Non-perturbative effects in integrable quantum field theories

Gesualdo Delfino A, Giuseppe Mussardo, P. Simonetti

Jean Zinn‐Justin

Path integrals have played a fundamental role in emphasizing the profound analogies between Quantum Field Theory (QFT), and Classical as well as Quantum Statistical Physics. Ideas coming from Statistical Physics have then led to a deeper understanding of Quantum Field Theory and open the way for a wealth of non-perturbative methods. Conversely QFT methods are become essential for the description of the phase transitions and critical phenomena beyond mean field theory. This is the point we want to illustrate here. We therefore review the methods, based on renormalized phi^4_3 quantum field theory and renormalization group, which have led to an accurate determination of critical exponents of the N-vector model, and more recently of the equation of state of the 3D Ising model. The starting point is the perturbative expansion for RG functions or the effective potential to the order presently available. Perturbation theory is known to be divergent and its divergence has been related to instanton contributions. This has allowed to characterize the large order behaviour of perturbation series, an information that can be used to efficiently "sum" them. Practical summation methods based on Borel transformation and conformal mapping have been developed, leading to the most accurate results available probing field theory in a non perturbative regime. We illustrate the methods with a short discussion of the scaling equation of state of the 3D Ising model. Compared to exponents its determination involves a few additional (non-trivial) technical steps, like the use of the parametric representation, and the order-dependent mapping.

J. Balog, Max R. Niedermaier, F. Niedermayer +3 more

Francesco Ravanini

The study of Finite Size Effects in Quantum Field Theory allows the extraction of precious perturbative and non-perturbative information. The use of scaling functions can connect the particle content (scattering theory formulation) of a QFT to its ultraviolet Conformal Field Theory content. If the model is integrable, a method of investigation through a nonlinear integral equation equivalent to Bethe Ansatz and deducible from a light-cone lattice regularization is available. It allows to reconstruct the S-matrix and to understand the locality properties in terms of Bethe root configurations, thanks to the link to ultraviolet CFT guaranteed by the exact determination of scaling function. This method is illustrated in practice for Sine-Gordon / massive Thirring models, clarifying their locality structure and the issues of equivalence between the two models. By restriction of the Sine-Gordon model it is also possible to control the scaling functions of minimal models perturbed by Phi_1,3

Joan Elias Miró, James Ingoldby

A bstract We outline a procedure for applying Hamiltonian Truncation to Quantum Field Theories (QFTs) that have UV divergences. To do this, we derive a novel representation of an Effective Hamiltonian which makes manifest some of its important properties (e.g. the non-perturbative matching of the spectra between the UV theory and the theory described by the Effective Hamiltonian). We check the consistency of our procedure using Conformal Perturbation Theory. Finally we comment on how the Effective Hamiltonian, which incorporates non-local interactions, describes a local QFT.

G. Domokos, Z. Horvȧth, Susan Kovesi-Domokos