Phase structure and renormalization trajectories of lattice SU(2) gauge theory (original) (raw)

We indicate how the phase diagrams of lattice gauge theories are easily obtainable through real-space renormalization techniques of the Migdal-Kadanoff transform type. As an illustration, we work out the phase boundaries for an SU(2) single-plaquette action with variable components of spin-(the Wilson form), spin 1 [SO(3)], and spin-. In this three-dimensional space, we study the renormalization flows for the couplings, thereby determining the infrared-stable forms of the action. We discuss their dependence on the phase boundary and their import to the continuum limit of the lattice theory.