Critical domain: Universality, ε-expansion

Abstract In Chapter 15, the scaling behaviour of correlation functions at criticality, T = Tc, has been derived. This chapter is devoted to the critical domain, where the correlation length is large with respect to the microscopic scale, but finite. In dimensions d < 4, above Tc, the property of strong scaling is derived: in the critical domain above Tc, all correlation functions, after rescaling, can be expressed in terms of universal correlation functions, in which the scale of distance is provided by the correlation length. However, because the correlation length is singular at Tc, in this formalism, the critical temperature cannot be crossed. Alternatively, one can expand correlation functions in formal power series of the deviation (T −Tc) from the critical temperature, in presence of a magnetic field. The sum of the expansion satisfies renormalization group (RG) equations also valid for T < Tc and in a magnetic field, from which follow scaling properties in the whole critical domain. The universal two-point function can be expanded when T approaches Tc, using the short-distance expansion (SDE). A few terms of the ϵ expansion (ϵ is the deviation from dimension 4) of a few universal quantities are reported. Calculations at fixed dimension and summation of perturbative expansions are described. The conformal bootstrap based on the SDE and conformal invariance at the infrared (IR) fixed point provides an alternative method to determine critical exponents.