Abstract The known approximation schemes for the solution of the Wetterich exact renormalization group (RG) equation are critically reconsidered, and a new truncation scheme is proposed. In particular, the equations of the derivative expansion up to the ∂ 2 order for a scalar model are derived in a suitable form, clarifying the role of the off-diagonal terms in the matrix of functional derivatives. The natural domain of validity of the derivative expansion appears to be limited to small values of q / k in the calculation of the critical two-point correlation function, depending on the wave-vector magnitude q and the infrared cut-off scale k . The new approximation scheme has the advantage to be valid for any q / k , and, therefore, it can be auspicious in many current and potential applications of the celebrated Wetterich equation and similar models. Contrary to the derivative expansion, derivatives are not truncated at a finite order in the new scheme. The RG flow equations in the first approximation of this new scheme are derived and approximately solved as an example. It is shown that the derivative expansion up to the ∂ 2 order is just the small- q approximation of our new equations at the first order of truncation.
Abstract The known approximation schemes for the solution of the Wetterich exact renormalization group (RG) equation are critically reconsidered, and a new truncation scheme is proposed. In particular, the equations of the derivative expansion up to the ∂ 2 order for a scalar model are derived in a suitable form, clarifying the role of the off-diagonal terms in the matrix of functional derivatives. The natural domain of validity of the derivative expansion appears to be limited to small values of q / k in the calculation of the critical two-point correlation function, depending on the wave-vector magnitude q and the infrared cut-off scale k . The new approximation scheme has the advantage to be valid for any q / k , and, therefore, it can be auspicious in many current and potential applications of the celebrated Wetterich equation and similar models. Contrary to the derivative expansion, derivatives are not truncated at a finite order in the new scheme. The RG flow equations in the first approximation of this new scheme are derived and approximately solved as an example. It is shown that the derivative expansion up to the ∂ 2 order is just the small- q approximation of our new equations at the first order of truncation.
We consider the non-perturbative renormalization group (RG) equations, obtained as approximations of the exact Wetterich RG flow equation within the Blaizot–Mendez–Wschebor (BMW) truncation scheme. For the first time, we derive explicit RG flow equations for the scalar model at the arbitrary order of truncation. Moreover, we consider original, as well as modified, approximations, used to obtain a set of closed equations. We compare these equations at the s = 2 order of truncation with those recently derived in J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 53, 415002 (2020) within a new truncation scheme and find a striking similarity. Namely, the first-order equations of the latter scheme, those of the original BMW scheme, and those of the modified BMW scheme (at s = 2) differ only in one term. We solved these equations by a recently proposed and tested method of semi-analytic approximations. Thus, the critical exponents η, ν, and ω were evaluated, recovering also the known results of the original BMW scheme. In addition, we estimated the subleading correction-to-scaling exponent ω2 for the three equations considered. To the best of our knowledge, this exponent has not yet been extracted from the Wetterich equation beyond the local potential (the zeroth order) approximation. Our current estimate for the 3D Ising model is ω2 = 2.02 (40), where the error bars include the expected truncation error in the BMW scheme.
Abstract We consider the Wetterich exact renormalization group (RG) equation. Approximate closed equations are obtained from it, applying certain truncation schemes for the effective average action. These equations are solved either purely numerically or by certain extra truncations for the potential and related quantities, called the functional truncations. Traditionally, the functional truncations consist of truncated expansions in powers of ρ ˜ − ρ ˜ 0 , where ρ ˜ ∝ ϕ 2 , φ is the averaged order parameter, and ρ ˜ 0 corresponds to the minimum of the dimensionless potential u k ( ρ ˜ ) , depending on the infrared cut-off scale k . We propose a new approach of functional truncations, using the expansion u k ( ρ ˜ ) − u k ( 0 ) = ( 1 − s ) − μ u 1 , k s + u 2 , k s 2 + ⋯ , where s = ρ ˜ / ( ρ ˜ 0 + ρ ˜ ) , ρ ˜ 0 is an optimization parameter and µ is the exponent, describing the ρ ˜ → ∞ asymptotic. The newly developed method provides accurate estimates of the critical exponents η , ν and als
The renormalization group (RG) flow for the two-dimensional sine-Gordon model is determined by means of Polchinski's RG equation at next-to-leading order in the derivative expansion. In this work we have two different goals, (i) to consider the renormalization scheme-dependence of Polchinski's method by matching Polchinski's equation with the Wegner-Houghton equation and with the real space RG equations for the two-dimensional dilute Coulomb-gas, (ii) to go beyond the local potential approximation in the gradient expansion in order to clarify the supposed role of the field-dependent wave-function renormalization. The well-known Coleman fixed point of the sine-Gordon model is recovered after linearization, whereas the flow exhibits strong dependence on the choice of the renormalization scheme when non-linear terms are kept. The RG flow is compared to those obtained in the Wegner-Houghton approach and in the dilute gas approximation for the two-dimensional Coulomb-gas.
The perturbative renormalization group (RG) treatment of the Ginzburg–Landau model is reconsidered based on the Feynman diagram technique. We derive RG flow equations, exactly calculating all vertices appearing in the perturbative RG transformation of the φ4 model up to the ε3 order of the ε-expansion. The Fourier-transformed two-point correlation function G(k) has been considered. Although the ε-expansion of X(k) = 1/G(k) is well defined on the critical surface, we have revealed an inconsistency with the exact rescaling of X(k), represented as an expansion in powers of k at k →0. This new result can serve as a basis to challenge the correctness of the ε-expansion-based perturbative RG method.
Continuous phase transitions provide a natural setting for understanding universality. Near criticality, the correlation length diverges, microscopic details become increasingly irrelevant, and physical observables obey scaling laws characterized by universal critical exponents. Within the Functional Renormalization Group (FRG), this scale dependence is described through the Effective Average Action, which progressively incorporates fluctuations as the momentum scale is lowered. A first part of this thesis is developed within the Local Potential Approximation (LPA), where we study multicritical fixed points of scalar field theories. Their universal properties are compared with results obtained at higher orders in the derivative expansion. Particular attention is devoted to the relation between global fixed-point potentials and their local representations through finite polynomial truncations. We show that the convergence of such expansions is constrained by the analytic structure of the global solution, and that expanding around a suitable nonzero stationary point significantly improves the reconstruction of multicritical branches. Beyond the structure of individual fixed points, a central part of this thesis concerns RG irreversibility. In two dimensions, Zamolodchikov’s c-theorem describes the flow from the ultraviolet to the infrared through a monotonically decreasing c-function. Within the FRG framework, we develop a variational procedure to reconstruct RG trajectories between fixed points and integrate the corresponding c-function along them. The resulting quantity displays monotonic behaviour and becomes increasingly stable as the truncation order is raised, providing a manifestation of RG irreversibility within the approximation considered. Finally, close to the upper critical dimensions, the linearized FRG flow around the Gaussian fixed point is naturally organized in terms of Hermite polynomials. Using the epsilon-expansion, we derive a curvature-based candidate c-function and obtain an analytic explanation for the alternating curvature of successive multicritical fixed points and for their progressive accumulation around the Gaussian fixed point.
The determination of the critical exponents by means of the Exact Renormalizion Group approach is still a topic of debate. The general flow equation is by construction scheme independent, but the use of the truncated derivative expansion generates a model depencence in the determination of the universal quantities. We derive new nonperturbative flow equations for the one-component, Z_2 symmetric scalar field to the next-to-leading order of the derivative expansion by means of a class of proper time regulators. The critical exponents eta, nu and omega for the Wilson-Fisher fixed point are computed by numerical integration of the flow equations, without resorting to polynomial truncations. We show that by reducing the width of the cut-off employed, the critical exponents become rapidly insensitive to the cut-off width and converge to values that are in good agreement with the results of entirely different approaches.