We recall that, in the study of critical phenomena, the discrete nature of the lattice (finite-cutoff effects) necessitates considering an infinite set of couplings in Wilson's Hamiltonian. This is particularly important for quantities, like the specific heat, which crucially depend on all scales of fluctuations between the lattice spacing and the correlation length and not only on large scales. As a consequence, by taking a precocious infinite-cutoff limit in the renormalization-group equations, one reaches erroneous results.
The approach of Chapter 11, in which we have kept a large momentum or short-distance cut-off, is sufficient for the needs of computing the various universal indices and functions that characterize criticality. All calculations were made in the limit in which the ratio ξ/a of the correlation length ξ to the lattice spacing a is large. In the previous chapters, this was done by keeping a fixed and increasing ξ . The renormalized theory relies on the opposite strategy: it deals directly with the scaling theory in which one takes the limit of a vanishingly small a . I have included here a chapter on the renormalized theory for several reasons: • There is no ultraviolet (or lattice) cut-off any more and, getting rid of one dimensionful parameter considerably simplifies the integrations, especially at higher orders. • All the critical exponents and scaling functions can be computed at T c , i.e., in a massless theory, even when one considers temperature-dependent laws, such as those concerning the correlation length, the magnetic susceptibility or the spontaneous magnetization. Integrals in a massless theory without cut-off are by far simpler, and they are often given by mere dimensional analysis. • However, the main reason is to understand the meaning of renormalizability from the viewpoint both of critical phenomena and of high-energy physics. This will be done in the following section.
The theoretical framework and the details of calculations of nonasymptotic critical behavior, above
Tc, previously published for
n=1, are presented and extended to the cases
n=2and3. The complete description of the real preasymptotic critical domain
Dpreas needs only three adjustable parameters. We show that the ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ model at infinite cutoff is sufficient to obtain this description. The higher-transient and finite-cutoff effects in
Dpreas affect only the adjustable parameters. A precise nonperturbative treatment of the ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ field theory exactly for
d=3, in the spirit of the Parisi work, yields nonasymptotic functions of temperature which, including all the quantitative universal characteristics of the critical behavior in
Dpreas, are adapted to a suitable comparison with experiments. We emphasize that this work allows a determination, within the experimental accuracy, of the size of
Dpreas and an appreciation of the effects of the higher corrections to scaling. We also give the estimates for
n=1,2,and3 of a new universal combination of amplitudes (
RBcr) which concerns the specific heat alone.
Harris criterion In studies of the phase-transition phenomena, the systems considered before were assumed to be perfectly homogeneous. In real physical systems, however, some defects or impurities are always present. Therefore, it is natural to consider what effect impurities might have on the phase-transition phenomena. As we have seen in the previous chapter, the thermodynamics of the second-order phase transition is dominated by large-scale fluctuations. The dominant scale, or the correlation length, R c ∼ | T / T C – l| – v grows as T approaches the critical temperature T c , where it becomes infinite. The large-scale fluctuations lead to singularities in the thermodynamical functions as |τ| ≡ | T / T c – 1| → 0. These singularities are the main subject of the theory. If the concentration of impurities is small, their effect on the critical behavior remains negligible so long as R c is not too large, i.e. for T not too close to T c . In this regime the critical behavior will be essentially the same as in the perfect system. However, as |τ| → 0 ( T → T c ) and R c becomes larger than the average distance between impurities, their influence can become crucial. As T c is approached the following change of length scale takes place. First, the correlation length of the fluctuations becomes much larger than the lattice spacing, and the system ‘forgets’ about the lattice. The only relevant scale that remains in the system in this regime is the correlation length R c (τ).
In this work, three-body bound states were studied in finite volume using an Effective Field Theory framework. The finite volumes under consideration are cubic volumes with periodic boundary conditions. The Effective Field Theory framework used in this work employs only contact interactions and is particularly well suited for studies of universal properties, i.e. properties independent of the details of the interaction on short distances. A particular example in the three-body sector is the Efimov effect, the emergence of a geometrically spaced bound state spectrum. In the first part, systems of three identical bosons are investigated. As a consequence of the breakdown of the spherical symmetry to cubic symmetry, the partial waves of the bound state amplitude are coupled. An infinite set of coupled integral equations for these partial waves is derived. These equations have to be solved numerically in order to obtain the binding energies in the finite volume. The dependence of the energies on the box size is calculated and the results are explicitly verified to be renormalized. Results for positive and negative scattering lengths are shown. The effects of higher partial waves are investigated. The behavior of shallow trimers near the dimer energy as well as deeply bound trimers is studied. The shallowest state investigated crosses the dimer energy at a certain volume and behaves like a scattering state for smaller volumes. Numerical evidence for a universal scaling of the finite volume corrections is provided. Subsequently, the formalism is extended to systems of three nucleons. This case provides the main motivation for this work due to its applicability to Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) calculations of the triton. Such calculations always take place inside a finite volume which makes control over the corresponding effects crucial for an understanding of results from the lattice. For the triton, there are two coupled channels already in the infinite volume corresponding to two different spin-isospin combinations. An infinite set of coupled integral equations for the partial waves of the bound state amplitudes is derived. The renormalization of all results is again explicitly verified. The physical triton inside a finite volume is investigated as well as the triton spectrum for unphysical pion masses. The former case qualitatively shows the same behavior as the three-boson case, and the volume dependence is calculated. The smallest volumes investigated are of the order of magnitude typical for present day Lattice calculations. The motivation for the latter part is twofold. On the one hand, Lattice QCD calculations are performed at pion masses larger than the physical one for computational reasons. On the other hand, it has been conjectured that QCD is close to the critical trajectory for an infrared renormalization group limit cycle, in which case the Efimov effect would occur for a critical pion mass. Close to this critical pion mass, the triton has excited states. The behavior of the ground state and of the excited states inside a finite volume is investigated for various pion masses around the critical one. The excited states cross the energy of the bound di-nucleon, as it was already observed for the shallowest bosonic trimer. The results for the ground state were used to provide strong numerical evidence for a universal scaling of the finite volume corrections.
Abstract The approaches described so far in this book have given a broad phenomenological understanding of critical phenomena. However, although a substantial framework of results and connections has been built up, we have, as yet, no explanations for the following: What is needed is a theory, based on the physics of what is happening at the critical point. we argued in Chapter 1 that the special feature of criticality is that the correlation length is infinite and that the critical system is invariant on all length scales. The aim is to write down a (hopefully short, elegant, and comprehensible) mathematical theory which embodies this physics and explains all the observations listed above. A useful theory will also allow the calculation of critical exponents and transition temperatures, if not exactly, then within an accurate and well-controlled approximation scheme.