Using the local potential approximation of the exact renormalization group (RG) equation, we show various domains of values of the parameters of the O(1) -symmetric scalar Hamiltonian.In three dimensions, in addition to the usual critical surface S c (attraction domain of the Wilson-Fisher fixed point), we explicitly show the existence of a first-order phase transition domain S f separated from S c by the tricritical surface S t (attraction domain of the Gaussian fixed point).S f and S c are two distinct domains of repulsion for the Gaussian fixed point, but S f is not the basin of attraction of a fixed point.S f is characterized by an endless renormalized trajectory lying entirely in the domain of negative values of the ϕ 4 -coupling.This renormalized trajectory also exists in four dimensions making the Gaussian fixed point ultra-violet stable (and the ϕ 4 4 renormalized field theory asymptotically free but with a wrong sign of the perfect action).We also show that a very retarded classical-to-Ising crossover may exist in three dimensions (in fact below four dimensions).This could be an explanation of the unexpected classical critical behaviour observed in some ionic systems.
Using the local potential approximation of the exact renormalization group (RG) equation, we show various domains of values of the parameters of the O(1) -symmetric scalar Hamiltonian.In three dimensions, in addition to the usual critical surface S c (attraction domain of the Wilson-Fisher fixed point), we explicitly show the existence of a first-order phase transition domain S f separated from S c by the tricritical surface S t (attraction domain of the Gaussian fixed point).S f and S c are two distinct domains of repulsion for the Gaussian fixed point, but S f is not the basin of attraction of a fixed point.S f is characterized by an endless renormalized trajectory lying entirely in the domain of negative values of the ϕ 4 -coupling.This renormalized trajectory also exists in four dimensions making the Gaussian fixed point ultra-violet stable (and the ϕ 4 4 renormalized field theory asymptotically free but with a wrong sign of the perfect action).We also show that a very retarded classical-to-Ising crossover may exist in three dimensions (in fact below four dimensions).This could be an explanation of the unexpected classical critical behaviour observed in some ionic systems.
Using the local potential approximation of the exact renormalization group (RG) equation, we show the various domains of values of the parameters of the O(1)-symmetric scalar Hamiltonian. In three dimensions, in addition to the usual critical surface Sc (attraction domain of the Wilson-Fisher fixed point), we explicitly show the existence of a first-order phase transition domain Sf separated from Sc by the tricritical surface St (attraction domain of the Gaussian fixed point). Sf and Sc are two distinct domains of repulsion for the Gaussian fixed point, but Sf is not the basin of attraction of a fixed point. Sf is characterized by an endless renormalized trajectory lying entirely in the domain of negative values of the ϕ4-coupling. This renormalized trajectory exists also in four dimensions making the Gaussian fixed point ultra-violet stable (and the ϕ44 renormalized field theory asymptotically free but with a wrong sign of the perfect action). We also show that very retarded classical-to-Ising crossover may exist in three dimensions (in fact below four dimensions). This could be an explanation of the unexpected classical critical behavior observed in some ionic systems.
Abstract In Chapter 14, the singular behavior of ferromagnetic systems with O(N) symmetry and short-range interactions, near a second order phase transition has been determined in the mean-field approximation, which is also a quasi-Gaussian approximation. The mean-field approximation predicts a set of universal properties, properties independent of the detailed structure of the microscopic Hamiltonian, the dimension of space, and, to a large extent, of the symmetry of systems. However, the leading corrections to the mean-field approximation, in dimensions smaller than or equal to four, diverge at the critical temperature, and the universal predictions of the mean-field approximation cannot be correct. Such a problem originates from the non-decoupling of scales and leads to the question of possible universality. In Chapter 9, the question has been answered in four dimensions using renormalization theory, and related renormalization group (RG) equations. Moreover, below four dimensions, in an expansion around the mean-field, the most singular terms near criticality can be also formally recovered from a continuum, low-mass φ4 field theory. More generally, following Wilson, to understand universality beyond the mean-field approximation, it is necessary to build a general renormalization group in the form of flow equations for effective Hamiltonians and to find fixed points of the flow equations. Near four dimensions, the flow equations can be approximated by the renormalization group of quantum field theory (QFT), and the fixed points and critical behaviours derived within the framework of the Wilson-Fisher ϵ expansion.
The large distance behaviour, near the critical temperature, of continuous phase transitions with short range interactions can be reproduced by an effective local field theory. Within this framework, the universal properties of the large distance can be determined by finding fixed points of general, functional renormalization group (RG) equations (Wilson, Wegner). For dimension D > 4, the large scale behavior is governed by the Gaussian fixed point (related to mean field theory), while for D < 4 the Gaussian fixed point is unstable. Near D = 4, the RG equations can be solved in the form of an ǫ = 4 − D expansion, a new stable fixed point is found and this leads to the famous Wilson-Fisher expansion for critical exponents and other universal quantities. Moreover, one realizes that, in this framework, the effective field theory can be reduced to a renormalizable field theory and, at leading order in the critical domain, the much simpler quantum field theory renormalization group can be used. A number of physicists, including the Saclay group (Brezin, Le Guillou, Zinn-Justin) have developed sophisticated field theory techniques, to prove general scaling laws and to calculate exponents to higher orders [1].
The phase diagrams of a variety of physical systems, among them certain antiferromagnets and ternary fluid mixtures, may include a critical line intersecting a line of first-order transitions at a critical end point rather than at the familiar tricritical point. At the critical end point the order parameter has critical fluctuations in the paramagnetic phase and a finite jump. Within Landau theory this phenomenon appears with the introduction of a negative ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{6}$ coupling; here we extend that theory to include fluctuations by a momentum-shell renormalization-group analysis close to four dimensions. In previous real-space analyses the critical end point was associated with a new fixed point. In contrast, the Wilson-Fisher fixed point which characterizes the entire critical line describes the critical end point here. We derive the $O(\ensuremath{\epsilon})$ corrections to the mean-field exponents which, in Landau theory, describe the approach to the critical end point from high temperatures. At the same time, the discontinuity in $〈\ensuremath{\varphi}〉$ at the critical end point predicted by Landau theory is essentially unaltered by fluctuations. It emerges from a renormalization-group calculation of the Gibbs free energy for the Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson model with a negative ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{6}$ term and a positive ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{8}$ term.
Renormalisation of a field theory model for tricritical behaviour in which the operator phi 6 is essential for thermodynamic stability is discussed in d=4- epsilon dimensions. The crossover scaling form of the equation of state is obtained explicitly to first order in epsilon for both positive and negative values of the four-spin coupling constant. Orthodox scaling, involving Gaussian tricritical exponents is obtained, but is shown to be physically inappropriate in the ordered region of the symmetry plane. A reformulation of scaling, using classical tricritical exponents is possible, but involves an additional parameter p with its own scaling exponent phi p =- 1 / 2 (1- epsilon ). This parameter, introduced by Sarbach and Fisher for the many-component, spherical model limit, is related to the coefficient of (nabla phi ) 2 in the field-theoretic Hamiltonian.
The renormalization-group recursion relations are solved for the effective Hamiltonians relative to phase transitions with four-component order parameters. For this value of n there are 22 types of Hamiltonians which can be classified into two categories according to the action of their normalizer GN on the corresponding parameter space (GN is the symmetry group leaving globally invariant this space). In the first case, GN generates a finite number of isolated fixed points whose characteristics can be deduced from the detailed investigation of five Hamiltonians only.In the second category, for which GN is a continuous group, there are, in addition to isolated fixed points, continuous manifolds of physically equivalent fixed points (the dimension of the manifolds is either one or three). In the search for a stable fixed point, the continuous manifolds can be ignored, while the isolated points are related to the five former Hamiltonians. For n=4, it is necessary to solve the recursion relations to two-loop order. The only possible stable ones among the fixed points then arise from a splitting of points which coincide, to one-loop order, with the isotropic fixed point. Extending, to two-loop order, a result recently established to the preceding order, we show that if a stable fixed point exists, it is unique. For n=4, the stable fixed point has one of three possible symmetries : di-icosahedral, hypercubic, or dicylindrical.Despite this anisotropy of the critical fluctuations, the exponents associated with any of the stable fixed points are identical to order ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{2}$ to the ``isotropic'' exponents corresponding to n=4. The cubic point is destabilized by any operator of symmetry lower than cubic. The dicylindrical one remains stable with respect to certain anisotropies of lower symmetry. We examine the available experimental data in light of the preceding theoretical results concerning the critical behavior and the thermodynamic order of the transitions. On the other hand, we establish two general symmetry conditions relative to the stable fixed points determined by the renormalization-group equations. The first one specifies group theoretically, for each value of n, the possible symmetries Gi∗ of the stable fixed points. The second one formulates a necessary condition for the occurrence of an anisotropic stable fixed point: The normalizer GN of the considered parameter space must fulfill the condition GN\ensuremath{\subset}@;BGi∗ for one, at least, of the former Gi∗ groups. These rules are shown to be very restrictive for n=4: On the basis of symmetry the lack of a stable fixed point can be asserted for 10 Hamiltonians out of 22, without solving the fixed-point equations.