English

Renormalization Ambiguities and Conformal Anomaly in Metric-Scalar Backgrounds

High Energy Physics - Theory 2008-11-26 v2

Abstract

We analyze the problem of the existing ambiguities in the conformal anomaly in theories with external scalar field in curved backgrounds. In particular, we consider the anomaly of self-interacting massive scalar field theory and of Yukawa model in the massless conformal limit. In all cases the ambiguities are related to finite renormalizations of a local non-minimal terms in the effective action. We point out the generic nature of this phenomenon and provide a general method to identify the theories where such an ambiguity can arise.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/0609138,
  title  = {Renormalization Ambiguities and Conformal Anomaly in Metric-Scalar Backgrounds},
  author = {M. Asorey and G. de Berredo-Peixoto and I. L. Shapiro},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/0609138},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

RevTeX, 10 pages, no figures. Small comment and two references added. Accepted for publication in Physical Review D