Scaling Solutions of Matter Form Factors in Asymptotically Safe Quantum Gravity

TL;DR

This paper explores the fixed points of a gravity-matter system with a scale-dependent scalar form factor, revealing a non-trivial fixed point with unique scaling properties compatible with asymptotic safety.

Contribution

It introduces a novel fixed-point analysis of a non-local scalar form factor in quantum gravity using the Wilsonian proper-time flow equation.

Findings

Identifies a non-trivial fixed point with a distinctive form factor behavior.

Demonstrates the form factor departs from canonical behavior at the fixed point.

Shows the form factor becomes local when the UV cutoff is removed.

Abstract

We investigate the renormalization group flow of a gravity--matter system in which a scalar field is minimally coupled to Einstein gravity and its kinetic term is given by a scale-dependent form factor $f_\Lambda(-\Box)$. Employing the Wilsonian proper-time flow equation, we derive a closed integro-differential equation that encodes the dependence of the form factor on the UV cutoff $\Lambda$. We solve the resulting fixed-point problem with a pseudospectral discretization and find a non-trivial fixed point for which $f_\ast(-\Box)$ departs from the canonical $-\Box$ behavior. Linearizing the flow about this solution yields a discrete spectrum of perturbations and a corresponding set of critical exponents, indicating a non-trivial scaling structure in this non-local sector compatible with asymptotic safety. We also observe that the form factor becomes local once the UV cutoff is removed, suggesting that the bare action associated with this fixed point is local in the scalar two-point sector.