The renormalization group in perturbative quantum gravity

This is a short chapter summarizing the main results concerning the renormalization group in models of pure quantum gravity, without matter fields. The chapter starts with a critical analysis of non-perturbative renormalization group approaches, such as the asymptotic safety hypothesis. After that, it presents solid one-loop results based on the minimal subtraction scheme in the one-loop approximation. The polynomial models that are briefly reviewed include the on-shell renormalization group in quantum general relativity, and renormalization group equations in fourth-derivative quantum gravity and superrenormalizable models. Special attention is paid to the gauge-fixing dependence of the renormalization group trajectories.

Renormalization Approach to the Gribov Process: Numerical Evaluation of Critical Exponents in Two Subtraction Schemes

We study universal quantities characterizing the second order phase transition in the Gribov process. To this end, we use numerical methods for the calculation of the renormalization group functions up to two-loop order in perturbation theory in the famous ε-expansion. Within this procedure the anomalous dimensions are evaluated using two different subtraction schemes: the minimal subtraction scheme and the null-momentum scheme. Numerical calculation of integrals was done on the HybriLIT cluster using the Vegas algorithm from the CUBA library. The comparison with existing analytic calculations shows that the minimal subtraction scheme yields more precise results.

The renormalization group equations revisited

Starting from a well-defined local Lagrangian, we analyze the renormalization group equations in terms of the two different arbitrary scales associated with the regularization procedure and with the physical renormalization of the bare parameters, respectively. We apply our formalism to the minimal subtraction scheme using dimensional regularization. We first argue that the relevant regularization scale in this case should be dimensionless. By relating bare and renormalized parameters to physical observables, we calculate the coefficients of the renormalization group equation up to two-loop order in the [Formula: see text] theory. We show that the usual assumption, considering the bare parameters to be independent of the regularization scale, is not a direct consequence of any physical argument. The coefficients that we find in our two-loop calculation are identical to the standard practice. We finally comment on the decoupling properties of the renormalized coupling constant.

Massive vector bosons: Is the geometrical interpretation as a spontaneously broken gauge theory possible at all scales?

The usual derivation of the Lagrangian of a model for massive vector bosons, by spontaneous symmetry breaking of a gauge theory, implies that the prefactors of the various interaction terms are uniquely determined functions of the coupling constant(s) and the masses. Since, under the renormalization group (RG) flow, different interaction terms get different loop-corrections, it is uncertain whether these functions remain fixed under this flow. We investigate this question for the [Formula: see text]-Higgs-model to 1-loop order in the framework of Epstein–Glaser renormalization. Our main result reads: choosing the renormalization mass scale(s) in a way corresponding to the minimal subtraction scheme, the geometrical interpretation as a spontaneously broken gauge theory gets lost under the RG-flow. This holds also for the clearly stronger property of BRST-invariance of the Lagrangian. On the other hand, we prove that physical consistency, which is a weak form of BRST-invariance of the time-ordered products, is maintained under the RG-flow.

The renormalization group with exact β-functions

The perturbative β-function is known exactly in a number of supersymmetric theories and in the ‘t Hooft renormalization scheme in the [Formula: see text] model. It is shown how this allows one to compute the effective action exactly for certain background field configurations and to relate bare and renormalized couplings. The relationship between the minimal subtraction scheme and the supersymmetry subtraction scheme in N = 1 super Yang–Mills theory is discussed.PACS No.: 11.10Z