No Arabic abstract
Fixed points of scalar field theories with quartic interactions in $d=4-varepsilon$ dimensions are considered in full generality. For such theories it is known that there exists a scalar function $A$ of the couplings through which the leading-order beta-function can be expressed as a gradient. It is here proved that the fixed-point value of $A$ is bounded from below by a simple expression linear in the dimension of the vector order parameter, $N$. Saturation of the bound requires a marginal deformation, and is shown to arise when fixed points with the same global symmetry coincide in coupling space. Several general results about scalar CFTs are discussed, and a review of known fixed points is given.
We adopt a combination of analytical and numerical methods to study the renormalization group flow of the most general field theory with quartic interaction in $d=4-epsilon$ with $N=3$ and $N=4$ scalars. For $N=3$, we find that it admits only three nondecomposable critical points: the Wilson-Fisher with $O(3)$ symmetry, the cubic with $H_3=(mathbb{Z}_2)^3rtimes S_3$ symmetry, and the biconical with $O(2)times mathbb{Z}_2$. For $N=4$, our analysis reveals the existence of new nontrivial solutions with discrete symmetries and with up to three distinct field anomalous dimensions.
We construct numerically finite density domain-wall solutions which interpolate between two $AdS_4$ fixed points and exhibit an intermediate regime of hyperscaling violation, with or without Lifshitz scaling. Such RG flows can be realized in gravitational models containing a dilatonic scalar and a massive vector field with appropriate choices of the scalar potential and couplings. The infrared $AdS_4$ fixed point describes a new ground state for strongly coupled quantum systems realizing such scalings, thus avoiding the well-known extensive zero temperature entropy associated with $AdS_2 times mathbb{R}^2$. We also examine the zero temperature behavior of the optical conductivity in these backgrounds and identify two scaling regimes before the UV CFT scaling is reached. The scaling of the conductivity is controlled by the emergent IR conformal symmetry at very low frequencies, and by the intermediate scaling regime at higher frequencies.
A notable class of superconformal theories (SCFTs) in six dimensions is parameterized by an integer $N$, an ADE group $G$, and two nilpotent elements $mu_mathrm{L,R}$ in $G$. Nilpotent elements have a natural partial ordering, which has been conjectured to coincide with the hierarchy of renormalization-group flows among the SCFTs. In this paper we test this conjecture for $G=mathrm{SU}(k)$, where AdS$_7$ duals exist in IIA. We work with a seven-dimensional gauged supergravity, consisting of the gravity multiplet and two $mathrm{SU}(k)$ non-Abelian vector multiplets. We show that this theory has many supersymmetric AdS$_7$ vacua, determined by two nilpotent elements, which are naturally interpreted as IIA AdS$_7$ solutions. The BPS equations for domain walls connecting two such vacua can be solved analytically, up to a Nahm equation with certain boundary conditions. The latter admit a solution connecting two vacua if and only if the corresponding nilpotent elements are related by the natural partial ordering, in agreement with the field theory conjecture.
Motivated by its potential use in constraining the structure of 6D renormalization group flows, we determine the low energy dilaton-axion effective field theory of conformal and global symmetry breaking in 6D conformal field theories (CFTs). While our analysis is largely independent of supersymmetry, we also investigate the case of 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs), where we use the effective action to present a streamlined proof of the 6D a-theorem for tensor branch flows, as well as to constrain properties of Higgs branch and mixed branch flows. An analysis of Higgs branch flows in some examples leads us to conjecture that in 6D SCFTs, an interacting dilaton effective theory may be possible even when certain 4-dilaton 4-derivative interaction terms vanish, because of large momentum modifications to 4-point dilaton scattering amplitudes. This possibility is due to the fact that in all known $D > 4$ CFTs, the approach to a conformal fixed point involves effective strings which are becoming tensionless.
A non-perturbative Renormalization Group approach is used to calculate scaling functions for an O(4) model in d=3 dimensions in the presence of an external symmetry-breaking field. These scaling functions are important for the analysis of critical behavior in the O(4) universality class. For example, the finite-temperature phase transition in QCD with two flavors is expected to fall into this class. Critical exponents are calculated in local potential approximation. Parameterizations of the scaling functions for the order parameter and for the longitudinal susceptibility are given. Relations from universal scaling arguments between these scaling functions are investigated and confirmed. The expected asymptotic behavior of the scaling functions predicted by Griffiths is observed. Corrections to the scaling behavior at large values of the external field are studied qualitatively. These scaling corrections can become large, which might have implications for the scaling analysis of lattice QCD results.