The Renormalization Group and Singular Perturbations: Multiple-Scales, Boundary Layers and Reductive Perturbation Theory

Perturbative renormalization group theory is developed as a unified tool for global asymptotic analysis. With numerous examples, we illustrate its application to ordinary differential equation problems involving multiple scales, boundary layers with technically difficult asymptotic matching, and WKB analysis. In contrast to conventional methods, the renormalization group approach requires neither {\it ad hoc\/} assumptions about the structure of perturbation series nor the use of asymptotic matching. Our renormalization group approach provides approximate solutions which are practically superior to those obtained conventionally, although the latter can be reproduced, if desired, by appropriate expansion of the renormalization group approximant. We show that the renormalization group equation may be interpreted as an amplitude equation, and from this point of view develop reductive perturbation theory for partial differential equations describing spatially-extended systems near bifurcation points, deriving both amplitude equations and the center manifold.Comment: 44 pages, 2 Postscript figures, macro \uiucmac.tex available at macro archives or at ftp://gijoe.mrl.uiuc.edu/pu

Renormalization Group Theory for Global Asymptotic Analysis

We show with several examples that renormalization group (RG) theory can be used to understand singular and reductive perturbation methods in a unified fashion. Amplitude equations describing slow motion dynamics in nonequilibrium phenomena are RG equations. The renormalized perturbation approach may be simpler to use than other approaches, because it does not require the use of asymptotic matching, and yields practically superior approximations.Comment: 13 pages, plain tex + uiucmac.tex (available from babbage.sissa.it), one PostScript figure appended at end. Or (easier) get compressed postscript file by anon ftp from gijoe.mrl.uiuc.edu (128.174.119.153), file /pub/rg_sing_prl.ps.

Combining perturbation theories with halo models for the matter bispectrum

We investigate how unified models should be built to be able to predict the matter-density bispectrum (and power spectrum) from very large to small scales and that are at the same time consistent with perturbation theory at low $k$ and with halo models at high $k$. We use a Lagrangian framework to decompose the bispectrum into "3-halo", "2-halo", and "1-halo" contributions, related to "perturbative" and "non-perturbative" terms. We describe a simple implementation of this approach and present a detailed comparison with numerical simulations. We show that the 1-halo and 2-halo contributions contain counterterms that ensure their decay at low $k$, as required by physical constraints, and allow a better match to simulations. Contrary to the power spectrum, the standard 1-loop perturbation theory can be used for the perturbative 3-halo contribution because it does not grow too fast at high $k$. Moreover, it is much simpler and more accurate than two resummation schemes investigated in this paper. We obtain a good agreement with numerical simulations on both large and small scales, but the transition scales are poorly described by the simplest implementation. This cannot be amended by simple modifications to the halo parameters, but we show how it can be corrected for the power spectrum and the bispectrum through a simple interpolation scheme that is restricted to this intermediate regime. Then, we reach an accuracy on the order of 10% on mildly and highly nonlinear scales, while an accuracy on the order of 1% is obtained on larger weakly nonlinear scales. This also holds for the real-space two-point correlation function.Comment: 25 page

Observational constraints on a unified dark matter and dark energy model based on generalized Chaplygin gas

We study a generalized version of Chaplygin gas as unified model of dark matter and dark energy. Using realistic theoretical models and the currently available observational data from the age of the universe, the expansion history based on the type Ia supernovae, the matter power spectrum, the cosmic microwave background radiation anisotropy power spectra, and the perturbation growth factor we put the unified model under observational test. As the model has only two free parameters in the flat Friedmann background [$\Lambda$CDM (cold dark matter) model has only one free parameter] we show that the model is already tightly constrained by currently available observations. The only parameter space extremely close to the $\Lambda$CDM model is allowed in this unified model.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure

Combining perturbation theories with halo models

We investigate the building of unified models that can predict the matter-density power spectrum and the two-point correlation function from very large to small scales, being consistent with perturbation theory at low $k$ and with halo models at high $k$. We use a Lagrangian framework to re-interpret the halo model and to decompose the power spectrum into "2-halo" and "1-halo" contributions, related to "perturbative" and "non-perturbative" terms. We describe a simple implementation of this model and present a detailed comparison with numerical simulations, from $k \sim 0.02$ up to $100 h$Mpc$^{-1}$, and from $x \sim 0.02$ up to $150 h^{-1}$Mpc. We show that the 1-halo contribution contains a counterterm that ensures a $k^2$ tail at low $k$ and is important not to spoil the predictions on the scales probed by baryon acoustic oscillations, $k \sim 0.02$ to $0.3 h$Mpc$^{-1}$. On the other hand, we show that standard perturbation theory is inadequate for the 2-halo contribution, because higher order terms grow too fast at high $k$, so that resummation schemes must be used. We describe a simple implementation, based on a 1-loop "direct steepest-descent" resummation for the 2-halo contribution that allows fast numerical computations, and we check that we obtain a good match to simulations at low and high $k$. Our simple implementation already fares better than standard 1-loop perturbation theory on large scales and simple fits to the power spectrum at high $k$, with a typical accuracy of 1% on large scales and 10% on small scales. We obtain similar results for the two-point correlation function. However, there remains room for improvement on the transition scale between the 2-halo and 1-halo contributions, which may be the most difficult regime to describe.Comment: 29 page

Finite temperature effective theories

Lecture Notes, Summer School on Effective Theories and Fundamental Interactions, Erice, July 1996. I describe the construction of effective field theories for equilibrium high-temperature plasma of elementary particles.Comment: 24 pages, Latex, 5 eps figure