Multi-scale Renormalization Group Methods for Effective Potentials with Multiple Scalar Fields

Abstract

Multi-scale renormalization group (RG) methods are reviewed and applied to the analysis of the effective potential for radiative symmetry breaking with multiple scalar fields, allowing an extension of the Gildener & Weinberg (GW) method beyond the weak coupling limit. A model containing two interacting real scalar fields is used to illustrate multi-scale RG methods and the multi-scale RG functions of this model are calculated to one-loop order for the $β$ function and two-loop order for the anomalous mass dimension. The introduction of an extra renormalization scale allows the mapping of the effective potential in this model onto an RG-equivalent form with an O(2) symmetric structure along a particular trajectory in the multiple renormalization-scale space, leading to a simplified form of the effective potential. It is demonstrated that the physical content of the effective potential in the original model, referenced to a single conventional renormalization scale, can be extracted from a particular RG-trajectory that connects to this multi-scale O(2)-symmetric form of the effective potential. Extensions of these multi-scale methods for effective potentials in models containing multiple scalars with $O(M)\times O(N)$ symmetry are also discussed.