Evanescent Effects can Alter Ultraviolet Divergences in Quantum Gravity without Physical Consequences
Abstract
Evanescent operators such as the Gauss-Bonnet term have vanishing perturbative matrix elements in exactly D = 4 dimensions. Similarly, evanescent fields do not propagate in D = 4; a three-form field is in this class, since it is dual to a cosmological-constant contribution. In this Letter, we show that evanescent operators and fields modify the leading ultraviolet divergence in pure gravity. To analyze the divergence, we compute the two-loop identical-helicity four-graviton amplitude and determine the coefficient of the associated (nonevanescent) R3 counterterm studied long ago by Goroff and Sagnotti. We compare two pairs of theories that are dual in D = 4: gravity coupled to nothing or to three-form matter, and gravity coupled to zero-form or to two-form matter. Duff and van Nieuwenhuizen showed that, curiously, the one-loop trace anomaly—the coefficient of the Gauss-Bonnet operator—changes under p-form duality transformations. In addition, we concur and also find that the leading R3 divergence changes under duality transformations. Nevertheless, in both cases, the physical renormalized two-loop identical-helicity four-graviton amplitude can be chosen to respect duality. In particular, its renormalization-scale dependence is unaltered.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF); National Science Foundation (NSF); Simons Foundation
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1226183
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1232660; OSTI ID: 1609082
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0009937; SC0010255; AC02-76SF00515; 776; 1066293
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Volume: 115 Journal Issue: 21; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
Citation Formats
Bern, Zvi, Cheung, Clifford, Chi, Huan-Hang, Davies, Scott, Dixon, Lance, and Nohle, Josh. Evanescent Effects can Alter Ultraviolet Divergences in Quantum Gravity without Physical Consequences. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.211301.
Bern, Zvi, Cheung, Clifford, Chi, Huan-Hang, Davies, Scott, Dixon, Lance, & Nohle, Josh. Evanescent Effects can Alter Ultraviolet Divergences in Quantum Gravity without Physical Consequences. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.211301
Bern, Zvi, Cheung, Clifford, Chi, Huan-Hang, Davies, Scott, Dixon, Lance, and Nohle, Josh. Tue .
"Evanescent Effects can Alter Ultraviolet Divergences in Quantum Gravity without Physical Consequences". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.211301.
@article{osti_1226183,
title = {Evanescent Effects can Alter Ultraviolet Divergences in Quantum Gravity without Physical Consequences},
author = {Bern, Zvi and Cheung, Clifford and Chi, Huan-Hang and Davies, Scott and Dixon, Lance and Nohle, Josh},
abstractNote = {Evanescent operators such as the Gauss-Bonnet term have vanishing perturbative matrix elements in exactly D = 4 dimensions. Similarly, evanescent fields do not propagate in D = 4; a three-form field is in this class, since it is dual to a cosmological-constant contribution. In this Letter, we show that evanescent operators and fields modify the leading ultraviolet divergence in pure gravity. To analyze the divergence, we compute the two-loop identical-helicity four-graviton amplitude and determine the coefficient of the associated (nonevanescent) R3 counterterm studied long ago by Goroff and Sagnotti. We compare two pairs of theories that are dual in D = 4: gravity coupled to nothing or to three-form matter, and gravity coupled to zero-form or to two-form matter. Duff and van Nieuwenhuizen showed that, curiously, the one-loop trace anomaly—the coefficient of the Gauss-Bonnet operator—changes under p-form duality transformations. In addition, we concur and also find that the leading R3 divergence changes under duality transformations. Nevertheless, in both cases, the physical renormalized two-loop identical-helicity four-graviton amplitude can be chosen to respect duality. In particular, its renormalization-scale dependence is unaltered.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.211301},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 21,
volume = 115,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Nov 17 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Tue Nov 17 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.211301
Web of Science
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