Continuum regularization of quantum field theory

As a complement to our earlier study of renormalization at the Langevin regularized level, we report here on equivalent renormalization programs for regularized Schwinger-Dyson systems. Both one-loop and iterated loop renormalizations of the Green functions of QCD₄ are given, and are shown to be equivalent to the Langevin results. The optional apparent ?-renormalization discussed in IV is shown to apply as well to Schwinger-Dyson systems as to Langevin systems.     

Photoproduction of massive gauge bosons in high energy electron-proton collisions

A self-consistent renormalization scheme at finite temperature and zero momentum is used together with the finite temperature renormalization group to study the temperature dependence of the mass and the coupling to one-loop order in the (φ ³)₆- and (φ ⁴)₄-models. It is found that the critical temperature is shifted relative to the naive one-loop result and the coupling constants at the critical temperature get large corrections. In the high temperature limit of the (φ ⁴)₄-model the coupling decreases.     

Mixing renormalization in Majorana neutrino theories

The renormalization of general theories with inter-family mixing of Dirac and/or Majorana fermions is studied at the one-loop electroweak order. The phenomenological significance of the mixing-matrix renormalization is discussed, within the context of models based on the SU(2)_L⊗U(1)_Y gauge group. The effect of radiative neutrino masses present in these models is naturally taken into account in this formulation. As an example, charged-lepton universality in pion decays is investigated in the heavy-neutrino limit. Non-decoupling heavy-neutrino effects induced by mixing renormalization are found to considerably affect the predictions in these new-physics scenarios.     

On the renormalization of the charm quartet model

Some aspects of the renormalization program for the charm quartet model are discussed, with special emphasis on the role played by the Cabibbo angle. The cancellation of divergences in the W-quarks and Higgs-quarks sector is examined by explicit calculations at the one-loop level, both in the unitary and 't Hooft-Feyman gauges. The main analysis is based on a renormalization scheme which allows for the most general counter-terms generated by the Yukawa couplings. A second approach, equivalent at the S-matrix level, is briefly discussed. As a byproduct of our work we verify that the standard perturbative analysis leads to the same expressions for the coefficients of the divergent parts in the renormalization of the gauge coupling g₀ as a recent current algebra formulation of the radiative corrections.     

Φ3 theory in six dimensions and the renormalization group

Φ³ field theory in six space-time dimensions is used as a testing ground for the renormalization group. The consistency of the new method devised by 't Hooft is verified at the two-loop level by exhibiting certain cancellations among single pole coefficients, and also relations among double and single pole coefficients. This calculation is contrasted in efficiency with one using the Gell-Mann-Low equation in dimensionally regularized form for which a solution is obtained at the one-loop level, without neglecting mass dependence.The theory shares with asymptotically free ones the virtue of an asymptotically vanishing effective coupling constant. Indeed, the next to leading term in the beta function is also of opposite sign to the coupling constant.     

The general three-vertex,BRS identities and renormalizability of the light-cone gauge

The general one-loop three-vertexГ _μeλ ^abc (p, q, r) in the four-component formulation of the Yang-Mills theory is calculated in the light-cone gauge. The nonvanishing counter Lagrangian constructed from this three-vertex and the self-energy is proportional to the original Lagrangian, the single renormalization constant being -11g² C _YM Г(2?ω)/48π². Gauge dependent and nonlocal counterterms do not contribute to the renormalization constant, but are needed to verify the appropriate Slavnov-Taylor (ST) and Becchi-Rouet-Stora (BRS) identities.     

Quantization of gauge-fields in the fock-schwinger gauge

The gauge conditionx _μ A ^μ =0 produces a theory which is free from Faddeev-Popov ghosts, but whose Green's functions obviously lack translational invariance. We present for the first time a consistent perturbation theory in this gauge. Besdes discussing example howlocal counter-terms in the action suffice for the one-loop renormalization ofS-matrix elements.     

A model of spontaneous symmetry breakdown in spatially flat cosmological spacetimes

This paper is an elaboration of a previous short exposition of a theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking in a conformally coupled, massless λø⁴ model in a spatially flat Robertson-Walker spacetime. Under the weakened global boundary condition allowing the physical spacetime to be conformal to only a portion of the Minkowski spacetime, the model admits a pair of degenerate vacua in which the ø → ? ø symmetry is spontaneously broken. The model is formulated as a euclidean field theory in a space with a positive-definite metric obtained by analytically continuing the conformal time coordinate. An appropriate time-dependent zero energy solution of the euclidean equation of motion representing the field configuration in the asymmetric vacuum is considered and the corresponding quantum trace anomaly 〈T_μ^μ〉 is computed in the one-loop approximation. The nontrivial infrared behavior of the model due to the singular nature of the classical background field forces a modification of the boundary conditions on the propagator. A general form for an “improved|DD one-loop trace anomaly is found by a simple argument based on renormalization group invariance. Via the Einstein equation, the trace anomaly leads to a self-consistent dynamical equation for the cosmic expansion scale factor. Some physical aspects of the back-reaction problem based on a simple power law model of the expansion scale factor are discussed.     

Instanton constraints and renormalization

The renormalization is investigated of one-loop quantum fluctuations around a constrained instanton in ?⁴-theory with negative coupling. It is found that the constraint should be renormalized also. This indicates that in general only renormalizable constraints are permitted.     

Photon-Z mixing in the Weinberg-Salam model: Effective charges and the a = −3 gauge

We study some properties of the Weinberg-Salam model connected with the photon-Z mixing. We solve the linear Dyson-Schwinger equations between full and 1PI boson propagators. The task is made easier by the two-point function Ward identities that we derive to all orders and in any gauge. Some aspects of the renormalization of the model are also discussed. We display the exact mass-dependent one-loop two-point functions involving the photon and Z field in any linear ξ-gauge. The special gauge a = ξ^?1 = ?3 is shown to play a peculiar role. In this gauge, the Z field is multiplicatively renormalizable (at the one-loop level), and one can construct both electric and weak effective charges of the theory from the photon and Z propagators, with a very simple expression similar to that of the QED Petermann, Stueckelberg, Gell-Mann and Low charge.     

What can we learn from the finite temperature renormalization group?

The renormalization group for finite temperature quantum field theories is studied, in particular for λ?⁴. It is shown that the “high” temperature limit can only be discussed perturbatively ifT dependent renormalization schemes are implemented. Zero temperature renormalization schemes or renormalization at some fixed reference temperatureT _o are both inadequate as they imply perturbative expansions about fixed points of the renormalization group which are associated with a zero temperature system and a system at temperatureT _o respectively.T dependent schemes give rise to an expansion about the true fixed point of the system, the resulting renormalization group allows the entire crossover between high and low temperature behaviour to be investigated.     

The higgs boson mass in standard electroweak theory

The Higgs—boson mass in standardSU(2)×U(1) electroweak theory is obtained by requiring the one-loop effective potential to be an exact solution of the renormalization—group equation. Neglecting fermion couplings one getsm _H =35 GeV.     

On gauge independence in quantum gravity

We prove the gauge independence of the one-loop path integral for on-shell quantum gravity obtained in the framework of the modified geometric approach. We use a projector on pure gauge directions constructed via the quadratic form of the action. This enables us to formulate the proof entirely in terms of determinants of non-degenerate elliptic operators without reference to any renormalization procedure. The role of the rotation of the conformal factor in achieving gauge independence is discussed. Direct computations on CP² in a general three-parameter background gauge are presented. We comment on the gauge dependence of previous results by Ichinose.     

Mass bounds in a Z 2 scalar-fermion model

The lattice regularized Z ₂ scalar-fermion model using staggered fermions in four dimensions is investigated in the broken symmetry phase. The coupling between the fermion and scalar fields is realized with the overlapping hypercubic type of Yukawa interaction. Triviality upper bound and vacuum stability lower bound on the mass of the scalar particle are numerically estimated. Qualitative agreement between Monte Carlo data and one-loop perturbative results is obtained. Systematic errors of the upper bound are estimated. At strong Yukawa coupling, we see some quantitative disagreements due to finite cutoff effects. We also find the nondecoupling of heavy fermions as predicted from one-loop calculation.     

The absence of cut-off effects for the fixed-point action in one-loop perturbation theory

In order to support the formal renormalization group arguments that the fixed-point action of an asymptotically free model gives cut-off independent physical predictions in one-loop perturbation theory, we calculate the finite-volume mass gap m(L) in the non-linear σ-model. No cut-off effect of the type g⁴ (a/L)ⁿ is seen for any n. The results are compared with those of the standard and tree level improved symanzik actions.     

Decoupling of heavy quarks in quantum chromodynamics

Decoupling of heavy quarks in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) defined by mass-independent renormalization is investigated. The structure of the relations between the parameters of f flavour QCD and the parameters of the effective f ? 1 flavour QCD below a heavy-quark threshold is discussed to all orders in the loop expansion, and the relations are computed to two-loop approximation for the minimal subtraction schemes (MS) and to one-loop approximation for some Weinberg schemes. These matching relations can be used to systematically determine the renormalization group (RG)-invariant parameters of the effective theory in terms of the RG-invariant parameters of the theory which includes the heavy quark, or vice versa. For the $\text{MS}$ scheme the connection between Λ_{f ? 1} nad Λ_f to two and three loops is given as well as the two-loop connection between the RG-invariant mass parameters of the f ? 1 and f flavour theory. The effect of heavy quarks on the evolution of the QCD coupling is of significance for present QCD phenomenology based on next-to-leading-order perturbation theory. This is illustrated with a few examples within the $\text{MS}$ scheme.     

The decay h0 → A0 → A0A0: a complete one-loop calculation in the MSSM

In the minimal supersymmetric standard model the decay h⁰ → A⁰A⁰ of the light neutral scalar h⁰ is kinematically allowed for low values of tan β when radiative corrections to the neutral Higgs masses are taken into account. The width of this decay mode is revisited on the basis of a complete one-loop diagrammatic calculation. We give the analytical expressions and numerical results and compare them with the corresponding ones from the simpler and compact approximations of the effective potential method and the renormalization group approach.     

On the strong-CP problem in models with several Higgs multiplets and supersymmetry

We point out that the strong-CP problem becomes even more pressing in the context of weak models where CP violation originates in the Higgs sector. θ renormalization is numerically too large at the one-loop level and even divergent at the two-loop level. When supersymmetry (SUSY) is introduced, many more possible sources for CP violation open up. θ renormalization could stay finite in perturbation theory, however, we find that the one-loop result turns out to be too large by orders of magnitude unless SUSY fields like gauginos and higgsinos are highly degenerate in mass or SUSY breaking proceeds in a very special way, or a Peccei-Quinn symmetry holds leading to superlight axions.     

Infrared regularization of superstring theory and the one-loop calculation of coupling constants

Infrared regularized versions of 4-D N = 1 superstring ground states are constructed by curving the spacetime. A similar regularization can be performed in field theory. For the IR regularized string ground states we derive the exact one-loop effective action for non-zero U(1) or chromomagnetic fields as well as gravitational and axionic-dilatonic fields. This effective action is IR and UV finite. Thus, the one-loop corrections to all couplings (gravitational, gauge and Yukawas) are unambiguously computed. These corrections are necessary for quantitative string superunification predictions at low energies. The one-loop corrections to the couplings are also found to satisfy Infrared Flow Equations.