Yang-Mills correlators across the deconfinement phase transition

We compute the finite temperature ghost and gluon propagators of Yang-Mills theory in the Landau-DeWitt gauge. The background field that enters the definition of the latter is intimately related with the (gauge-invariant) Polyakov loop and serves as an equivalent order parameter for the deconfinement transition. We use an effective gauge-fixed description where the nonperturbative infrared dynamics of the theory is parametrized by a gluon mass which, as argued elsewhere, may originate from the Gribov ambiguity. In this scheme, one can perform consistent perturbative calculations down to infrared momenta, which have been shown to correctly describe the phase diagram of Yang-Mills theories in four dimensions as well as the zero-temperature correlators computed in lattice simulations. In this article, we provide the one-loop expressions of the finite temperature Landau-DeWitt ghost and gluon propagators for a large class of gauge groups and present explicit results for the SU(2) case. These are substantially different from those previously obtained in the Landau gauge, which corresponds to a vanishing background field. The nonanalyticity of the order parameter across the transition is directly imprinted onto the propagators in the various color modes. In the SU(2) case, this leads, for instance, to a cusp in the electric and magnetic gluon susceptibilities as well as similar signatures in the ghost sector. We mention the possibility that such distinctive features of the transition could be measured in lattice simulations in the background field gauge studied here.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures; published versio

Infrared propagators of Yang-Mills theory from perturbation theory

We show that the correlation functions of ghosts and gluons for the pure Yang-Mills theory in Landau gauge can be accurately reproduced for all momenta by a one-loop calculation. The key point is to use a massive extension of the Faddeev-Popov action. The agreement with lattice simulation is excellent in d=4. The one-loop calculation also reproduces all the characteristic features of the lattice simulations in d=3 and naturally explains the pecularities of the propagators in d=2.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

Critical properties of a continuous family of XY noncollinear magnets

Monte Carlo methods are used to study a family of three dimensional XY frustrated models interpolating continuously between the stacked triangular antiferromagnets and a variant of this model for which a local rigidity constraint is imposed. Our study leads us to conclude that generically weak first order behavior occurs in this family of models in agreement with a recent nonperturbative renormalization group description of frustrated magnets.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, minor changes, published versio

Gauged supersymmetries in Yang-Mills theory

In this paper we show that Yang-Mills theory in the Curci-Ferrari-Delbourgo-Jarvis gauge admits some up to now unknown local linear Ward identities. These identities imply some non-renormalization theorems with practical simplifications for perturbation theory. We show in particular that all renormalization factors can be extracted from two-point functions. The Ward identities are shown to be related to supergauge transformations in the superfield formalism for Yang-Mills theory. The case of non-zero Curci-Ferrari mass is also addressed.Comment: 11 pages. Minor changes. Some added reference

A unified picture of ferromagnetism, quasi-long range order and criticality in random field models

By applying the recently developed nonperturbative functional renormalization group (FRG) approach, we study the interplay between ferromagnetism, quasi-long range order (QLRO) and criticality in the $d$-dimensional random field O(N) model in the whole ($N$, $d$) diagram. Even though the "dimensional reduction" property breaks down below some critical line, the topology of the phase diagram is found similar to that of the pure O(N) model, with however no equivalent of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. In addition, we obtain that QLRO, namely a topologically ordered "Bragg glass" phase, is absent in the 3--dimensional random field XY model. The nonperturbative results are supplemented by a perturbative FRG analysis to two loops around $d=4$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Two-loop Functional Renormalization Group of the Random Field and Random Anisotropy O(N) Models

We study by the perturbative Functional Renormalization Group (FRG) the Random Field and Random Anisotropy O(N) models near $d=4$, the lower critical dimension of ferromagnetism. The long-distance physics is controlled by zero-temperature fixed points at which the renormalized effective action is nonanalytic. We obtain the beta functions at 2-loop order, showing that despite the nonanalytic character of the renormalized effective action, the theory is perturbatively renormalizable at this order. The physical results obtained at 2-loop level, most notably concerning the breakdown of dimensional reduction at the critical point and the stability of quasi-long range order in $d<4$, are shown to fit into the picture predicted by our recent non-perturbative FRG approach.Comment: 19 pages, 20 figures. Minor correction

Nonperturbative Functional Renormalization Group for Random Field Models. III: Superfield formalism and ground-state dominance

We reformulate the nonperturbative functional renormalization group for the random field Ising model in a superfield formalism, extending the supersymmetric description of the critical behavior of the system first proposed by Parisi and Sourlas [Phys. Rev. Lett. 43, 744 (1979)]. We show that the two crucial ingredients for this extension are the introduction of a weighting factor, which accounts for ground-state dominance when multiple metastable states are present, and of multiple copies of the original system, which allows one to access the full functional dependence of the cumulants of the renormalized disorder and to describe rare events. We then derive exact renormalization group equations for the flow of the renormalized cumulants associated with the effective average action.Comment: 28 page

An Infrared Safe perturbative approach to Yang-Mills correlators

We investigate the 2-point correlation functions of Yang-Mills theory in the Landau gauge by means of a massive extension of the Faddeev-Popov action. This model is based on some phenomenological arguments and constraints on the ultraviolet behavior of the theory. We show that the running coupling constant remains finite at all energy scales (no Landau pole) for $d>2$ and argue that the relevant parameter of perturbation theory is significantly smaller than 1 at all energies. Perturbative results at low orders are therefore expected to be satisfactory and we indeed find a very good agreement between 1-loop correlation functions and the lattice simulations, in 3 and 4 dimensions. Dimension 2 is shown to play the role of an upper critical dimension, which explains why the lattice predictions are qualitatively different from those in higher dimensions.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PR

Critical thermodynamics of three-dimensional chiral model for N > 3

The critical behavior of the three-dimensional $N$-vector chiral model is studied for arbitrary $N$. The known six-loop renormalization-group (RG) expansions are resummed using the Borel transformation combined with the conformal mapping and Pad\'e approximant techniques. Analyzing the fixed point location and the structure of RG flows, it is found that two marginal values of $N$ exist which separate domains of continuous chiral phase transitions $N > N_{c1}$ and $N N > N_{c2}$ where such transitions are first-order. Our calculations yield $N_{c1} = 6.4(4)$ and $N_{c2} = 5.7(3)$. For $N > N_{c1}$ the structure of RG flows is identical to that given by the $\epsilon$ and 1/N expansions with the chiral fixed point being a stable node. For $N < N_{c2}$ the chiral fixed point turns out to be a focus having no generic relation to the stable fixed point seen at small $\epsilon$ and large $N$. In this domain, containing the physical values $N = 2$ and $N = 3$, phase trajectories approach the fixed point in a spiral-like manner giving rise to unusual crossover regimes which may imitate varying (scattered) critical exponents seen in numerous physical and computer experiments.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Competition between fluctuations and disorder in frustrated magnets

We investigate the effects of impurities on the nature of the phase transition in frustrated magnets, in d=4-epsilon dimensions. For sufficiently small values of the number of spin components, we find no physically relevant stable fixed point in the deep perturbative region (epsilon << 1), contrarily to what is to be expected on very general grounds. This signals the onset of important physical effects.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published versio