Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv · 2610.03365

Functional renormalization group in an external field: constant field versus constant order parameter

Abstract

Renormalization group (RG) flows for systems subject to an external field can be derived either by fixing the field or by fixing the conjugate order parameter. We show how to implement these boundary conditions within the functional renormalization group approach. We derive and compare the corresponding flow equations for $ϕ^4$ theory and show that some scaling variables and scaling exponents associated with the linearized flow of the relevant three-point vertex in the vicinity of the Ising fixed point depend on the boundary conditions. We also discuss the effect of elasticity on Ising criticality. In this case two of the fixed points (namely the renormalized Ising fixed point and the spherical fixed point) obtained for constant strain are shifted to physically inaccessible regimes of parameter space when we perform the RG at constant stress.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Julia von Rothkirch, Andreas Rückriegel, Peter Kopietz. 2026-10-02. Functional renormalization group in an external field: constant field versus constant order parameter. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.03365

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Scaling of Long-Range Loop-Erased Random Walks

We study the scaling properties of long-range loop-erased random walks (LR-LERW), where the underlying random walker performs Lévy-flight-like jumps with a power-law step-length distribution $P(\mathbf{r})\sim |\mathbf{r}|^{-(d+σ)}$. Using extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we measure the scaling relation $N \sim R^{d_N}$ between the loop-erased step number $N$ and the spatial extent $R$, and determine the geometric exponent $d_N$ for various values of $σ$ in spatial dimensions $d = 1, 2,$ and $3$, as well as at the marginal point $σ= 2$ in $d=4$ and $5$. We observe a continuous crossover from long-range (LR) to short-range (SR) behavior as $σ$ increases. Below the upper critical dimension $d<d_c=4$, for $σ< d/2$, loop erasure is asymptotically irrelevant and $d_N=σ$, consistent with Lévy-flight scaling. For $d/2 < σ< 2$, loop erasure becomes relevant and $d_N$ varies continuously toward the SR-LERW value. At the marginal points with $σ=d/2$ or $σ=2$, clear logarithmic corrections are observed. At and above the upper critical dimension, $d \geq 4$, the scaling at $σ=2$ is found to be $N \sim R^2/\ln R$, consistent with that of the corresponding Lévy flight. Our results provide a systematic numerical determination of $d_N(σ)$ for the LR-LERW across dimensions, and are consistent with $σ_* = 2$ as the boundary between LR and SR critical behaviors recently established in a broad variety of statistical models.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Kinetic heterogeneity tightens thermodynamic bounds on spectra of Markov cycles

Thermodynamic bounds on the spectrum of a Markov cycle are determined by quantities such as the cycle affinity and maximal escape rate, but do not distinguish cycles with different local rate profiles. In this work, we show that kinetic heterogeneity, through the geometric means of forward ($G_+$) and backward ($G_-$) rates, tightens the bound on oscillatory relaxation. Specifically, we prove that, for each winding sector of the eigenmodes, the oscillation frequency cannot exceed that of the uniform comparison cycle with rates $G_+$ and $G_-$. Combining with existing affinity-winding bounds, we also demonstrate a contracted region for the eigenvalues and shows that the boundary of Uhl-Seifert ellipse can be saturated if and only if cycles are uniform. Our proof provides a complex-analytic framework that unifies the kinetic and thermodynamic constraint.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

From Equilibrium Criticality to Universal Collective Phases through Nonreciprocal Coupling of Ordered Systems

Nonreciprocal interactions have emerged as a fundamental driver of collective behavior far from equilibrium. Here, we show that nonreciprocal couplings between spin systems whose isolated dynamics favors ordered states, beyond the previously identified oscillatory (swap) phase, give rise to a richer nonequilibrium phenomenology, including a multistable regime where ordered and disordered states coexist, a scenario strictly forbidden in equilibrium. Crucially, we show that this nonequilibrium phenomenology is inherited directly from the critical properties of the underlying isolated model. In particular, tricriticality in the isolated system gives rise to multistability, hysteresis, and hard excitations in the oscillatory dynamics, while non-normal interactions further enrich the phase diagram by generating multistability. Moving beyond mean-field theory, we derive a universal field equation governing the onset of these nonreciprocal oscillations in finite dimensions. Our results establish a unified theoretical framework connecting critical phenomena, dynamical systems, and non-reciprocal collective dynamics, with applications ranging from opinion dynamics to active matter

cond-mat.stat-mech↗