Dimensional crossover and effective exponents
Liao, S B, Michael T. Strickland
Abstract
The critical behavior of the lambda phi^4 scalar field theory is investigated as a function of the final renormalization group transformation block size k_o^{-1} and critical temperature beta_c^{-1}. We demonstrate how the dimensionless finite-size scaling variable betabar_c = beta_c k_o determines whether the three-dimensional (betabar_c 1) or four-dimensional (betabar_c 1) fixed point governs the phase transition. The effective betabar_c-dependent critical exponents are shown to interpolate between the three- and four-dimensional values. In the intermediate range of betabar_c finite-size effects on critical exponents are examined by solving the renormalization group equations numerically, both with and without polynomial truncation of the blocked potential U_{beta,k}(Phi). Wavefunction renormalization is explicitly taken into account, and the failure of polynomial expansion of U_{beta,k}(Phi) in the neighborhood of the transition is also discussed.