Quantization of the nonlinear sigma model revisited

DOI10.1063/1.4961153MaRDI QIDQ2820906zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Timothy Nguyen

Publication date 12 September 2016

Published in Journal of Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1408.4466

zbMATH Keywords

graded manifoldnonlinear Sigma modelperturbative expansionquantizationWick's theorem

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Gromov-Witten invariants, quantum cohomology, Gopakumar-Vafa invariants, Donaldson-Thomas invariants (algebro-geometric aspects) (14N35) Open systems, reduced dynamics, master equations, decoherence (81S22) Model quantum field theories (81T10) Perturbative methods of renormalization applied to problems in quantum field theory (81T15) Renormalization group methods applied to problems in quantum field theory (81T17) Anomalies in quantum field theory (81T50) Quantization in field theory; cohomological methods (81T70)

Abstract: We revisit the subject of perturbatively quantizing the nonlinear sigma model in two dimensions from a rigorous, mathematical point of view. Our main contribution is to make precise the cohomological problem of eliminating potential anomalies that may arise when trying to preserve symmetries under quantization. The symmetries we consider are twofold: (i) diffeomorphism covariance for a general target manifold; (ii) a transitive group of isometries when the target manifold is a homogeneous space. We show that there are no anomalies in case (i) and that (ii) is also anomaly-free under additional assumptions on the target homogeneous space, in agreement with the work of Friedan. We carry out some explicit computations for the $O(N)$-model. Finally, we show how a suitable notion of the renormalization group establishes the Ricci flow as the one loop renormalization group flow of the nonlinear sigma model.

Review text

This paper discusses mathematical aspects of perturbative quantization of non-linear sigma models based on fields that are functions with two dimensional domain and some Riemannian manifold as codomain. It reviews the theory of graded manifolds, jet bundles, and lie algebra cohomology in appendices. The first section reviews Batalin-Vilkovisky geometry. Basically, when a lie group acts on a manifold, it is natural to add terms on a real valued function defined on the manifold that encode this group action. The extended action \(S\) will then satisfy what is known as the master equation. When the action is included in the Gaussian measure the requirement that the result be invariant under the group action adds a term to the master equation resulting in the quantum master equation. When one applies this to a space of functions one must regularize to make terms in the expansion converge. This regularization process is the topic of the next section of the paper. Solutions to the quantum master equation are understood via a cohomology theory. The fourth section of the paper explains this and computes the relevant cohomology groups. The main result of the paper is that there is no so-called anomoly for non-linear sigma models taing values in homogeneous spaces that meet certain conditions. Similarly, there is no obstruction to quantization invariant under the full diffeomorphism group. The paper also includes a discussion of the renormalization group and flow. This paper includes many references and would be a good starting point for someone wishing to learn a bout a mathematical theory of this piece of quantum field theory.

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Cites work

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Cited in

(19)

• Stability of the (two-loop) renormalization group flow for nonlinear sigma models
• Stochastic quantization of the nonlinear sigma model and the background field method
• Asymptotic freedom in the BV formalism
• A method of calculating the critical dimensions of composite operators in the massless nonlinear \(\sigma\) model
• Globalization for perturbative quantization of nonlinear split AKSZ sigma models on manifolds with boundary
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• BV quantization of the Rozansky-Witten model
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3906771 (Why is no real title available?)
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 898007 (Why is no real title available?)
• LIE ALGEBROIDS AS SPACES
• Homotopy RG flow and the non-linear 𝜎-model

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