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arXiv:2603.17874

Universal scaling of transport coefficients near the liquid-gas critical point

Johannes V. Roth, Yunxin Ye, Sören Schlichting, Lorenz von Smekal

Published Mar 18, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We employ a novel real-time formulation of the functional renormalization group (FRG) to compute universal scaling functions of the thermal diffusivity and the shear viscosity in the vicinity of the liquid-gas critical point, i.e., for the dynamic universality class of Model H from the Halperin-Hohenberg classification. We map out the universal dependence of the transport coefficients on temperature, external magnetic field, and wavenumber, and provide a detailed comparison with the Kawasaki approximation, which is here obtained from a perturbative one-loop approximation to our real-time FRG flow. In contrast to the Kawasaki approximation, the non-perturbative scaling functions from the full real-time FRG flow show a mild dependence on the thermodynamic path towards the critical point. We further compare our FRG results for the universal wavenumber and temperature dependence of the thermal diffusivity with experimental data from critical fluids.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2603.17874

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We employ a novel real-time formulation of the functional renormalization group (FRG) to compute universal scaling functions of the thermal diffusivity and the shear viscosity in the vicinity of the liquid-gas critical point, i.e., for the dynamic universality class of Model H from the Halperin-Hohenberg classification. We map out the universal dependence of the transport coefficients on temperature, external magnetic field, and wavenumber, and provide a detailed comparison with the Kawasaki approximation, which is here obtained from a perturbative one-loop approximation to our real-time FRG flow. In contrast to the Kawasaki approximation, the non-perturbative scaling functions from the full real-time FRG flow show a mild dependence on the thermodynamic path towards the critical point. We further compare our FRG results for the universal wavenumber and temperature dependence of the thermal diffusivity with experimental data from critical fluids.
We present first calculations of critical spectral functions of the relaxational Models A, B, and C in the Halperin-Hohenberg classification using a real-time formulation of the functional renormalization group (FRG). We revisit the prediction by Son and Stephanov that the linear coupling of a conserved density to the non-conserved order parameter of Model A gives rise to critical Model-B dynamics. We formulate both 1-loop and 2-loop self-consistent expansion schemes in the 1PI vertex functions as truncations of the effective average action suitable for real-time applications, and analyze in detail how the different critical dynamics are properly incorporated in the framework of the FRG on the closed-time path. We present results for the corresponding critical spectral functions, extract the dynamic critical exponents for Models A, B, and C, in two and three spatial dimensions, respectively, and compare the resulting values with recent results from the literature.
We review the progress made in dynamic bulk critical behaviour in equilibrium in the last 25 years since the review of Halperin and Hohenberg. We unify the presentation of the theoretical background by restricting ourselves to the field-theoretic renormalization group method. The main results obtained in the different universality classes are presented. This contains the critical dynamics near the gas–liquid transition in pure fluids (model H), the plait point and consolute point in mixtures (model H � ), the superfluid transition in 4 He (model F) and 4 He– 3 He mixtures (model F � ), the Curie point (model J) and Neel point (model G) in Heisenberg magnets and the superconducting transition. In comparison with experimental results, it became clear that in most cases one has to consider apart from the universal asymptotic critical behaviour also the non-universal effective behaviour. Either because it turned out to be inevitable due to a small dynamical transient exponent inhibiting the system to reach the asymptotics (e.g., at the superfluid transition) or because one is interested in the region further away from the phase transition like in pure fluids and mixtures at their gas–liquid or demixing transition. The calculation of the critical dynamics is adequate in most cases only in two-loop order. We review these results and present the solution to unreasonable features found for some models. Thus, we consider model C where relaxational and diffusive dynamics are coupled and the scaling properties and the limit to a purely relaxational model (model A) have not been understood. In general for models where the order parameter couples to other conserved densities time scale ratios between the kinetic coefficients of the order parameter and the conserved densities play an important role. Their fixed-point values and the approach to the fixed point are changed considerably in two-loop order compared to their values in one-loop order. These considerations are relevant for the explanation of the dynamical critical shape functions of systems such as superfluid helium (model F) and the isotropic antiferromagnet (model G). As far as possible, the comparison of results obtained by the renormalization group theory with numerical simulations has been made.
A bstract We present first calculations of critical spectral functions of the relaxational Models A, B, and C in the Halperin-Hohenberg classification using a real-time formulation of the functional renormalization group (FRG). We revisit the prediction by Son and Stephanov that the linear coupling of a conserved density to the non-conserved order parameter of Model A gives rise to critical Model-B dynamics. We formulate both 1-loop and 2-loop self-consistent expansion schemes in the 1PI vertex functions as truncations of the effective average action suitable for real-time applications, and analyze in detail how the different critical dynamics are properly incorporated in the framework of the FRG on the closed-time path. We present results for the corresponding critical spectral functions, extract the dynamic critical exponents for Models A, B, and C, in two and three spatial dimensions, respectively, and compare the resulting values with recent results from the literature.
The dynamic renormalization-group flow equations for model F of Halperin, Hohenberg, and Siggia [Phys. Rev. B 13, 1299 (1976)] are calculated by means of renormalized field theory within the minimal-renormalization scheme up to two-loop order. These equations are combined with the Borel-resummation results for the static renormalization-group functions computed by Schloms and Dohm. The corresponding static fixed point destabilizes the dynamic-scaling fixed point in two-loop order. The nonuniversal initial values of the static and dynamic flow equations are identified for the \ensuremath{\lambda} transition of 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He at various pressures. Predictions are made for the bulk thermal conductivity very close to ${\mathit{T}}_{\ensuremath{\lambda}}$ where the departures from dynamic scaling should be observable. Effective static and dynamic parameters are computed that can be applied to other critical phenomena above and below the \ensuremath{\lambda} line of 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He.
Originally, the term ‘dynamic critical phenomena’ was coined for time-dependent properties near second-order phase transitions in thermal equilibrium . The kinetics of phase transitions in magnets, at the gas–liquid transition, and at the normal- to superfluid phase transition in helium 4 were among the prominent examples investigated already in the 1960s. The dynamic scaling hypothesis , generalizing the scaling ansatz for the static correlation function and introducing an additional dynamic critical exponent, successfully described a variety of these experiments. Yet only the development of the systematic renormalization group (RG) approach for critical phenomena in the subsequent decade provided a solid conceptual foundation for phenomenological scaling theories. Supplemented with exact solutions for certain idealized model systems, and guided by invaluable input from computer simulations in addition to experimental data, the renormalization group now provides a general framework to explore not only the static and dynamic properties near a critical point, but also the large-scale and low-frequency response in stable thermodynamic phases. Scaling concepts and the renormalization group have also been successfully applied to phase transitions at zero temperature driven by quantum rather than thermal fluctuations. It is to be hoped that RG methods may help to classify the strikingly rich phenomena encountered in far-from-equilibrium systems as well. Recent advances in studies of simple reaction-diffusion systems, active to absorbing state phase transitions, driven lattice gases, and scaling properties of moving interfaces and growing surfaces, among others, appear promising in this respect.