Why can you only contract one field in the Wilson approach to renormalization?

In summary: Thank you for your response. In summary, the authors allow only contracting of the \hat{\phi} field in the Wilson approach to renormalization, which has the effect of including all contractions between all the four fields in the integral.
  • #1
nikol
13
0
When I am reading about the Wilson approach to renormalization in Chapter12.1 of Peskin & Shroeder I am wondering why are you allowed only to contract the [itex]\hat{\phi}[/itex] field (this is the field that carries the high-momentums degrees of freedom)as they show in equation 12.10, I thought that we should add all the contractions, between all the 4 fields and here is the term they are making the example of:
[itex]\int \mathcal{D}\hat{\phi}exp\left(-\int d^{d}x \frac{\lambda}{4}\phi^{2}\hat{\phi}^{2}\right)[/itex]
 
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  • #2
Here we are only doing the path integral over the ##\hat\phi## field, and not integrating over ##\phi##. You can only get internal lines in a Feynman diagram for fields you are integrating over. So we end up writing down Feyman diagrams where all the external lines are ##\phi## fields (because we only care about the interactions of low-energy particles) and all the internal lines are ##\hat\phi## fields (because we are only integrating over the high-momentum modes).
 
  • #3
Thank you I think I almost understand. Another thing I am noticing is that while integrating over the high degrees of freedom [itex]\hat{\phi}[/itex] the dependence of the large cutoff [itex]\Lambda[/itex] goes into the coefficients (see for example the expression of [itex]\mu[/itex] in formula 12.11 or for [itex]\lambda^{'}[/itex] in 12.29). Are we to assume that we will no longer have any cases that as [itex]\Lambda->\infty[/itex] that will not cause any of those coefficients to go to infinity? and if so is that only valid for theories that are renormalizable?
 
  • #4
nikol said:
When I am reading about the Wilson approach to renormalization in Chapter12.1 of Peskin & Shroeder I am wondering why are you allowed only to contract the [itex]\hat{\phi}[/itex] field (this is the field that carries the high-momentums degrees of freedom)as they show in equation 12.10, I thought that we should add all the contractions, between all the 4 fields and here is the term they are making the example of:
[itex]\int \mathcal{D}\hat{\phi}exp\left(-\int d^{d}x \frac{\lambda}{4}\phi^{2}\hat{\phi}^{2}\right)[/itex]
you will have the effect of it in higher order terms,where you will have two vertices for example.just see 12.13.
 

1. What is the renormalization group?

The renormalization group is a mathematical framework used in theoretical physics to study the behavior of physical systems at different scales. It allows us to understand how the properties of a system change as we zoom in or out, and how different scales are related to each other.

2. How does the renormalization group work?

The renormalization group works by systematically removing degrees of freedom from a system, starting from the smallest scales and working up to the largest. This allows us to see how the behavior of the system changes as we change the scale at which we are observing it.

3. What is the importance of the renormalization group in physics?

The renormalization group is an essential tool in understanding and predicting the behavior of complex systems, such as phase transitions in materials or the behavior of particles in quantum field theory. It also helps us to identify universal features of physical systems, which can be used to make predictions and test theories.

4. What are some applications of the renormalization group?

The renormalization group has been used extensively in many areas of physics, including condensed matter physics, particle physics, and cosmology. It has also found applications in other fields, such as biology and economics, where the concept of scaling and universality is relevant.

5. Are there any limitations to the renormalization group?

While the renormalization group is a powerful tool, it does have some limitations. For example, it is not applicable to all physical systems, and it can only provide approximate results in many cases. Additionally, the calculations involved can be complex and require advanced mathematical techniques, making it challenging to apply in certain situations.

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