Non-uniqueness of boundary-value problems in Renormalization Group flows

Abstract

The Renormalization Group flow connects microscopic to macroscopic descriptions of a system and is therefore typically considered as an initial-value problem. Motivated by situations in which different couplings within a system of Renormalization Group equations are constrained at different scales, we instead consider boundary-value problems in Renormalization Group flows. We find that, unlike initial-value problems which provide $n$ conditions for $n$ couplings, boundary-value problems which provide $n$ conditions for $n$ couplings do not always have a unique solution. When the Jacobian matrix, i.e., the matrix of first derivatives of beta functions, has complex eigenvalues, boundary-value problems may be non-unique. We provide a diagnostic tool for non-uniqueness in systems with many couplings. We also provide two examples with potential relevance for physics, namely within the Standard Model as well as within the Einstein-Hilbert truncation of asymptotically safe quantum gravity.