A Constructive Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
UV stability and the limit
Massimiliano Gubinelli | University of Oxford
SISSA lectures, Lecture 6 — notes: Lecture 6, §§17–19
Lecture 5, at every lattice \(N\) and upper scale \(T\):
Three things remain:
the boundary term vanishes: \(TZ_T \to 0\) at fixed \(N\);
uniform energy bounds \(\Rightarrow\) compactness of processes and measures;
identify the limit: coefficients, noise, equations.
The subtle point
Convergence of the fields does not pass an FBSDE to the limit: the backward martingale could acquire extra noise. The statistical meaning of the backward variable saves us.
The boundary at infinite resolution
Lecture 6
\(\bar{\Gamma}_q\) was built to converge to the bare action: \(\mu_q \to \mu_N\), \(\Theta_q \to 0\), corrections integrated from \(q = \infty\).
Lemma.
The field at resolution \(q\): \(\Phi_q = C_q P_q = (q - q_0) C_q \Phi_{\infty} + C_q B_{q - q_0} \to \Phi_{\infty}\).
\(\Phi_q = Y_q + C_q D \bar{\Gamma}_q (Y_q)\), so \(Y_q - \Phi_q = O (q^{- 1})\) and \(D \bar{\Gamma}_q (Y_q) \to DV_N (\Phi_{\infty})\).
Exact minus approximate coordinate identity:
compare \(\mathbb{E}_q G\) with the observed \(G^0_q = DV_N (\Phi_q)\): \(\|\mathbb{E}_q G - G\| \le 2 \|G - G^0_q \|\).
No uniform estimate, no posterior concentration.
Let \(T \to \infty\) at fixed \(N\) (paths and \(\nu_N\) do not depend on \(T\); monotone convergence; \(\delta_{N, T, p} \to 0\)). Only then take \(\sup_N\).
Theorem.
and \(\sup_N \mathbb{E} \exp \{c (E^N_{\infty} + J^N_{\infty})^{1 / 5} \} < \infty\).
\(C_{N, p}\) diverges with \(N\): never take \(\sup_N\) of \(C_{N, p} / T\).
The force: \(F_q =\mathbb{E}_q [- DV_N (\Phi_{\infty})] = K_q Z_q - D \bar{\Gamma}_q (Y_q)\), the explicit force at the approximate forecast, corrected by \(K_q Z_q\).
Compactness
Lecture 6
Embed by cells \(\square_x\): \(\iota_N : H_N \to H = L^2 (\mathbb{T}^3)\) isometric, \(j_N = \iota_N^{\ast}\).
Lemma.
Remove the backward forcing: \(\mathcal{H}_q = C_q F^Z_q\), \(\|\mathcal{H}_q \|_{\infty} \lesssim q^{- 1 / 4} \|F^Z_q \|_2 \lesssim \gamma^{1 / 2} E_T^{1 / 2}\).
At frozen \(q\): \(K_q U + \frac{\gamma}{3} (U + d)^3 = f\). Constants are super- and subsolutions: lattice maximum principle.
The weight \(q^{- \varpi}\) absorbs the memory: \(q^{- 1 - \varpi} \int_{q_0}^q s^{\varpi} \le (1 + \varpi)^{- 1}\).
Finite-resolution suprema have all moments uniformly in \(N\); the terminal field is a distribution.
Space. \(K_q V_q = f_q\) with \(\mathbb{E} \int_I \|f\|_2^2 \le C_I\) (energies), so \(V \in L^2 (I ; H^1)\); \(Y = V + X - \varrho (Y)\) has the regularity of the free field: \(H^{\sigma}\), \(\sigma < \frac{1}{2}\), in space; \(H^{\theta}\), \(\theta < \frac{1}{2}\), in scale; tight in space–time \(L^p\) (and in \(C (I ; H)\): \(C^{1 / 4}\) Hölder bound \(+\) uniform Fourier tails).
Terminal field. \(H_q^2 \le \frac{C}{q} C_q\) gives, for \(\frac{1}{2} < s < \frac{3}{2}\),
and the drifts have squared tails \(O (Q^{- 3})\), \(O (Q^{- 5 / 2})\), \(O (Q^{- 3 / 2})\). Doob:
Corollary. \(\nu_N\) is tight in \(H^{- s} (\mathbb{T}^3)\) for every \(s > \frac{1}{2}\), with all moments uniformly in \(N\). (Threshold of the free field in \(d = 3\).)
Identifying the limit
Lecture 6
Uniform bounds do not identify a limit: a weakly convergent vertex cannot in general be contracted against a varying covariance. Three tools:
Weak vertex measures: bounded rooted norms \(\Rightarrow\) signed measures, weakly compact; the centred kernel in a first-moment topology. The limits solve the same fixed point, unique in its ball: the whole sequence converges.
Compact sandwich: \(G_N \to G\) in \(\text{HS}\), \(\textsf{B}_N \to \textsf{B}\) weakly, symmetric, uniformly bounded, \(\sup_N \|G_N \textsf{B}_N \| \le \theta < 1\), \(\|G \textsf{B} \| \le \theta\) \(\Rightarrow\) \((I + G_N \textsf{B}_N)^{- 1} G_N \to (I + G \textsf{B})^{- 1} G\) in \(\text{HS}\).
Contraction against a moving covariance: rows of the inverses are Hölder \(+\) HS convergence \(\Rightarrow\) \((H^N)^2 \to H^2\) uniformly; weak vertices can be contracted.
Hence \(H^N_q (Y^N_q) \to H_q (Y_q)\) in \(L^2 (I ; \text{HS})\) and \(b^N_q (Y^N_q) \to b_q (Y_q)\) in \(L^2 (I ; H)\).
\(L^n_t = \int_0^t g_n (s) \hspace{0.17em} \mathrm{d} B_s\), \(g_n = 1 + \sin (ns)\): integrands \(\to 1\) weakly, squares \(\to \frac{3}{2}\).
Left: \((B_1, L^n_1 - B_1)\), \(n = 200\): correlation \(\approx 0\), variance of the gap \(\approx \frac{1}{2}\) — the residual does not vanish and is orthogonal to \(B\). Right: \(\int_0^t g_n \to t\) but \(\int_0^t g_n^2 \to \frac{3}{2} t\).
A limiting FBSDE obtained this way would carry an extra martingale orthogonal to the driving noise. We need strong compactness of the backward integrand \(\Xi = \text{Cov} - H (Y)\).
Lemma. \(\text{Cov}_q = D^2 \mathcal{K}_q (P_q) \ge 0\) and
Lecture 3: conditional variance is resolved at rate \(\text{Cov}_t \dot{\mathscr{R}}_t \text{Cov}_t\); here \(\partial_q \mathscr{R} = 1\).
\(\langle f, \text{Cov}_q f \rangle \ge 0\): a nonnegative supermartingale, initial value \(\text{Var}_{\nu_N} \langle \Phi_{\infty}, f \rangle\) bounded uniformly (uniform moments, Corollary).
Stop at level \(K\): decreasing part and bracket have bounded expectations \(\Rightarrow\) time regularity \(W^{a, 1}\), \(a < \frac{1}{2}\) \(\Rightarrow\) strong compactness of each finite block.
Spatial tails: isometry \(+\) symmetry, and terminal averaging \(\psi_Q =\mathbb{E}_Q \int_L^{L + 1} (Y_s + Z_s) \mathrm{d} s\) (\(H^{\sigma}\) bound on \(Y\), \(\mathbb{E} \|Z_s \|^2 \le Cs^{- 5 / 2}\)).
\(\Rightarrow\) \(\text{Cov}^N\) tight in strong \(L^2 (I ; \text{HS})\); brackets \(\int \text{CovCov}^{\ast}\) and covariations with \(W\) converge.
On a common filtered space (Skorokhod), along a subsequence:
\(\psi\) is a continuous square-integrable martingale for the joint filtration; its bracket and its covariation with \(W\) are those of \(\int \text{Cov} \hspace{0.17em} \mathrm{d} W\);
so \(\psi - \int \text{Cov} \hspace{0.17em} \mathrm{d} W\) has zero bracket and vanishes: no extra martingale;
same for the forward equation, and \(X = \int C \hspace{0.17em} \mathrm{d} W\) with the same \(W\) (needed to pass the thresholded energies).
Theorem.
\((Y^N, Z^N, \psi^N, X^N)\) converge in \(C (I ; H)\), \(W^N\) in \(C (I ; H^{- r})\), \(r > \frac{3}{2}\), \((\text{Cov}^N, \Xi^N)\) in strong \(L^2 (I ; \text{HS})\), jointly, a.s. on a new space;
the limit solves the FBSDE on \([q_0, \infty)\) with the continuum coefficients \(b, H\) (unique in their ball), an \(H\)-cylindrical Brownian motion obtained as the limit of the lattice innovations, \(\text{Cov} = H (Y) + \Xi \ge 0\), and \(\mathbb{E} \|Z_q \|^2 \le Cq^{- 5 / 2}\);
\(\psi^N\) is tight in \(C (I ; H)\) because its brackets \(\int \text{Cov}^N \text{Cov}^{N \ast}\) are tight and its Fourier tails are uniformly small.
Theorem.
\(Y_q \to \Phi\) in \(H^{- s}\), \(s > \frac{1}{2}\), a.s. and in mean square; \(\text{Law} (\Phi) = \nu\) is the weak limit of \(\nu_N\), and \(\langle Y_q + Z_q, h \rangle =\mathbb{E} [\langle \Phi, h \rangle \hspace{0.17em} | \hspace{0.17em} \mathcal{F}_q]\);
the limiting thresholded energies (built with \(X = \int C \hspace{0.17em} \mathrm{d} W\)) obey the bounds of UV stability.
The posterior structure survives: \(\psi = Y + Z\) is a closed observable, \(Y\) is computed from the explicit action, \(Z\) is small at high resolution.
Theorem.
Proof: lattice Gaussian integration by parts in \(\mathrm{e}^{- V_N - \frac{1}{2} \langle \varphi, K_{q_0} \varphi \rangle}\); \(K_{q_0} j_N h = j_N (q_0 - \Delta^{\text{tr}}_N) h\); tightness and uniform moments.
The terminal case of the DS equations of Lecture 3.
The renormalised cube \(\mu_N \Phi + \lambda \Phi^3\) is identified only tested in expectation, not as a random distribution.
Consistent with the expectation (Lecture 3) that the limiting force is an observable without terminal representative; this is not proved.
At every finite resolution the force is explicit: \(F_q = K_q Z_q - D \bar{\Gamma}_q (Y_q)\).
Uniqueness of the limit, of the FBSDE, independence of the regularisation.
Small mass / strong coupling: the construction needs \(\gamma q_0^{- 1 / 2}\) small, i.e. weak coupling \(\lambda / m \ll 1\). Removing it needs a priori estimates without the small feedback \(\gamma^2 / q_0\), and a coefficient construction outside the perturbative ball.
Axioms: reflection positivity holds on the lattice (lattice and mid-lattice planes) and passes to \(\nu\) for every coordinate reflection (standard; exercise); rotation invariance and clustering need infinite volume.
Infinite volume: the force and its Burgers flow are intensive; estimates must be made local. Uniform-in-volume coefficient bounds and local energy moments are open; retaining the full FBSDE also needs control of the noise from infinity in the nonlocal \(\Xi\).
Wightman \(\to\) Euclidean (L1) \(\to\) free field (L2) \(\to\) scale decomposition: Polchinski, FBSDE, variational problem (L3) \(\to\) \(\Phi^4_3\) through the FBSDE in forecast coordinates (L4–6).
| Lecture 3 (formal) | Lectures 4–6 | in the limit |
| forecast \(\psi_t =\mathbb{E}_t \Phi_T\) | \(\psi = Y + Z\) | closed martingale |
| response \(H_t = \text{Cov}_t\) | \(\text{Cov} = H (Y) + \Xi\) | strong \(L^2 (\text{HS})\), Riccati |
| \(\Gamma_t\), Wetterich | \(\bar{\Gamma}_q\) explicit, defect \(e\) | deterministic coefficients |
| force \(F_t\) | \(K_q Z_q - D \bar{\Gamma}_q (Y_q)\) | observable at finite \(q\) |
| DS equation | integration by parts | tested in expectation |
UV stability \(=\) an explicit action predicts the conditional mean up to an error that is small at high resolution.