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.
We use the conformal bootstrap program to derive the necessary conditions for emergent symmetry enhancement from discrete symmetry (e.g., Z_{n}) to continuous symmetry [e.g., U(1)] under the renormalization group flow. In three dimensions, in order for Z_{2} symmetry to be enhanced to U(1) symmetry, the conformal bootstrap program predicts that the scaling dimension of the order parameter field at the infrared conformal fixed point must satisfy Δ_{1}>1.08. We also obtain the similar necessary conditions for Z_{3} symmetry with Δ_{1}>0.580 and Z_{4} symmetry with Δ_{1}>0.504 from the simultaneous conformal bootstrap analysis of multiple four-point functions. As applications, we show that our necessary conditions impose severe constraints on the nature of the chiral phase transition in QCD, the deconfinement criticality in Néel valence bond solid transitions, and anisotropic deformations in critical O(n) models. We prove that some fixed points proposed in the literature are unstable under the perturbation that cannot be forbidden by the discrete symmetry. In these situations, the second-order phase transition with enhanced symmetry cannot happen.
The phase transitions in a large class of physical systems are described by $n\ensuremath{\ge}4$ component order parameters. Here, the critical behavior of quenched random $n\ensuremath{\ge}4$ vector models is studied by means of renormalization-group theory in $4\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ dimensions. Recursion relations for average potentials are constructed following the methods derived by Lubensky. For several Hamiltonians describing homogeneous $n\ensuremath{\ge}4$ systems there exist no stable fixed points in $4\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ dimensions which explains the first-order transitions actually observed in these systems. It is shown that the recursion relations for the corresponding quenched random systems are also unstable. However, the runaway in this case is of a fundamentally different nature. The fluctuations of the local mean-field transition temperature diverge, and this behavior is interpreted as a "smeared" transition. This interpretation is consistent with existing experiments. On the other hand, in the cases where the homogeneous Hamiltonian possesses a stable fixed point in $4\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ dimensions, this fixed point remains stable against random perturbations, so no change in the critical behavior is expected. For most of the models studied there is at least one fixed point of order ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{\frac{1}{2}}$. These fixed points are all unstable. It is suggested that experiments should be performed to determine the critical behavior of random $n\ensuremath{\ge}4$ systems. Of particular interest are the systems with no stable fixed points, such as Cr, Eu, MnO, and
UO2, where crossover from first-order to a smeared transition is predicted.
We extend the Hertz--Millis theory of quantum phase transitions in itinerant electron systems to phases with broken discrete symmetry. By using a set of coupled flow equations derived within the functional renormalization group framework, we compute the second order phase transition line ${T}_{c}(\ensuremath{\delta})$, where $\ensuremath{\delta}$ is a nonthermal control parameter, near a quantum critical point. We analyze the interplay and relative importance of quantum and classical fluctuations at different energy scales, and we compare the Ginzburg temperature
TG to the transition temperature
Tc, the latter being associated with a non-Gaussian fixed point.
The critical behavior of spin systems with quenched disorder is studied by renormalization-group methods. For the randomly dilute
m-vector model, the
n=0 limit is used to construct a translationally invariant effective Hamiltonian which describes the original disordered system. This Hamiltonian is analyzed in the $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ expansion to order ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{2}$. Sharp second-order phase transitions with exponents which do not depend continuously on impurity concentration are predicted. For $m>{m}_{c}\ensuremath{\equiv}4\ensuremath{-}4\ensuremath{\epsilon}+O({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{2})$ the isotropic
m-component fixed point, which characterizes the critical behavior of the pure system, is stable. For
m<mc, a new random fixed point becomes stable. The exponents corresponding to this fixed point are $\ensuremath{\eta}=[\frac{(5{m}^{2}\ensuremath{-}8m)}{256{(m\ensuremath{-}1)}^{2}}]{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{2}+O({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{3})$, $\ensuremath{\nu}=\frac{1}{2}+[\frac{3m}{32(m\ensuremath{-}1)}]\ensuremath{\epsilon}+[\frac{m(127{m}^{2}\ensuremath{-}572m\ensuremath{-}32)}{4096{(m\ensuremath{-}1)}^{3}}]{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{2}+O({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{3})$ for $m\ensuremath{\ne}1$, and $\ensuremath{\eta}=\ensuremath{-}\frac{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}{106}+O({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{\frac{3}{2}})$, $\ensuremath{\nu}=\frac{1}{2}+\frac{{(\frac{6\ensuremath{\epsilon}}{53})}^{\frac{1}{2}}}{4}+O(\ensuremath{\epsilon})$ for
m=1. More general random systems are qualitatively discussed from the effective-Hamiltonian viewpoint.
For a Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonian of any given symmetry we show how one can find a group
GT of orthogonal transformations in parameter space, which commute with renormalization-group transformations. Then a renormalization-group transformation may be expanded into covariants of
GT. We also present a systematic procedure for finding fixed points; they are most likely to decouple the Hamiltonian or to increase its symmetry. The merit of the conclusions obtained is illustrated using an example of a system with
C4 symmetry. Agreement with the results of $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$-expansion calculations has been found.