Transmutation of nonlocal scale in infinite derivative field theories

Effective field theory is a powerful organizing principle that allows to describe physics below a certain scale model-independently. Above that energy scale, identified with the cutoff, the EFT description breaks down and new physics is expected to appear, as confirmed in many familiar examples in quantum field theory. In this work, we examine the validity of effective field theory methods applied to inflation. We address the issue of whether Planck-suppressed non-renormaliza...

We consider the possibility of realizing inflation in nonlocal field theories containing infinitely many derivatives. Such constructions arise naturally in string field theory and also in a number of toy models, such as the p-adic string. After reviewing the complications (ghosts and instabilities) that arise when working with high derivative theories we discuss the initial value problem and perturbative stability of theories with infinitely many derivatives. Next, we examine...

We explore the properties of a simple renormalizable shift symmetric model with a higher derivative kinetic energy and quartic derivative coupling, that can serve as a toy model for higher derivative theories of gravity. The scattering amplitude behaves as in a normal effective field theory below the threshold for the production of ghosts, but has an unexpectedly soft behavior above the threshold. The physical running of the parameters is extracted from the 2-point and 4-poin...

These lectures aim to provide a pedagogical introduction to the philosophical underpinnings and technical features of Effective Field Theory (EFT). Improving control of $S$-matrix elements in the presence of a large hierarchy of physical scales $m \ll M$ is emphasized. Utilizing $\lambda \sim m/M$ as a power counting expansion parameter, we show how matching an ultraviolet (UV) model onto an EFT makes manifest the notion of separating scales. Renormalization Group (RG) techni...

Starting from the complete Mellin representation of Feynman amplitudes for noncommutative vulcanized scalar quantum field theory, introduced in a previous publication, we generalize to this theory the study of asymptotic behaviours under scaling of arbitrary subsets of external invariants of any Feynman amplitude. This is accomplished for both convergent and renormalized amplitudes.

We propose fundamental scale invariance as a new theoretical principle beyond renormalizability. Quantum field theories with fundamental scale invariance admit a scale-free formulation of the functional integral and effective action in terms of scale invariant fields. They correspond to exact scaling solutions of functional renormalization flow equations. Such theories are highly predictive since all relevant parameters for deviations from the exact scaling solution vanish. R...

We investigate the nature of infrared divergences for the free graviton and inflaton two-point functions in flat Friedman-Lema\^{\i}tre-Robertson-Walker spacetime. These divergences arise because the momentum integral for these two-point functions diverges in the infrared. It is straightforward to see that the power of the momentum in the integrand can be increased by $2$ in the infrared using large gauge transformations, which are sufficient for rendering these two-point fun...

Recent work has shown that non-local modifications of gravity involving terms such as $m^2R\Box^{-2}R$ (and no cosmological constant) provide a phenomenologically viable alternative to $\Lambda$CDM. We first discuss the possibility that such non-local terms emerge in the far infrared from the running of a coupling constant associated to the $R^2$ term in higher-derivative gravity, which, depending on the UV completion of the theory, can be asymptotically free in the ultraviol...

It is well known that standard gauge theories are renormalizable in D=4 while Einstein gravity is renormalizable in D=2. This is where the research in the field of two derivatives theories is currently standing. We hereby present a class of weakly non-local higher derivative gravitational and gauge theories universally consistent at quantum level in any spacetime dimension. These theories are unitary (ghost-free) and perturbatively renormalizable. Moreover, we can always find...

We demonstrate how one can construct renormalizable perturbative expansion in formally nonrenormalizable higher dimensional scalar theories. It is based on 1/N-expansion and results in a logarithmically divergent perturbation theory in arbitrary high odd space-time dimension. The resulting effective coupling is dimensionless and is running in accordance with the usual RG equations. The corresponding beta function is calculated in the leading order and is nonpolynomial in effe...