Limit cycles in asymptotic safety?

In summary: Daniel Litim and Alejandro Satz are two physicists who have recently published a paper on limit cycles in quantum gravity. They have found that there are fixed points in four dimensions that correspond to general relativity with a positive or negative cosmological constant. They also find a limit cycle that shields the ultraviolet from the infrared fixed points. This has implications for asymptotic safety in the continuum and on the lattice.
  • #1
atyy
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Litim and Satz have just addressed a question I've long wondered about.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.4218
Limit cycles and quantum gravity
Daniel Litim, Alejandro Satz
We study renormalization group equations of quantum gravity in four dimensions. We find an ultraviolet fixed point in accordance with the asymptotic safety conjecture, and infrared fixed points corresponding to general relativity with positive, vanishing or negative cosmological constant. In a minisuperspace approximation, we additionally find a renormalization group limit cycle shielding the ultraviolet from the infrared fixed points. We discuss implications of this pattern for asymptotically safe gravity in the continuum and on the lattice.

They have an interesting bit of speculation at the end: "Finally we mention that a degenerate limit cycle oers a new scenario for asymptotic safety in that no ne-tuning of UV initial conditions is required. Instead, all trajectories enter an extended semiclassical regime and lead to a tiny positive cosmological constant in the infrared."
 
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  • #2
I also wondered about that with a small add on. Cycle limits, on small scale, would be different from point to point, and would be the origin to all particles.
 
  • #3
atyy said:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.4218
Limit cycles and quantum gravity
Daniel Litim, Alejandro Satz
"Finally we mention that a degenerate limit cycle offers a new scenario for asymptotic safety in that no fine-tuning of UV initial conditions is required. Instead, all trajectories enter an extended semiclassical regime and lead to a tiny positive cosmological constant in the infrared."

Alejandro Satz is an interesting guy. He was one of the bunch of young people who took part in the first Zakopane QG school in 2007, and after he got back from Zako he included an account of it in his blog "Reality Conditions".

He stopped blogging around January 2008. I think he was completing his PhD dissertation at Nottingham (probably with Kirill Krasnov or John Barrett) at about that time, but I don't remember exactly.

Research-wise it would not be a surprise for Alejandro to come up with something surprising. There were several smart creative young people in that "first class of Zakopane", I think, and he was one.

So now he is at Maryland where Ted Jacobson is...

Here's a link to one of our threads that, in turn, links to Satz' blog:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=165086
I see that Rick Kostecki posted on that thread, one of the organizers of the school and the followup workshop the next year:
http://www.fuw.edu.pl/~kostecki/zakopane08/
Now at Perimeter, or will be starting this Autumn.
 
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1. What are limit cycles in asymptotic safety?

Limit cycles in asymptotic safety refer to a phenomenon in quantum field theory where a system's fixed point can exhibit oscillatory behavior in a certain region of the parameter space. This behavior is characterized by a periodicity in the renormalization group flow, where the system moves back and forth between two fixed points.

2. How are limit cycles in asymptotic safety different from other types of limit cycles?

Limit cycles in asymptotic safety are distinct from other types of limit cycles, such as those found in dynamical systems, because they arise from the renormalization group flow of quantum field theories. This means that they are a consequence of the underlying quantum nature of the system, rather than being a purely mathematical phenomenon.

3. What is the significance of limit cycles in asymptotic safety?

Limit cycles in asymptotic safety have important implications for the behavior of quantum field theories at high energies. They can provide insight into the possible existence of new particles and interactions, and can also help to determine the stability and predictability of the theory. Additionally, the presence or absence of limit cycles can have a significant impact on the renormalization group flow, which is crucial for understanding the behavior of quantum systems.

4. How are limit cycles in asymptotic safety studied?

Limit cycles in asymptotic safety are typically studied using a combination of analytic and numerical techniques. These include the use of renormalization group equations and fixed point solutions, as well as computer simulations and calculations. The results of these studies are compared to experimental data to validate the predictions made by the theory.

5. Can limit cycles in asymptotic safety be observed in real-world systems?

While limit cycles in asymptotic safety are a theoretical concept, there is evidence that they may exist in certain physical systems. For example, there is ongoing research into the possibility of observing limit cycles in the behavior of certain condensed matter systems. However, further study and experimentation is needed to confirm their existence in these systems.

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