Search results for "quantum field"
showing 10 items of 492 documents
Quantum Field Theory on a Discrete Space and Noncommutative Geometry
2001
We analyse in detail the quantization of a simple noncommutative model of spontaneous symmetry breaking in zero dimensions taking into account the noncommutative setting seriously. The connection to the counting argument of Feyman diagrams of the corresponding theory in four dimensions is worked out explicitly. Special emphasis is put on the motivation as well as the presentation of some well-known basic notions of quantum field theory which in the zero-dimensional theory can be studied without being spoiled by technical complications due to the absence of divergencies.
Higher genera Catalan numbers and Hirota equations for extended nonlinear Schrödinger hierarchy
2021
We consider the Dubrovin--Frobenius manifold of rank $2$ whose genus expansion at a special point controls the enumeration of a higher genera generalization of the Catalan numbers, or, equivalently, the enumeration of maps on surfaces, ribbon graphs, Grothendieck's dessins d'enfants, strictly monotone Hurwitz numbers, or lattice points in the moduli spaces of curves. Liu, Zhang, and Zhou conjectured that the full partition function of this Dubrovin--Frobenius manifold is a tau-function of the extended nonlinear Schr\"odinger hierarchy, an extension of a particular rational reduction of the Kadomtsev--Petviashvili hierarchy. We prove a version of their conjecture specializing the Givental--M…
Spatial correlations of field observables in two half-spaces separated by a movable perfect mirror
2023
We consider a system of two cavities separated by a reflecting boundary of finite mass that is free to move, and bounded to its equilibrium position by a harmonic potential. This yields an effective mirror-field interaction, as well as an effective interaction between the field modes mediated by the movable boundary. Two massless scalar fields are defined in each cavity. We consider the second-order interacting ground state of the system, that contains virtual excitations of both mirror's degrees of freedom and of the scalar fields. We investigate the correlation functions between field observables in the two cavities, and find that the squared scalar fields in the two cavities, in the inte…
Computation of form factors in massless QCD with finite master integrals
2016
We present the bare one-, two-, and three-loop form factors in massless Quantum Chromodynamics as linear combinations of finite master integrals. Using symbolic integration, we compute their $\epsilon$ expansions and thereby reproduce all known results with an independent method. Remarkably, in our finite basis, only integrals with a less-than-maximal number of propagators contribute to the cusp anomalous dimensions. We report on indications of this phenomenon at four loops, including the result for a finite, irreducible, twelve-propagator form factor integral. Together with this article, we provide our automated software setup for the computation of finite master integrals.
Gauge-independent off-shell fermion self-energies at two loops: The cases of QED and QCD
2001
We use the pinch technique formalism to construct the gauge-independent off-shell two-loop fermion self-energy, both for Abelian (QED) and non-Abelian (QCD) gauge theories. The new key observation is that all contributions originating from the longitudinal parts of gauge boson propagators, by virtue of the elementary tree-level Ward identities they trigger, give rise to effective vertices, which do not exist in the original Lagrangian; all such vertices cancel diagrammatically inside physical quantities, such as current correlation functions or S-matrix elements. We present two different, but complementary derivations: First, we explicitly track down the aforementioned cancellations inside …
Tales of 1001 gluons
2016
These lectures are centred around tree-level scattering amplitudes in pure Yang-Mills theories, the most prominent example is given by the tree-level gluon amplitudes of QCD. I will discuss several ways of computing these amplitudes, illustrating in this way recent developments in perturbative quantum field theory. Topics covered in these lectures include colour decomposition, spinor and twistor methods, off- and on-shell recursion, MHV amplitudes and MHV expansion, the Grassmannian and the amplituhedron, the scattering equations and the CHY representation. At the end of these lectures there will be an outlook on the relation between pure Yang-Mills amplitudes and scattering amplitudes in p…
Consistent QFT description of non-standard neutrino interactions
2019
Neutrino oscillations are precision probes of new physics beyond the Standard Model. Apart from neutrino masses and mixings, they are also sensitive to possible deviations of low-energy interactions between quarks and leptons from the Standard Model predictions. In this paper we develop a systematic description of such non-standard interactions (NSI) in oscillation experiments within the quantum field theory framework. We calculate the event rate and oscillation probability in the presence of general NSI, starting from the effective field theory (EFT) in which new physics modifies the flavor or Lorentz structure of charged-current interactions between leptons and quarks. We also provide the…
Chiral symmetry breaking with lattice propagators
2010
We study chiral symmetry breaking using the standard gap equation, supplemented with the infrared-finite gluon propagator and ghost dressing function obtained from large-volume lattice simulations. One of the most important ingredients of this analysis is the non-abelian quark-gluon vertex, which controls the way the ghost sector enters into the gap equation. Specifically, this vertex introduces a numerically crucial dependence on the ghost dressing function and the quark-ghost scattering amplitude. This latter quantity satisfies its own, previously unexplored, dynamical equation, which may be decomposed into individual integral equations for its various form factors. In particular, the sca…
Critical reflections on asymptotically safe gravity
2020
Asymptotic safety is a theoretical proposal for the ultraviolet completion of quantum field theories, in particular for quantum gravity. Significant progress on this program has led to a first characterization of the Reuter fixed point. Further advancement in our understanding of the nature of quantum spacetime requires addressing a number of open questions and challenges. Here, we aim at providing a critical reflection on the state of the art in the asymptotic safety program, specifying and elaborating on open questions of both technical and conceptual nature. We also point out systematic pathways, in various stages of practical implementation, towards answering them. Finally, we also take…
Renormalized stress-energy tensor for spin-1/2 fields in expanding universes
2014
We provide an explicit expression for the renormalized expectation value of the stress-energy tensor of a spin-$1/2$ field in a spatially flat FLRW universe. Its computation is based on the extension of the adiabatic regularization method to fermion fields introduced recently in the literature. The tensor is given in terms of UV-finite integrals in momentum space, which involve the mode functions that define the quantum state. As illustrative examples of the method efficiency, we see how to compute the renormalized energy density and pressure in two interesting cosmological scenarios: a de Sitter spacetime and a radiation-dominated universe. In the second case, we explicitly show that the l…