Champ scalaire | EPFL Graph Search

Un champ scalaire est une fonction de plusieurs variables qui associe un seul nombre (ou scalaire) à chaque point de l'espace. Les champs scalaires sont utilisés en physique pour représenter les variations spatiales de grandeurs scalaires. Définition Un champ scalaire est une forme : F(\mathbf{x}): \mathbb{R}^n \rightarrow \mathbb{R} ou : F(\mathbf{x}): \mathbb{R}^n \rightarrow \Complex où x est un vecteur de Rn. Le champ scalaire peut être visualisé comme un espace à n dimensions avec un nombre complexe ou réel attaché à chaque point de l'espace. La dérivée d'un champ scalaire résulte en un champ vectoriel appelé le gradient. En physique, un champ est appelé champ scalaire quand la grandeur physique mesurable est caractérisée par une valeur numérique suivie d'une unité. Exemple droite|vignette|Un champ sur ℝ de la forme z = x – y. L'image à droite est une représentation graphique du champ scalaire suivant : :f:\begin{array

Numerical investigations of 3D CFTs using conformal bootstrap methods

Marten Jan Reehorst

Conformal field theories (CFTs) play a very significant role in modern physics, appearing in such diverse fields as particle physics, condensed matter and statistical physics and in quantum gravity both as the string worldsheet theory and through the AdS/CFT correspondence. In recent years major breakthroughs have been made in solving these CFTs through a method called numerical conformal bootstrap. This method uses consistency conditions on the CFT data in order to find and constrain conformal field theories and obtain precise measurements of physical observables. In this thesis we apply the conformal bootstrap to study among others the O(2)- and the ARP^3- models in 3D. In the first chapter we extend the conventional scalar numerical conformal bootstrap to a mixed system of correlators involving a scalar field charged under a global U(1) symmetry and the associated conserved spin-1 current J. The inclusion of a conserved spinning operator is an important advance in the numerical bootstrap program. Using numerical bootstrap techniques we obtain bounds on new observables not accessible in the usual scalar bootstrap. Concentrating on the O(2) model we extract rigorous bounds on the three-point function coefficient of two currents and the unique relevant scalar singlet, as well as those of two currents and the stress tensor. Using these results, and comparing with a quantum Monte Carlo simulation of the O(2) model conductivity, we give estimates of the thermal one-point function of the relevant singlet and the stress tensor. We also obtain new bounds on operators in various sectors. In the second chapter we investigate the existence of a second-order phase transition in the ARP^3 model. This model has a global O(4) symmetry and a discrete Z_2 gauge symmetry. It was shown by a perturbative renormalization group analysis that its Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson effective description does not have any stable fixed point, thus disallowing a second-order phase transition. However, it was also shown that lattice simulations contradict this, finding strong evidence for the existence of a second-order phase transition. In this chapter we apply conformal bootstrap methods to the correlator of four scalars t transforming in the traceless symmetric representation of O(4) in order to investigate the existence of this second order phase transition. We find various features that stand out in the region predicted by the lattice data. Moreover, under reasonable assumptions a candidate island can be isolated. We also apply a mixed t-s bootstrap setup in which this island persists. In addition we study the kink-landscape for all representations appearing in the t times t OPE for general N. Among others, we find a new family of kinks in the upper-bound on the dimension of the first scalar operator in the "Box" and "Hook" representations.

EPFL2020

Coupling metric-affine gravity to a Higgs-like scalar field

Sebastian Zell

General relativity (GR) exists in different formulations. They are equivalent in pure gravity but generically lead to distinct predictions once matter is included. After a brief overview of various versions of GR, we focus on metric-affine gravity, which avoids any assumption about the vanishing of curvature, torsion, or nonmetricity. We use it to construct an action of a scalar field coupled nonminimally to gravity. It encompasses as special cases numerous previously studied models. Eliminating nonpropagating degrees of freedom, we derive an equivalent theory in the metric formulation of GR. Finally, we give a brief outlook of implications for Higgs inflation.

AMER PHYSICAL SOC2022

Bounds on multiscalar CFTs in the epsilon expansion

Matthijs Jan Hogervorst

We study fixed points with N scalar fields in 4 - epsilon dimensions to leading order in epsilon using a bottom-up approach. We do so by analyzing O(N) invariants of the quartic coupling lambda(ijkl) that describes such CFTs. In particular, we show that lambda(iijj) and lambda ijkl2 are restricted to a specific domain, refining a result by Rychkov and Stergiou. We also study averages of one-loop anomalous dimensions of composite operators without gradients. In many cases, we are able to show that the O(N) fixed point maximizes such averages. In the final part of this work, we generalize our results to theories with N complex scalars and to bosonic QED. In particular we show that to leading order in epsilon, there are no bosonic QED fixed points with N < 183 flavors.

SPRINGER2021

Numerical investigations of 3D CFTs using conformal bootstrap methods

Marten Jan Reehorst

EPFL2020