Fermi Systems with Strong Forward Scattering
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We review the theory of interacting Fermi systems whose low-energy physics is governed by forward scattering, i.e. scattering processes generated by effective interactions with small momentum transfers. These systems include Fermi liquids as well as several important non-Fermi liquid phases: one-dimensional Luttinger liquids, systems with long-range interactions, and fermions coupled to a gauge field. We report results for the critical dimensions separating different "universality classes", and discuss the behavior of physical quantities as the momentum distribution function, the single-particle propagator and low-energy response functions in each class. The renormalization group for Fermi systems will be reviewed and applied as a link between microscopic models and effective low-energy theories. Particular attention is payed to conservation laws, which constrain any effective low-energy theory of interacting Fermi systems. In scattering processes with small momentum transfers the velocity of each scattering particle is (almost) conserved. This asymptotic conservation law leads to non-trivial cancellations of Feynman diagrams and other simplifications, making thus possible a non-perturbative treatment of forward scattering via Ward identities or bosonization techniques.
142 pages, LATEX, 28 postscript figures, to appear in Adv. Phys
142 pages, LATEX, 28 postscript figures, to appear in Adv. Phys