Talk:Renormalization group
From Academic Kids
What is an "infrared attractor"? Not found via google.... NealMcB 00:30, 2004 Jan 22 (UTC)
No, I've never heard these terms either. Nor can Google find "infrared repellor". However, the term infrared fixed point does appear many times. See http://www.lns.cornell.edu/spr/1999-08/msg0017563.html for a reference. Also, ultraviolet fixed point. -- The Anome 07:54, 14 May 2004 (UTC)
I doubt that the characterization of 'attractor' and 'repellor' are correct. You get a continuum limit if you have an ultraviolet fixed point. The critical point of a statistical field theory corresponds to an infrared fixed point. Each phase is controlled by an attractive fixed point in it, which is usually an infrared fixed point and corresponds to homogeneity and trivial correlations. Critical points are always unstable in at least one direction.
The article is atrocious in its present state. I'll come in for a cleanup soon. — Miguel 14:34, 2004 May 25 (UTC)
I have redirected renormalization to this page. This was the content of the renormalization stub article:
- A method of removing singularities from certain calculations in quantum mechanics. See also Renormalization group.
— Miguel 07:27, 2004 May 28 (UTC)
Hmmm... seems like there really should be a separate article on renormalization itself, maybe focusing more on techniques in diagrammatic QFT. It seems odd that the article attributes the notion of renormalization to Gell-Mann and Low; they were more associated with the renormalization group, right? Renormalization goes back at least to Schwinger, Feynman and Tomonaga, though they may not have fully realized what they were dealing with prior to the renormalization group concept. --Matt McIrvin 03:06, 3 Oct 2004 (UTC)
I seem to recall that there are also a couple of Russians who wrote on the renormalization group before Gell-Mann and Low, but were not credited in the West until much, much later. I can't remember the names of the Russian physicists, nor have I been able to track down this bit of trivia. If I had to guess I'd say that Bogoliubov must have been one of them, but I might be wrong. — Miguel 08:15, 2004 Oct 4 (UTC)
- It was Bogoliubov and Shirkov. I'll see if I can find the reference. -- CYD
- Shirkov gives the references in his overview, which I added as a reference. He also mentions Petermann and Stückelmann as the first to bring in the whole group idea. -- sebastianlutz
