Field theory entropy, the H theorem, and the renormalization group

We consider entropy and relative entropy in field theory and establish relevant monotonicity properties with respect to the couplings. The relative entropy in a field theory with a hierarchy of renormalization-group fixed points ranks the fixed points, the lowest relative entropy being assigned to t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gaite, José, O'Connor, Denjoe
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:1996
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/102649
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/102649
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:[PACS] hermodynamic properties and entropy
[PACS] Critical point phenomena
[PACS] Renormalization-group, fractal, and percolation studies of phase transitions
[PACS] Renormalization
Descripción
Sumario:We consider entropy and relative entropy in field theory and establish relevant monotonicity properties with respect to the couplings. The relative entropy in a field theory with a hierarchy of renormalization-group fixed points ranks the fixed points, the lowest relative entropy being assigned to the highest multicritical point. We argue that as a consequence of a generalized H theorem Wilsonian RG flows induce an increase in entropy and propose the relative entropy as the natural quantity which increases from one fixed point to another in more than two dimensions. © 1996 The American Physical Society