. We can thus calculate the dielectric constant in the infrared limit.     

The effective potential and the bound states for a class of two dimensional gauge theories

The effective potential is calculated for a two dimensionalU(N) gauge theory with scalar quarks to leading order in the 1/N expansion. If there is noφ ⁴ interaction present, the potential is unbounded from below. If theφ ⁴ interaction is present, the potential is bounded from below and there is an unbroken and a spontaneously broken symmetry phase. The bound state spectrum of the unbroken phase is very similar to that of anU(N) gauge theory without theφ ⁴ term.     

Vacuum instability in scalar field theories

The class of scalar field theories with interaction gφ^2N?1, are studied using the semi-classical approximation. The imaginary part of the vertex functions generated by tunnelling out of the metastable ground state is calculated to first order. Using this result, the leading asymptotic behaviour of the renormalisation group β function for φ³ field theory is obtained in six dimensions. The validity of this result is discussed in view of the extra singularities which appear when the theory is just renormalisable. The structure of the perturbation expansion for n component φ³ theory is also discussed, and cases in which these theories yield perturbation expansions which are Borel summable, are pointed out.     

Topological mass generation of scalar particles in the static flat Clifford-Klein-Robertson-Walker spacetimes

In spacetimes with topologies Tⁿ X R^4?n and flat metrics, n = 2, 3, where T = S¹ is a circle and in the massless ø⁴ theory, the masses of scalar multiplets produced both by self-interaction and by nontrivial spacetime topology are evaluated.     

A connection between ν-dimensional Yang-Mills theory and (ν−1)-dimensional,non-linear σ-models

We study non-linear σ-models and Yang-Mills theory. Yang-Mills theory on the ν-dimensional lattice ? ^v can be obtained as an integral of a product over all values of one coordinate of non-linear σ-models on ? ^v?1 in random external gauge fields. This exhibits two possible mechanisms for confinement of static quarks one of which is that clustering of certain two-point functions of those σ-models implies confinement of static quarks in the corresponding Yang-Mills theory. Clustering is proven for all one-dimensional σ-models, for theU(n) ×U(n) σ-models,n=1, 2, 3, ..., in two dimensions, and for the SU(2) × SU(2) σ-models for a large range of couplingsg ² ? O(ν). Arguments pertinent to the construction of the continuum limit are discussed. A representation of the expectation of Wilson loops in terms of expectations of random surfaces bounded by the loops is derived when the gauge group is SU(2),U(n) or O(n),n=1, 2, 3, ..., and connections to the theory of dual strings are sketched.     

Progress in lattice gauge theory

Two topics of lattice gauge theory are reviewed. They include string tension and β-function calculations by strong coupling Hamiltonian methods for SU(3) gauge fields in 3 + 1 dimensions, and a 1/N-expansion for discrete gauge and spin systems in all dimensions. The SU(3) calculations give solid evidence for the coexistence of quark confinement and asymptotic freedom in the renormalized continuum limit of the lattice theory. The crossover between weak and strong coupling behavior in the theory is seen to be a weak coupling but non-perturbative effect. Quantitative relationships between perturbative and non-perturbative renormalization schemes are obtained for the O(N) nonlinear sigma models in 1 + 1 dimensions as well as the range theory in 3 + 1 dimensions. Analysis of the strong coupling expansion of the β-function for gauge fields suggests that it has cuts in the complex 1/g²-plane. A toy model of such a cut structure which naturally explains the abruptness of the theory's crossover from weak to strong coupling is presented. The relation of these cuts to other approaches to gauge field dynamics is discussed briefly.The dynamics underlying first order phase transitions in a wide class of lattice gauge theories is exposed by considering a class of models-P(N) gauge theories - which are soluble in the N → ∞ limit and have non-trivial phase diagrams. The first order character of the phase transitions in Potts spin systems for N #62; 4 in 1 + 1 dimensions is explained in simple terms which generalizes to P(N) gauge systems in higher dimensions. The phase diagram of Ising lattice gauge theory coupled to matter fields is obtained in a $\text{1}\text{N}$ expansion. A one-plaquette model (1 time-0 space dimensions) with a first-order phase transitions in the N → ∞ limit is discussed.     

The conformal anomaly and the neutral currents sector of the Standard Model

We elaborate on the structure of the graviton–gauge–gauge vertex in the electroweak theory, obtained by the insertion of the complete energy–momentum tensor (T  ) on 2-point functions of neutral gauge currents (VV^′$V{V}^{\prime }$). The vertex defines the leading contribution to the effective action which accounts for the conformal anomaly and related interaction between the Standard Model and gravity. The energy–momentum tensor is derived from the curved spacetime Lagrangian in the linearized gravitational limit, and with the inclusion of the term of improvement of a conformally coupled Higgs sector. As in the previous cases of QED and QCD, we find that the conformal anomaly induces an effective massless scalar interaction between gravity and the neutral currents in each gauge invariant component of the vertex. This is described by the exchange of an anomaly pole. We show that for a spontaneously broken theory the anomaly can be entirely attributed to the poles only for a conformally coupled Higgs scalar. In the exchange of a graviton, the trace part of the corresponding interaction can be interpreted as due to an effective dilaton, using a local version of the effective action. We discuss the implications of the anomalous Ward identity for the TVV^′$TV{V}^{\prime }$ correlator for the structure of the gauge/gauge/effective dilaton vertex in the effective action. The analogy between these effective interactions and those related to the radion in theories with large extra dimensions is pointed out.     

Amplification of the scattering cross section due to non-trivial topology of the spacetime

In [1, 2] it was demonstrated that the total cross section of the scattering of two light particles (zero modes of the Kaluza-Klein tower) in the six-dimensional λφ ⁴ model differs significantly from the cross section of the same process in the conventional λφ ⁴ theory in four space-time dimensions even for the energies below the threshold of the first heavy particle. In the present article the analytical structure of the cross section in the same model with torus compactification for arbitrary radii of the two-dimensional torus is studied. Also, further amplification of the total cross section due to interaction of the scalar field with constant background Abelian gauge potential in the space of extra dimensions is shown.     

Gauge boson exchange in AdSd+1

We study the amplitude for exchange of massless gauge bosons between pairs of massive scalar fields in anti-de Sitter space. In the AdS/CFT correspondence this amplitude describes the contribution of conserved flavor symmetry currents to 4-point functions of scalar operators in the boundary conformal theory. A concise, covariant, Y2K compatible derivation of the gauge boson propagator in AdS_{d + 1} is given. Techniques are developed to calculate the two bulk integrals over AdS space leading to explicit expressions or convenient, simple integral representations for the amplitude. The amplitude contains leading power and sub-leading logarithmic singularities in the gauge boson channel and leading logarithms in the crossed channel. The new methods of this paper are expected to have other applications in the study of the Maldacena conjecture.