arXiv subjects

Dario Benedetti

Publications and source records attributed to Dario Benedetti.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Hints of unitarity at large $N$ in the $O(N)^3$ tensor field theory

We compute the OPE coefficients of the bosonic tensor model of \cite{Benedetti:2019eyl} for three point functions with two fields and a bilinear with zero and non-zero spin. We find that all the OPE coefficients are real in the case of an imaginary tetrahedral coupling constant, while one of them is not real in the case of a real coupling. We also discuss the operator spectrum of the free theory based on the character decomposition of the partition function.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Melonic CFTs

The melonic limit is a relatively new type of large-$N$ limit, differing from the much older and well-known large-$N$ limits of vector and matrix field theories, which are dominated by cactus and planar Feynman diagrams, respectively. The melonic limit typically appears in tensor field theories, characterized by an invariance group in which the fields transform as the product of $r\geq 3$ fundamental representations of $r$ different simple Lie groups. As the name suggests, in such a limit the perturbative expansion of free energy and correlators are dominated by melonic diagrams. The latter form a manageable subset of the planar diagrams, but with a richer structure than cactus diagrams, and therefore they open the possibility of studying in a controlled manner new types of fixed points of the renormalization group. We call \emph{melonic conformal field theories (CFTs)} those fixed-point theories that are found in the melonic limit. We concisely review the construction and analysis of tensor field theories in $d\geq 2$ (Euclidean) spacetime dimensions, with special emphasis on the general theoretical framework, and on specific results for the fixed points of some models.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

$SO(3)$-invariant phase of the $O(N)^3$ tensor model

We study classical and quantum (at large-$N$) field equations of bosonic tensor models with quartic interactions and $O(N)^3$ symmetry. Among various possible patterns of spontaneous symmetry breaking we highlight an $SO(3)$ invariant solution, with the tensor field expressed in terms of the Wigner $3jm$ symbol. We argue that such solution has a special role in the large-$N$ limit, as in particular its scaling in $N$ can provide an on-shell justification for the melonic large-$N$ limit of the two-particle irreducible effective action in a broken phase.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Conformal Symmetry and Composite Operators in the $O(N)^3$ Tensor Field Theory

We continue the study of the bosonic $O(N)^3$ model with quartic interactions and long-range propagator. The symmetry group allows for three distinct invariant $ϕ^4$ composite operators, known as tetrahedron, pillow and double-trace. As shown in arXiv:1903.03578 and arXiv:1909.07767, the tetrahedron operator is exactly marginal in the large-$N$ limit and for a purely imaginary tetrahedron coupling a line of real infrared fixed points (parametrized by the absolute value of the tetrahedron coupling) is found for the other two couplings. These fixed points have real critical exponents and a real spectrum of bilinear operators, satisfying unitarity constraints. This raises the question whether at large-$N$ the model is unitary, despite the tetrahedron coupling being imaginary. In this paper, we first rederive the above results by a different regularization and renormalization scheme. We then discuss the operator mixing for composite operators and we give a perturbative proof of conformal invariance of the model at the infrared fixed points by adapting a similar proof from the long-range Ising model. At last, we identify the scaling operators at the fixed point and compute the two- and three-point functions of $ϕ^4$ and $ϕ^2$ composite operators. The correlations have the expected conformal behavior and the OPE coefficients are all real, reinforcing the claim that the large-$N$ CFT is unitary.

hep-th↗

arXiv2019

Line of fixed points in a bosonic tensor model

We consider the $O(N)^3$ tensor model of Klebanov and Tarnopolsky \cite{Klebanov:2016xxf} in $d<4$ with a free covariance modified to fit the infrared conformal scaling. We study the renormalization group flow of the model using a Wilsonian approach valid in any $d$ (notably we do not require $d=4-ε$ with small $ε$). At large $N$, the tetrahedral coupling has a finite flow, hence it becomes a free parameter. The remaining flow can be parameterized by two couplings which do not mix. We show that, at leading order in $1/N$ but non perturbatively in the couplings, the beta functions stop at quadratic order in the pillow and double-trace couplings. We find four fixed points which depend parametrically on the tetrahedral coupling. For purely imaginary values of the latter we identify a real and \emph{infrared attractive} fixed point. We remark that an imaginary tetrahedral coupling is in fact natural from the onset as the tetrahedral invariant does not have any positivity property, and moreover in the large-$N$ limit beta functions depend on the square of the tetrahedral coupling, thus they remain real, as long as the other couplings stay real.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Phase diagram and fixed points of tensorial Gross-Neveu models in three dimensions

Perturbing the standard Gross-Neveu model for $N^3$ fermions by quartic interactions with the appropriate tensorial contraction patterns, we reduce the original $U(N^3)$ symmetry to either $U(N)\times U(N^2)$ or $U(N)\times U(N)\times U(N)$. In the large-$N$ limit, we show that in three dimensions such models admit new ultraviolet fixed points with reduced symmetry, besides the well-known one with maximal symmetry. The phase diagram notably presents a new phase with spontaneous symmetry breaking of one $U(N)$ component of the symmetry group.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Tensorial Gross-Neveu models

We define and study various tensorial generalizations of the Gross-Neveu model in two dimensions, that is, models with four-fermion interactions and $G^3$ symmetry, where we take either $G=U(N)$ or $G=O(N)$. Such models can also be viewed as two-dimensional generalizations of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model, or more precisely of its tensorial counterpart introduced by Klebanov and Tarnopolsky, which is in part our motivation for studying them. Using the Schwinger-Dyson equations at large-$N$, we discuss the phenomenon of dynamical mass generation and possible combinations of couplings to avoid it. For the case $G=U(N)$, we introduce an intermediate field representation and perform a stability analysis of the vacua. It turns out that the only apparently viable combination of couplings that avoids mass generation corresponds to an unstable vacuum. The stable vacuum breaks $U(N)^3$ invariance, in contradiction with the Coleman-Mermin-Wagner theorem, but this is an artifact of the large-$N$ expansion, similar to the breaking of continuous chiral symmetry in the chiral Gross-Neveu model.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Asymptotic safety goes on shell

It is well known in quantum field theory that the off-shell effective action depends on the gauge choice and field parametrization used in calculating it. Nevertheless, the typical scheme in which the scenario of asymptotically safe gravity is investigated is an off-shell version of the functional renormalization group equation. Working with the Einstein-Hilbert truncation as a test bed, we develop a new scheme for the analysis of asymptotically safe gravity in which the on-shell part of the effective action is singled out and we show that the beta function for the essential coupling has no explicit gauge-dependence. In order to reach our goal, we introduce several technical novelties, including a different decomposition of the metric fluctuations, a new implementation of the ghost sector, and a new cut-off scheme. We find a non-trivial fixed point, with a value of the cosmological constant which is independent of the gauge-fixing parameters.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

2PI effective action for the SYK model and tensor field theories

We discuss the two-particle irreducible (2PI) effective action for the SYK model and for tensor field theories. For the SYK model the 2PI effective action reproduces the bilocal reformulation of the model without using replicas. In general tensor field theories the 2PI formalism is the only way to obtain a bilocal reformulation of the theory, and as such is a precious instrument for the identification of soft modes and for possible holographic interpretations. We compute the 2PI action for several models, and push it up to fourth order in the $1/N$ expansion for the model proposed by Witten in arXiv:1610.09758, uncovering a one-loop structure in terms of an auxiliary bilocal action.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

The $1/N$ expansion of the symmetric traceless and the antisymmetric tensor models in rank three

We prove rigorously that the symmetric traceless and the antisymmetric tensor models in rank three with tetrahedral interaction admit a $1/N$ expansion, and that at leading order they are dominated by melon diagrams. This proves the recent conjecture of I. Klebanov and G. Tarnopolsky in JHEP 10 (2017) 037 [arXiv:1706.00839], which they checked numerically up to 8th order in the coupling constant.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Capturing the phase diagram of (2+1)-dimensional CDT using a balls-in-boxes model

We study the phase diagram of a one-dimensional balls-in-boxes (BIB) model that has been proposed as an effective model for the spatial-volume dynamics of (2+1)-dimensional causal dynamical triangulations (CDT). The latter is a statistical model of random geometries and a candidate for a nonperturbative formulation of quantum gravity, and it is known to have an interesting phase diagram, in particular including a phase of extended geometry with classical properties. Our results corroborate a previous analysis suggesting that a particular type of potential is needed in the BIB model in order to reproduce the droplet condensation typical of the extended phase of CDT. Since such a potential can be obtained by a minisuperspace reduction of a (2+1)-dimensional gravity theory of the Hořava-Lifshitz type, our result strengthens the link between CDT and Hořava-Lifshitz gravity.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Essential nature of Newton's constant in unimodular gravity

We point out that in unimodular gravity Newton's constant is an essential coupling, i.e. it is independent of field redefinitions. We illustrate the consequences of this fact by a calculation in a standard simple approximation, showing that in this case the renormalization group flow of Newton's constant is gauge and parametrization independent.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Spacetime condensation in (2+1)-dimensional CDT from a Horava-Lifshitz minisuperspace model

A spacetime condensation phenomenon underlies the emergence of a macroscopic universe in causal dynamical triangulations, where the time extension of the condensate is strictly smaller than the total time. It has been known for some time that the volumes of spatial slices in the bulk of the macroscopic universe follow a time evolution which resembles that of a sphere, and their effective dynamics is well described by a minisuperspace reduction of the general relativistic action. More recently, it has been suggested that the same minusuperspace model can also provide an understanding of the condensation phenomenon itself, thus explaining the presence of an extended droplet of spacetime connected to a stalk of minimal spatial extension. We show here that a minisuperspace model based on the general relativistic action fails in that respect for the (2+1)-dimensional case, while a successful condensation is obtained from a minisuperspace model of Horava-Lifshitz gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Functional Renormalization Group Approach for Tensorial Group Field Theory: A Rank-6 Model with Closure Constraint

We develop the functional renormalization group formalism for a tensorial group field theory with closure constraint, in the case of an Abelian just renormalizable model with quartic interactions. The method allows us to obtain a closed but non-autonomous system of differential equations which describe the renormalization group flow of the couplings beyond perturbation theory. The explicit dependence of the beta functions on the running scale is due to the existence of an external scale in the model, the radius of the unit circle. We study the occurrence of fixed points and their critical properties in two different approximate regimes, corresponding to the deep UV and deep IR. Besides confirming the asymptotic freedom of the model, we find also a non-trivial fixed point, with one relevant direction. Our results are qualitatively similar to those found previously for a rank-3 model without closure constraint, and it is thus tempting to speculate that the presence of a Wilson-Fisher-like fixed point is a general feature of asymptotically free tensorial group field theories.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Symmetry breaking in tensor models

In this paper we analyze a quartic tensor model with one interaction for a tensor of arbitrary rank. This model has a critical point where a continuous limit of infinitely refined random geometries is reached. We show that the critical point corresponds to a phase transition in the tensor model associated to a breaking of the unitary symmetry. We analyze the model in the two phases and prove that, in a double scaling limit, the symmetric phase corresponds to a theory of infinitely refined random surfaces, while the broken phase corresponds to a theory of infinitely refined random nodal surfaces. At leading order in the double scaling limit planar surfaces dominate in the symmetric phase, and planar nodal surfaces dominate in the broken phase.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Functional Renormalisation Group Approach for Tensorial Group Field Theory: a Rank-3 Model

We set up the Functional Renormalisation Group formalism for Tensorial Group Field Theory in full generality. We then apply it to a rank-3 model over U(1) x U(1) x U(1), endowed with a linear kinetic term and nonlocal interactions. The system of FRG equations turns out to be non-autonomous in the RG flow parameter. This feature is explained by the existence of a hidden scale, the radius of the group manifold. We investigate in detail the opposite regimes of large cut-off (UV) and small cut-off (IR) of the FRG equations, where the system becomes autonomous, and we find, in both case, Gaussian and non-Gaussian fixed points. We derive and interpret the critical exponents and flow diagrams associated with these fixed points, and discuss how the UV and IR regimes are matched at finite N. Finally, we discuss the evidence for a phase transition from a symmetric phase to a broken or condensed phase, from an RG perspective, finding that this seems to exist only in the approximate regime of very large radius of the group manifold, as to be expected for systems on compact manifolds.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Critical behavior in spherical and hyperbolic spaces

We study the effects of curved background geometries on the critical behavior of scalar field theory. In particular we concentrate on two maximally symmetric spaces: $d$-dimensional spheres and hyperboloids. In the first part of the paper, by applying the Ginzburg criterion, we find that for large correlation length the Gaussian approximation is valid on the hyperboloid for any dimension $d\geq 2$, while it is not trustable on the sphere for any dimension. This is understood in terms of various notions of effective dimension, such as the spectral and Hausdorff dimension. In the second part of the paper, we apply functional renormalization group methods to develop a different perspective on such phenomena, and to deduce them from a renormalization group analysis. By making use of the local potential approximation, we discuss the consequences of having a fixed scale in the renormalization group equations. In particular, we show that in the case of spheres there is no true phase transition, as symmetry restoration always occurs at large scales. In the case of hyperboloids, the phase transition is still present, but as the only true fixed point is the Gaussian one, mean field exponents are valid also in dimensions lower than four.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2014

One-loop renormalization in a toy model of Horava-Lifshitz gravity

We present a one loop calculation in the context of Horava-Lifshitz gravity. Due to the complexity of the calculation in the full theory we focus here on the study of a toy model, namely the conformal reduction of the z=2 projectable theory in 2+1 dimensions. For this value of the dimension there are no gravitons, hence the conformal mode is the only physical degree of freedom, and thus we expect our toy model to lead to qualitatively correct answers regarding the perturbative renormalization of the full theory. We find that Newton's constant (dimensionless in Horava-Lifshitz gravity) is asymptotically free. However, the DeWitt supermetric approaches its Weyl invariant form with the same speed and the effective interaction coupling remains constant along the flow. In other words, the would-be asymptotic freedom associated to the running Newton's constant is exactly balanced by the strong coupling of the scalar mode as the Weyl invariant limit is approached. We conclude that in such model the UV limit is singular at one loop order, and we argue that a similar phenomenon can be expected in the full theory, even in higher dimensions.

hep-th↗