Ref HAL: hal-01255283_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1508.02610
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.92.116008
WoS: 000367075300011
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
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10 Citations
Résumé:

A recently developed variant of the so-called optimized perturbation theory (OPT), making it perturbatively consistent with renormalization group (RG) properties, RGOPT, was shown to drastically improve its convergence for zero temperature theories. Here the RGOPT adapted to finite temperature is illustrated with a detailed evaluation of the two-loop pressure for the thermal scalar $ \lambda\phi^4$ field theory. We show that already at the simple one-loop level this quantity is exactly scale-invariant by construction and turns out to qualitatively reproduce, with a rather simple procedure, results from more sophisticated resummation methods at two-loop order, such as the two-particle irreducible approach typically. This lowest order also reproduces the exact large-$N$ results of the $O(N)$ model. Although very close in spirit, our RGOPT method and corresponding results differ drastically from similar variational approaches, such as the screened perturbation theory or its QCD-version, the (resummed) hard thermal loop perturbation theory. The latter approaches exhibit a sensibly degrading scale dependence at higher orders, which we identify as a consequence of missing RG invariance. In contrast RGOPT gives a considerably reduced scale dependence at two-loop level, even for relatively large coupling values $\sqrt{\lambda/24}\sim {\cal O}(1)$, making results much more stable as compared with standard perturbation theory, with expected similar properties for thermal QCD.

Ref HAL: hal-01177137_v1
PMID 26849585
Ref Arxiv: 1507.03508
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.031601
WoS: 000368523200003
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
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11 Citations
Résumé:

We use the scalar model with quartic interaction to illustrate how a nonperturbative variational technique combined with renormalization group (RG) properties efficiently resums perturbative expansions in thermal field theories. The resulting convergence and scale dependence of optimized thermodynamical quantities, here illustrated up to two-loop order, are drastically improved as compared to standard perturbative expansions, as well as to other related methods such as the screened perturbation or (resummed) hard-thermal-loop perturbation, that miss RG invariance (as we explain). Being very general and easy to implement, our method is a potential analytical alternative to dealing with the phase transitions of field theories such as thermal QCD.

Commentaires: 5 pages, 1 figure

Ref HAL: hal-01177136_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1506.07506
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.92.074027
WoS: WOS:000363237400004
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
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18 Citations
Résumé:

Our recently developed variant of variationnally optimized perturbation (OPT), in particular consistently incorporating renormalization group properties (RGOPT), is adapted to the calculation of the QCD spectral density of the Dirac operator and the related chiral quark condensate $\langle \bar q q \rangle$ in the chiral limit, for $n_f=2$ and $n_f=3$ massless quarks. The results of successive sequences of approximations at two-, three-, and four-loop orders of this modified perturbation, exhibit a remarkable stability. We obtain $\langle \bar q q\rangle^{1/3}_{n_f=2}(2\, {\rm GeV}) = -(0.833-0.845) \bar\Lambda_2 $, and $ \langle\bar q q\rangle^{1/3}_{n_f=3}(2\, {\rm GeV}) = -(0.814-0.838) \bar\Lambda_3 $ where the range spanned by the first and second numbers (respectively four- and three-loop order results) defines our theoretical error, and $\bar\Lambda_{n_f}$ is the basic QCD scale in the $\overline{MS}$-scheme. We obtain a moderate suppression of the chiral condensate when going from $n_f=2$ to $n_f=3$. We compare these results with some other recent determinations from other nonperturbative methods (mainly lattice and spectral sum rules).

Commentaires: 20 pages, 1 figure

Ref HAL: hal-01936979_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1310.6724
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
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Résumé:

A new version of the so-called optimized perturbation (OPT), implementing consistently renormalization group properties, is used to calculate the nonperturbative ratio $F_\pi/\overline\Lambda$ of the pion decay constant and the basic QCD scale in the $\overline{MS}$ scheme. Using the experimental $F_\pi$ input value it provides a new determination of $\overline\Lambda$ for $n_f=2$ and $n_f=3$, and of the QCD coupling constant $\overline\alpha_S $ at various scales once combined with a standard perturbative evolution. The stability and empirical convergence properties of the RGOPT modified series is demonstrated up to the third order. We examine the difference sources of theoretical uncertainties and obtain $\overline\alpha_S (m_Z) =0.1174 ^{+.0010}_{-.0005} \pm .001 \pm .0005_{evol}$, where the first errors are estimates of the intrinsic theoretical uncertainties of our method, and the second errors come from present uncertainties in $F_\pi/F_0$, where $F_0$ is $F_\pi$ in the exact chiral $SU(3)$ limit.

Commentaires: 5 pages, talk given at EPS-HEP, Stockholm, Sweden 18-24 July, 2013

Ref HAL: hal-00836800_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1306.2933
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.88.045005
WoS: 000322785700002
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
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11 Citations
Résumé:

The phase diagram and thermodynamic properties of the (2+1)-dimensional Gross-Neveu model are studied in the presence of a constant magnetic field. The Optimized Perturbation Theory (OPT) is used to obtain results going beyond the large-N approximation. The free energy and the complete phase diagram of the model, in terms of temperature, chemical potential and magnetic field are obtained and studied in details. By comparing the results from the OPT and the large-N approximation, we conclude that finite N effects favor the phenomenon of inverse magnetic catalysis when the coupling constant is negative. We show that with the OPT the value of the coexistence chemical potential at vanishing temperature always decreases with the magnetic field. This is opposite to what is seen in the large-N approximation, where for large magnetic fields the coexistence chemical potential starts again to increase. Likewise, at finite temperature, the value of the chemical potential at the tricritical point also decreases with the magnetic field in the OPT case. Consequently, the shape of the phase diagrams predicted by the OPT and by the large-N approximation look very different in the presence of high magnetic fields. Finally, for small values of magnetic field and temperature, we identify the presence of possible intermediate nonchiral phase transitions when varying the chemical potential. We show that these phenomena are not an artifact of the large-N approximation and that they also occur within the OPT framework. These intermediate transitions are interpreted to be a consequence of the de Hass-van Alphen oscillations. We also explain why this type of phenomenon can happen in general for negative couplings but not for positive couplings.

Commentaires: 22 pages, 18 eps figures

Ref HAL: hal-00828057_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1305.6910
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.88.074025
WoS: WOS:000326106600004
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
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34 Citations
Résumé:

A variant of variationally optimized perturbation, incorporating renormalization group properties in a straightforward way, uniquely fixes the variational mass interpolation in terms of the anomalous mass dimension. It is used at three successive orders to calculate the nonperturbative ratio $F_\pi/\Lambda$ of the pion decay constant and the basic QCD scale in the MSbar scheme. We demonstrate the good stability and (empirical) convergence properties of this modified perturbative series for this quantity, and provide simple and generic cures to previous problems of the method, principally the generally non-unique and non-real optimal solutions beyond lowest order. Using the experimental $F_\pi$ input value we determine \Lambda^{n_f=2}\simeq 359^{+38}_{-25} \pm 5 MeV and \Lambda^{n_f=3}=317^{+14}_{-7} \pm 13 MeV, where the first quoted errors are our estimate of theoretical uncertainties of the method, which we consider conservative. The second uncertainties come from the present uncertainties in F_\pi/F and F_\pi/F_0, where F (F_0) is $F_\pi$ in the exact chiral SU(2) (SU(3)) limits. Combining the \Lambda^{n_f=3} results with a standard perturbative evolution provides a new independent determination of the strong coupling constant at various relevant scales, in particular \alpha_S (m_Z) =0.1174 ^{+.0010}_{-.0005} \pm .001 \pm .0005_{evol} and \alpha_S^{n_f=3}(m_\tau)= 0.308 ^{+.007}_{-.004} \pm .007 \pm .002_{evol}. A less conservative interpretation of our prescriptions favors central values closer to the upper limits of the first uncertainties. The theoretical accuracy is well comparable to the most precise recent {\em single} determinations of \alpha_S, including some very recent lattice simulation determinations with fully dynamical quarks.

Commentaires: 28 pages, 5 figures

Ref HAL: hal-00700781_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1201.2860
DOI: 10.1142/S0218301312500176
WoS: 000302474700001
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
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7 Citations
Résumé:

Two-loop corrections for the standard Abelian Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model are obtained with the Optimized Perturbation Theory (OPT) method. These contributions improve the usual mean-field and Hartree-Fock results by generating a $1/N_c$ suppressed term, which only contributes at finite chemical potential. We take the zero temperature limit observing that, within the OPT, chiral symmetry is restored at a higher chemical potential $\mu$, while the resulting equation of state is stiffer than the one obtained when mean-field is applied to the standard version of the model. In order to understand the physical nature of these finite $N_c$ contributions, we perform a numerical analysis to show that the OPT quantum corrections mimic effective repulsive vector-vector interaction contributions. We also derive a simple analytical approximation for the mass gap, accurate at the percent level, matching the mean-field approximation extended by an extra vector channel to OPT. For $\mu \gtrsim \mu_c$ the effective vector coupling matching OPT is numerically close (for the Abelian model) to the Fierz-induced Hartree-Fock value $G/(2N_c)$, where $G$ is the scalar coupling, and then increases with $\mu$ in a well-determined manner.

Commentaires: 9 pages, 5 figures.