$c$-function and central charge of the sine-Gordon model from the non-perturbative renormalization group flow

In this paper we study the $c$-function of the sine-Gordon model taking explicitly into account the periodicity of the interaction potential. The integration of the $c$-function along trajectories of the non-perturbative renormalization group flow gives access to the central charges of the model in the fixed points. The results at vanishing frequency $beta^2$, where the periodicity does not play a role, are retrieved and the independence on the cutoff regulator for small frequencies is discussed. Our findings show that the central charge obtained integrating the trajectories starting from the repulsive low-frequencies fixed points ($beta^2 <8pi$) to the infrared limit is in good quantitative agreement with the expected $Delta c=1$ result. The behavior of the $c$-function in the other parts of the flow diagram is also discussed. Finally, we point out that also including higher harmonics in the renormalization group treatment at the level of local potential approximation is not sufficient to give reasonable results, even if the periodicity is taken into account. Rather, incorporating the wave-function renormalization (i. e. going beyond local potential approximation) is crucial to get sensible results even when a single frequency is used.

Truncation Effects in the Functional Renormalization Group Study of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking

We study the occurrence of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) for O(N) models using functional renormalization group techniques. We show that even the local potential approximation (LPA) when treated exactly is sufficient to give qualitatively correct results for systems with continuous symmetry, in agreement with the Mermin-Wagner theorem and its extension to systems with fractional dimensions. For general N (including the Ising model N=1) we study the solutions of the LPA equations for various truncations around the zero field using a finite number of terms (and different regulators), showing that SSB always occurs even where it should not. The SSB is signalled by Wilson-Fisher fixed points which for any truncation are shown to stay on the line defined by vanishing mass beta functions.

Critical exponents of O(N) models in fractional dimensions

We compute critical exponents of O(N) models in fractal dimensions between two and four, and for continuos values of the number of field components N, in this way completing the RG classification of universality classes for these models. In d=2 the N-dependence of the correlation length critical exponent gives us the last piece of information needed to establish a RG derivation of the Mermin-Wagner theorem. We also report critical exponents for multi-critical universality classes in the cases N>1 and N=0. Finally, in the large-N limit our critical exponents correctly approach those of the spherical model, allowing us to set N~100 as threshold for the quantitative validity of leading order large-N estimates.