Astrid Eichhorn

Ghost anomalous dimension in asymptotically safe quantum gravity

We compute the ghost anomalous dimension within the asymptotic-safety scenario for quantum gravity. For a class of covariant gauge fixings and using a functional renormalization group scheme, the anomalous dimension {eta}{sub c} is negative, implying an improved UV behavior of ghost fluctuations. At the non-Gaussian UV fixed point, we observe a maximum value of {eta}{sub c{approx_equal}}-0.78 for the Landau-deWitt gauge within the given scheme and truncation. Most importantly, the backreaction of the ghost flow onto the Einstein-Hilbert sector preserves the non-Gaussian fixed point with only mild modifications of the fixed-point values for the gravitational coupling and cosmological constant and the associated critical exponents; also their gauge dependence is slightly reduced. Our results provide further evidence for the asymptotic-safety scenario of quantum gravity.

Asymptotically free scalar curvature-ghost coupling in Quantum Einstein Gravity

We consider the asymptotic-safety scenario for quantum gravity which constructs a nonperturbatively renormalizable quantum gravity theory with the help of the functional renormalization group (RG). We verify the existence of a non-Gaussian fixed point and include a running curvature-ghost coupling as a first step towards the flow of the ghost sector of the theory. We find that the scalar curvature-ghost coupling is asymptotically free and RG relevant in the ultraviolet. Most importantly, the property of asymptotic safety discovered so far within the Einstein-Hilbert truncation and beyond remains stable under the inclusion of the ghost flow.

The Renormalization Group flow of unimodular f(R) gravity

A bstractUnimodular gravity is classically equivalent to General Relativity. This equivalence extends to actions which are functions of the curvature scalar. At the quantum level, the dynamics could differ. Most importantly, the cosmological constant is not a coupling in the unimodular action, providing a new vantage point from which to address the cosmological constant fine-tuning problem. Here, a quantum theory based on the asymptotic safety scenario is studied, and evidence for an interacting fixed point in unimodular f (R) gravity is found. We study the fixed point and its properties, and also discuss the compatibility of unimodular asymptotic safety with dynamical matter, finding evidence for its compatibility with the matter degrees of freedom of the Standard Model.

Light fermions in quantum gravity

We study the impact of quantum gravity, formulated as a quantum field theory of the metric, on chiral symmetry in a fermionic matter sector. Specifically we address the question of whether metric fluctuations can induce chiral symmetry breaking and bound state formation. Our results based on the functional renormalization group indicate that chiral symmetry is left intact even at strong gravitational coupling. In particular, we found that asymptotically safe quantum gravity where the gravitational couplings approach a non-Gausian fixed point generically admits universes with light fermions. Our results thus further support quantum gravity theories built on fluctuations of the metric field such as the asymptotic-safety scenario. A study of chiral symmetry breaking through gravitational quantum effects may also serve as a significant benchmark test for other quantum gravity scenarios, since a completely broken chiral symmetry at the Planck scale would not be in accordance with the observation of light fermions in our universe. We demonstrate that this elementary observation already imposes constraints on a generic UV completion of gravity.

Quantum-gravity effects on a Higgs-Yukawa model

A phenomenologically viable theory of quantum gravity must accommodate all observed matter degrees of freedom and their properties. Here, we explore whether a toy model of the Higgs-Yukawa sector of the Standard Model is compatible with asymptotically safe quantum gravity. We discuss the phenomenological implications of our result in the context of the Standard Model. We analyze the quantum scaling dimension of the system and find an irrelevant Yukawa coupling at a joint gravity-matter fixed point. Further, we explore the impact of gravity-induced couplings between scalars and fermions, which are nonvanishing in asymptotically safe gravity.

On the nature of the phase transition in SU ( N ), Sp (2) and E (7) Yang–Mills theory

We study the nature of the confinement phase transition in d=3+1 dimensions in various non-abelian gauge theories with the approach put forward in Phys. Lett.xa0B 684, 262 (2010). We compute an order-parameter potential associated with the Polyakov loop from the knowledge of full 2-point correlation functions. For SU(N) with N=3,…,12 and Sp(2) we find a first-order phase transition in agreement with general expectations. Moreover our study suggests that the phase transition in E(7) Yang–Mills theory also is of first order. We find that it is weaker than for SU(N). We show that this can be understood in terms of the eigenvalue distribution of the order parameter potential close to the phase transition.

Asymptotic safety in an interacting system of gravity and scalar matter

Asymptotic safety is an attractive scenario for the dynamics of quantum spacetime. Here, we work from a phenomenologically motivated point of view and emphasize that a viable dynamics for quantum gravity in our universe must account for the existence of matter. In particular, we explore the scale-dependence of a scalar matter-gravity-vertex, and investigate whether an interacting fixed point exists for the so-defined Newton coupling. We find a viable fixed point in the pure-gravity system, disregarding scalar quantum fluctuations. We explore its extensions to the case with dynamical scalars, and find indications of asymptotic safety in the matter-gravity system. We moreover examine the anomalous dimensions for different components of the metric fluctuations, and find significant differences between the transverse traceless and scalar component.

The Higgs mass and the scale of new physics

A bstractIn view of the measured Higgs mass of 125 GeV, the perturbative renormalization group evolution of the Standard Model suggests that our Higgs vacuum might not be stable. We connect the usual perturbative approach and the functional renormalization group which allows for a straightforward inclusion of higher-dimensional operators in the presence of an ultraviolet cutoff. In the latter framework we study vacuum stability in the presence of higher-dimensional operators. We find that their presence can have a sizable influence on the maximum ultraviolet scale of the Standard Model and the existence of instabilities. Finally, we discuss how such operators can be generated in specific models and study the relation between the instability scale of the potential and the scale of new physics required to avoid instabilities.

Universal behavior of coupled order parameters below three dimensions

We explore universal critical behavior in models with two competing order parameters, and an O(N)xa0⊕O(M) symmetry for dimensions d≤3. In d=3, there is always exactly one stable renormalization group fixed point, corresponding to bicritical or tetracritical behavior. Employing pseudospectral techniques to solve functional renormalization group equations in a two-dimensional field space, we uncover a more intricate structure of fixed points in d<3, where two additional bicritical fixed points play a role. Towards d=2, we discover ranges of N=M with several simultaneously stable fixed points, indicating the coexistence of several universality classes.

Discovering and quantifying nontrivial fixed points in multi-field models

We use the functional renormalization group and the