https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4619-x
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
The background scale Ward identity in quantum gravity
1
International School for Advanced Studies, via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy
2
INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
3
INFN, Sezione di Bologna, via Irnerio 46, 40126, Bologna, Italy
* e-mail: vacca@bo.infn.it
Received:
28
November
2016
Accepted:
11
January
2017
Published online:
27
January
2017
We show that with suitable choices of parametrization, gauge fixing and cutoff, the anomalous variation of the effective action under global rescalings of the background metric is identical to the derivative with respect to the cutoff, i.e. to the beta functional, as defined by the exact RG equation. The Ward identity and the RG equation can be combined, resulting in a modified flow equation that is manifestly invariant under global background rescalings.
© The Author(s), 2017
