Relationship between Fujikawa’s Method and the Background Field Method for the Scale Anomaly
Abstract
We show the equivalence between Fujikawa’s method for calculating the scale anomaly and the diagrammatic approach to calculating the effective potential via the background field method, for anO(N)symmetric scalar field theory. Fujikawa’s method leads to a sum of terms, each one superficially in one-to-one correspondence with a vacuum diagram of the 1-loop expansion. From the viewpoint of the classical action, the anomaly results in a breakdown of the Ward identities due to scale-dependence of the couplings, whereas, in terms of the effective action, the anomaly is the result of the breakdown of Noether’s theorem due to explicit symmetry breaking terms of the effective potential.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1155/2016/2809290
Entities
People
- Carlos R. Ordóñez
- Chris L. Lin
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- University of Houston