A new and gauge-invariant littlest Higgs model with T-parity

We inspect the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity, based on a global symmetry SU(5) spontaneously broken to SO(5), in order to elucidate the pathologies it presents due to the non-trivial interplay between the gauge invariance associated to the heavy modes and the discrete T-parity symmetry. In particular, the usual Yukawa Lagrangian responsible for providing masses to the heavy ‘mirror’ fermions is not gauge invariant. This is because it contains an SO(5) quintuplet of right-handed fermions that transforms nonlinearly under SU(5), hence involving in general all SO(5) generators when a gauge transformation is performed and not only those associated to its gauge subgroup. Part of the solution to this problem consists of completing the right-handed fermion quintuplet with T-odd ‘mirror partners’ and a gauge singlet, what has been previously suggested for other purposes. Furthermore, we find that the singlet must be T-even, the global symmetry group must be enlarged, an additional nonlinear sigma field should be introduced to parametrize the spontaneous symmetry breaking and new extra fermionic degrees of freedom are required to give a mass to all fermions in an economic way while preserving gauge invariance. Finally, we derive the Coleman–Weinberg potential for the Goldstone fields using the background field method.

Consistent higher order $$ \sigma \left(\mathcal{GG}\to h\right) $$, $$ \Gamma \left(h\to \mathcal{GG}\right) $$ and Γ(h → γγ) in geoSMEFT

We report consistent results for Γ(h → γγ), $$ \sigma \left(\mathcal{GG}\to h\right) $$ σ GG → h and $$ \Gamma \left(h\to \mathcal{GG}\right) $$ Γ h → GG in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) perturbing the SM by corrections $$ \mathcal{O}\left({\overline{\upsilon}}_T^2/16{\pi}^2{\Lambda}^2\right) $$ O υ ¯ T 2 / 16 π 2 Λ 2 in the Background Field Method (BFM) approach to gauge fixing, and to $$ \mathcal{O}\left({\overline{\upsilon}}_T^4/{\Lambda}^4\right) $$ O υ ¯ T 4 / Λ 4 using the geometric formulation of the SMEFT. We combine and modify recent results in the literature into a complete set of consistent results, uniforming conventions, and simultaneously complete the one loop results for these processes in the BFM. We emphasize calculational scheme dependence present across these processes, and how the operator and loop expansions are not independent beyond leading order. We illustrate several cross checks of consistency in the results.

Beta functions for the duality-invariant sigma model

The O(d, d) invariant worldsheet theory for bosonic string theory with d abelian isometries is employed to compute the beta functions and Weyl anomaly at one-loop. We show that vanishing of the Weyl anomaly coefficients implies the equations of motion of the Maharana-Schwarz action. We give a self-contained introduction into the required techniques, including beta functions, the Weyl anomaly for two-dimensional sigma models and the background field method. This sets the stage for a sequel to this paper on generalizations to higher loops and α′ corrections.

Two-loop renormalisation of gauge theories in 4D implicit regularisation and connections to dimensional methods

We compute the two-loop $$\beta $$ β -function of scalar and spinorial quantum electrodynamics as well as pure Yang–Mills and quantum chromodynamics using the background field method in a fully quadridimensional setup using implicit regularization (IREG). Moreover, a thorough comparison with dimensional approaches such as conventional dimensional regularization (CDR) and dimensional reduction (DRED) is presented. Subtleties related to Lorentz algebra contractions/symmetric integrations inside divergent integrals as well as renormalisation schemes are carefully discussed within IREG where the renormalisation constants are fully defined as basic divergent integrals to arbitrary loop order. Moreover, we confirm the hypothesis that momentum routing invariance in the loops of Feynman diagrams implemented via setting well-defined surface terms to zero deliver non-abelian gauge invariant amplitudes within IREG just as it has been proven for abelian theories.

Quantum gauge theories

This chapter, which is the last chapter in Part I, is devoted to an extensive discussion of quantum gauge theories, which is based on functional integrals and Lagrangian quantization. After introducing the notion of a Yang-Mills gauge theory, the Faddeev-Popov method (also known as the DeWitt-Faddeev-Popov procedure) is explained. Starting from this point, the BRST symmetry is formulated, and the corresponding Ward identities (called Slavnov-Taylor identities in some cases) established. More specialized subjects, such as the gauge dependence of effective action and the background field method, are dealt with in detail. In addition, Yang-Mills theory is analyzed as a primary example of general theorems concerning the renormalization of gauge theories.

The Feynman rules for the SMEFT in the background field gauge

We present a package for FeynRules which derives the Feynman rules for the Standard Model Effective Field Theory up to dimension-six using the background field method for gauge fixing. The package includes operators which shift the kinetic and mass terms of the Lagrangian up to dimension-eight and including dimension-six squared effects consistently. To the best of the author’s knowledge this is the first publicly available package to include dimension-six squared effects consistently. The package is validated in a partner publication by analyzing the Ward Identities at dimension-six and one-loop order. We also extend the partner work in this article by including the dimension-six squared effects further demonstrating the consistency of their implementation. In doing so we find that failure to consistently include field shifts to dimension-six squared causes a breakdown in the Ward identities implying concerns about many calculations in the literature which do not properly incorporate these effects.The FeynRules files, as well as Mathematica notebooks performing the relevant calculations, can be downloaded from the FeynRules website and are included as supplementary material to this publication.

The background field method and critical vector models

We use the background field method to systematically derive CFT data for the critical ϕ6 vector model in three dimensions, and the Gross-Neveu model in dimensions 2 ≤ d ≤ 4. Specifically, we calculate the OPE coefficients and anomalous dimensions of various operators, up to next-to-leading order in the 1/N expansion.

Revisit of renormalization of Einstein-Maxwell theory at one-loop

In a series of the recent works based on foliation-based quantization in which renormalizability has been achieved for the physical sector of the theory, we have shown that the use of the standard graviton propagator interferes, due to the presence of the trace mode, with the 4D covariance. A subtlety in the background field method also requires careful handling. This status of the matter motivated us to revisit an Einstein-scalar system in one of the sequels. Continuing the endeavors, we revisit the one-loop renormalization of an Einstein-Maxwell system in the present work. The systematic renormalization of the cosmological and Newton’s constants is carried out by applying the refined background field method. One-loop beta function of the vector coupling constant is explicitly computed and compared with the literature. The longstanding problem of gauge choice-dependence of the effective action is addressed and the manner in which the gauge-choice independence is restored in the present framework is discussed. The formalism also sheds light on background independent analysis. The renormalization involves a metric field redefinition originally introduced by ‘t Hooft; with the field redefinition the theory should be predictive.