The renormalization group and the ϵ expansion

The modern formulation of the renormalization group is explained for both critical phenomena in classical statistical mechanics and quantum field theory. The expansion in ? = 4?d is explained [d is the dimension of space (statistical mechanics) or space-time (quantum field theory)]. The emphasis is on principles, not particular applications. Sections 1–8 provide a self-contained introduction at a fairly elementary level to the statistical mechanical theory. No background is required except for some prior experience with diagrams. In particular, a diagrammatic approximation to an exact renormalization group equation is presented in sections 4 and 5; sections 6–8 include the approximate renormalization group recursion formula and the Feyman graph method for calculating exponents. Sections 10–13 go deeper into renormalization group theory (section 9 presents a calculation of anomalous dimensions). The equivalence of quantum field theory and classical statistical mechanics near the critical point is established in section 10; sections 11–13 concern problems common to both subjects. Specific field theoretic references assume some background in quantum field theory. An exact renormalization group equation is presented in section 11; sections 12 and 13 concern fundamental topological questions.     

Ising gauge theory in 3.999… dimensions

We numerically study Ising gauge theories in non-integer dimensions below four dimensions using fractals. We find indications that the first-order transition of the d = 4 theory becomes second order for d = 4 − ϵ for arbitrarily small non-zero ϵ. This suggests that the upper critical dimension of abelian gauge theories is four.     

Mean field theory and ϵ-expansion for Anderson localization

We present a field theoretic formulation of Anderson localization of an electron in a random potential. In mean field theory we find a mobility edge at energy E_c separating a region with no states from one with conducting states. When the nearest neighbor hopping is a random variable with variance σ, E_c²=4zσ², where z is the coordination number. We study this mobility edge using the ?-expansion. We find an upper critical dimension of eight near which this mobility transition is in the same universality class as the statistics of dilute branched polymers (lattice animals).     

Replica symmetry breaking in and around six dimensions

Two, replica symmetry breaking specific, quantities of the Ising spin glass — the breakpoint x₁ of the order parameter function and the Almeida-Thouless line — are calculated in six dimensions (the upper critical dimension of the replicated field theory used), and also below and above it. The results confirm that replica symmetry breaking does exist below d=6, and also the tendency of its escalation for decreasing dimension continues. As a new feature, x₁ has a nonzero and universal value for d<6 at criticality. Near six dimensions we have x1c=3(6−d)+O[²(6−d)]. A method to expand a generic theory with replica equivalence around the replica symmetric one is also demonstrated.     

On the renormalization of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation

The Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation of nonlinear stochastic growth in d dimensions is studied using the mapping onto a system of directed polymers in a quenched random medium. The polymer problem is renormalized exactly in a minimally subtracted perturbation expansion about d = 2. For the KPZ roughening transition in dimensions d > 2, this renormalization group yields the dynamic exponent z = 2 and the roughness exponent χ = 0, which are exact to all orders in ε ≡ (2 − d)/2. The expansion becomes singular in d = 4. If this singularity persists in the strong-coupling phase, it indicates that d = 4 is the upper critical dimension of the KPZ equation. Further implications of this perturbation theory for the strong-coupling phase are discussed. In particular, it is shown that the correlation functions and the coupling constant defined in minimal subtraction develop an essential singularity at the strong-coupling fixed point.     

A finite size scaling analysis of the O(4)-invariant lattice δ4 theory

The critical behaviour of the three- and four-dimensional N=4 vector model is investigated by means of a Monte Carlo simulation on lattices with size between 4³ and 16³, and between 4⁴ and 12⁴, respectively. For obtaining information about some critical properties of the model, we use a method due to Binder which is based on the theory of finite size scaling. For the three-dimensional model we get estimates of the critical exponents ν and η which are compatible with estimates obtained from the ϵ-expansion. In four dimensions we study for two different values of the bare self-coupling λ (λ=1 in our normalization, and λ=∞) the scaling behaviour of some Green function ratios at the phase boundary. In both cases we find compatibility with the “predicted” scaling behaviour at the gaussian fixed point. This is another independent numerical hint that the continuum limit of the four-dimensional O(4)-invariant lattice δ⁴-model is a free field theory.     

On the susceptibility exponent of random anisotropy magnets

The temperature dependence of the non-linear susceptibility ≈₂(T) of random anisotropy magnets in the Ising limit (speromagnets) is calculated for temperatures above the freezing temperature T_f within the framework of the correlated molecular field theory. For the effective susceptibility exponent λ_s(T) = (T?T_f)≈₂d^-1_≈2/dT a non-monotonic temperature dependence is found as for the case of spin glasses. This must be taken into account in order to obtain reliable values for the critical susceptibility exponent from experimental data.     

Multicritical behaviour at surfaces

The critical behaviour of a semi-infiniten-vector model with a surface term (c/2) ∫d Sφ² is studied in 4-ε dimensions near the special transition. It is shown that all critical surface exponents derive from bulk exponents and η_∥, the anomalous dimension of the order parameter at the surface. The surface exponents and the crossover exponent Φ for the variablec are calculated to second order in ε. It is found that Φ does not satisfy the relation Φ=1-ν predicted by Bray and Moore. The order-parameter profilem(z)=<ø> is calculated to first order in ε. In contrast to mean-field theory,m(z) is not flat nor does it satisfy a Neumann boundary condition. General aspects of the field-theoretic renormalization program for systems with surfaces are discussed with particular attention paid to the explanation of the unfamiliar new features caused by the presence of surfaces.     

Critical behaviour in random field gauge theory

We study the thermodynamic behaviour of spin and gauge systems in the presence of a quenched external random field. In particular, we show that forZ(2) andSU (2) gauge theory in two space dimensions, the random field destroys the ordered phase and thus leads to a shift in the lower critical dimension, just as found for the corresponding Ising model.     

On the renormalized coupling constant and the susceptibility in φ44 field theory and the Ising model in four dimensions

We discuss the euclidean φ₄⁴ field theory, and the critical behavior in ferromagnetic systems in four dimensions. It is rigorously shown that there are at most logarithmic corrections to the mean field law in the behavior of the magnetic susceptibility _X = ΣS₂(0, x). Furthermore, if any such corrections are present in a continuum limit which is used to construct a φ₄⁴ field theory, the limiting theory would be non-interacting. Our analysis extends to ferromagnetic systems of variables which belong to the Griffiths-Simon class.     

Thermodynamic properties of the φ4 lattice field theory near the Ising limit

For a d-dimensional φ⁴ lattice field theory consisting of N spins with nearest-neighbor interactions, the partition function is transformed for large bare coupling constant λ into an Ising-like system with additional neighbor interactions. For d = 2 a mean field approximation is then used to estimate the difference in critical temperature between the lattice φ⁴ field theory and its Ising limit (λ = ∞). Expansions are obtained for the susceptibility and specific heat. The critical exponents are shown to be identical to the Ising exponents.     

A possibility of asymptotic freedom without non-Abelian gauge theories

We discuss solutions of the renormalization group equations for a Yukawa field theory. For an increasing effective boson mass we find that the leading terms in the vertex functions in the high-energy region are given by diagrams which contain no internal boson lines. In e⁺e^? annihilation into hadrons we get the parton model formula R(s) = Σ_iQ_i², whereas in the deep inelastic e^?p scattering the simple parton model behaviour is modified by the (in general) non-canonical dimension of the quark field.     

Hopping conductivity of carbynes modified under high pressures and temperatures: Galvanomagnetic and thermoelectric properties

The conductivity, thermopower, and magnetoresistance of carbynes structurally modified by heating under a high pressure are investigated in the temperature range 1.8–300 K in a magnetic field up to 70 kOe. It is shown that an increase in the synthesis temperature under pressure leads to a transition from 1D hopping conductivity to 2D and then to 3D hopping conductivity. An analysis of transport data at T ≤ 40 K makes it possible to determine the localization radius a ～ (56?140) Å of the wave function and to estimate the density of localized states _g(E _F) for various dimensions d of space: _g(E _F) ≈ 5.8 × 10⁷ eV^?1 cm^?1 (d=1), _g(E _F) ≈5×10¹⁴ eV^?1 cm ^?2 (d=2), and _g(E _F)≈1.1×10²¹ eV^?1 cm_?3 (d=3). A model for hopping conductivity and structure of carbynes is proposed on the basis of clusterization of sp ² bonds in the carbyne matrix on the nanometer scale.     

CPN−1 coupled to gauge fields: Mean field theory and monte carlo results

We define a two parameter lattice field theory which interpolates between the O (2N) Heisenberg model, pure U(1) gauge theory, and a lattice version of the CP^N?1 model. The phase diagram in space-time dimension d=4 is obtained by Monte Carlo simulation on a 4⁴ lattice, and the nature of the phases is discussed in mean field approximation.     

Self-duality and octonionic analyticity of S7-valued antisymmetric fields in eight dimensions

We exhibit two octonionic extensions of the Kalb-Ramond type fields with rank two and four in eigth dimensions. By analogy to the d = 4 (anti-) self-duality of the SU(2) ≈ S³ quaternionic gauge field we consider the respective d = 8 (anti-) self-duality equations for these nonlinear, S⁷-valued antisymmetric fields. By way of an octonionic 't Hooft ansatz these equations reduce to the same generalized Fueter-Cauchy-Riemann equations over S⁸. Explicit (9n + 8) parameter S⁷ → S⁷ mapping solutions, n being a winding number, are found in terms of holomorphic functions of the spacetime octonion. An infinite number of local continuity equations results.     

A non-perturbative analysis of symmetry breaking in two-dimensional φ4 theory using periodic field methods

We describe the generalization of spherical field theory to other modal expansion methods. The main approach remains the same, to reduce a d-dimensional field theory into a set of coupled one-dimensional systems. The method we discuss here uses an expansion with respect to periodic-box modes. We apply the method to φ⁴ theory in two dimensions and compute the critical coupling and critical exponents. We compare with lattice results and predictions via universality and the two-dimensional Ising model.     

Crossover from BCS-superconductivity to Bose-condensation

Starting from a model of free Fermions in two dimensions with an arbitrary strong effective interaction, we derive a Ginzburg-Landau theory describing the crossover from BCS-superconductivity to Bose-condensation. We find a smooth crossover from the standard BCS-limit to a Gross-Pitaevski type equation for the order parameter in a Bose superfluid. The mean field transition temperature exhibits a maximum at a coupling strength, where the behaviour crosses over from BCS to Bose like with corresponding values of 2 Δ₀/T_c ≈ 5 which are characteristic for high T_c superconductors.     

A Self-Consistent Ornstein–Zernike Approximation for the Random Field Ising Model

We extend the self-consistent Ornstein–Zernike approximation (SCOZA), first formulated in the context of liquid-state theory, to the study of the random field Ising model. Within the replica formalism, we treat the quenched random field just as another spin variable, thereby avoiding the usual average over the random field distribution. This allows us to study the influence of the distribution on the phase diagram in finite dimensions. The thermodynamics and the correlation functions are obtained as solutions of a set a coupled partial differential equations with magnetization, temperature, and disorder strength as independent variables. A preliminary analysis based on high-temperature and 1/d series expansions shows that the theory can predict accurately the dependence of the critical temperature on disorder strength (no sharp transition, however, occurs for d4). For the bimodal distribution, we find a tricritical point which moves to weaker fields as the dimension is reduced. For the Gaussian distribution, a tricritical point may appear for d around 4.     

Dynamical study of triplet-triplet energy transfer in rigid solution

Triplet-triplet (T-T) energy transfer from acetophenone to naphthalene-d₈ has been studied in EPA rigid-glass solution at 77 K by masuring the decay of donor phosphorescence and the rise of acceptor T-T absorption over a wide range of time. The results were analyzed in terms of the theory proposed by Inokuti and Hirayama on the basis of a point molecular model. Two parameters, R_O and γ, were determined which are involved in their expression for the rate constant of T-T energy transfer, i.e. n(R) = (1/τ_D) exp[γ(1?R/R_O)], where R and τ_D denote the donor-acceptor distance and the lifetime of donor triplet in the absence of acceptor, respectively. It was found that, in contrast to the Inokuti-Hirayama theory in which γ is assumed to have a constant value, γ increases significantly as the time (t) after flash excitation of the donor becomes smaller: γ ≈ 25 for t/τ_D=10^-2?1, ≈ 35 for t/τ_D = 10^-3? 10^-2, and ≈ 45 for t/τ_D = 10^-4?10^-3. This finding suggests that the true rate constant increases with decreasing R value to a greater extent than the n(R) employed by Inokuti and Hirayama.