Related papers: On \epsilon-conjecture in a-theorem
The incorporation of a small cosmological constant within radiatively-broken scale-invariant models is discussed. We show that phenomenologically consistent scale-invariant models can be constructed which allow a small positive cosmological…
The discussion of renormalization group flows in four-dimensional conformal field theories has recently focused on the $a$-anomaly. It has been shown that there is a monotonic decreasing function which interpolates between the ultraviolet…
We analyze the existence of a dilaton in gauge theories with approximate infrared conformal symmetry. To the extent that these theories are governed in the infrared by an approximate fixed point (walking), the explicit breaking of the…
A consistent non-compact axion cosmology requires a non-periodic field, an effective field theory valid sufficiently above the inflationary scale, and a small non-QCD contribution to the potential that tilts the axionic vacuum landscape in…
We examine the question of scale versus conformal invariance on maximally symmetric curved backgrounds and study general 2-derivative conformally invariant free theories of vectors and tensors. For spacetime dimension $D>4$, these conformal…
We start with a brief account of the latest analysis of the Oklo phenomenon providing the still most stringent constraint on time-variability of the fine- structure constant $\alpha$. Comparing this with the recent result from the…
This paper addresses the question of whether there are 4D Lorentz invariant unitary quantum field theories with scale invariance but not conformal invariance. An important loophole in the arguments of Luty-Polchinski-Rattazzi and…
We give an explicit example of a model in D=4-epsilon space-time dimensions that is scale but not conformally invariant, is unitary, and has finite correlators. The invariance is associated with a limit cycle renormalization group (RG)…
This is the second in a series of papers where we prove a conjecture of Deser and Schwimmer regarding the algebraic structure of ``global conformal invariants''; these are defined to be conformally invariant integrals of geometric scalars.…
In two dimensions, it is well known that the scale invariance can be considered as conformal invariance. However, there is no solid proof of this equivalence in four or higher dimensions. We address this issue in the context of 4d…
We study the possible IR and UV asymptotics of 4D Lorentz invariant unitary quantum field theory. Our main tool is a generalization of the Komargodski-Schwimmer proof for the $a$-theorem. We use this to rule out a large class of…
A genuine dilaton $\sigma$ allows scales to exist even in the limit of exact conformal invariance. In gauge theories, these may occur at an infrared fixed point (IRFP) $\alpha_{\text{IR}}$ through dimensional transmutation. These large…
The a-theorem is demonstrated for the RG flows of entanglement entropy in two and four dimensions. In four dimensions we relate it to the term quadratic in intrinsic derivative of the dilaton along the entangling surface in the dilaton…
We present a novel theory of the very early universe which addresses the traditional horizon and flatness problems of big bang cosmology and predicts a scale invariant spectrum of perturbations. Unlike inflation, this scenario requires no…
This is the fourth in a series of papers where we prove a conjecture of Deser and Schwimmer regarding the algebraic structure of ``global conformal invariants''; these are defined to be conformally invariant integrals of geometric scalars.…
This is the first in a series of papers where we prove a conjecture of Deser and Schwimmer regarding the algebraic structure of ``global confor- mal invariants"; these are defined to be conformally invariant integrals of geometric scalars.…
The effective theory of adiabatic fluctuations around arbitrary Friedmann-Robertson-Walker backgrounds - both expanding and contracting - allows for more than one way to obtain scale-invariant two-point correlations. However, as we show in…
We show that under a general disformal transformation the linear comoving curvature perturbation is not identically invariant, but is invariant on superhorizon scales for any theory that is disformally related to Horndeski's theory. The…
We construct a family of measures for random fields based on the iterated subdivision of simple geometric shapes (triangles, squares, tetrahedrons) into a finite number of similar shapes. The intent is to construct continuum limits of scale…
Spontaneous scale invariance breaking and the associated Goldstone boson, the dilaton, is investigated in renormalizable, unitary, interacting non-supersymmetric scalar field theories in $4-\varepsilon$ dimensions. At leading order it is…