effective field theory

Referent and construction route

Record whether the subject is the general EFT framework, a family or a specified formulation, together with how it is constructed.

1. Does this usage denote the EFT framework, a named family or a formulation with specified fields and order? definition
2. Is the formulation derived from a parent theory, constructed from symmetries and scales, or assembled through both routes? provenance

EFT recognition evidence

Use explicit construction and ordering evidence to distinguish EFT from looser uses of 'effective'; methodological anchors include [Burgess's introduction](https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0701053) and [MIT's EFT course](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/8-851-effective-field-theory-spring-2013/download/).

1. What establishes an EFT interpretation beyond the appearance of an effective action, fitted interaction or mean-field approximation? boundary
2. Which reference defines the convention used here, and does it treat EFT as a method, a subject area or a particular theory? provenance

Validity window and breakdown

Record the proposed validity window, evidence for its limits and the separate roles of breakdown, regulator and renormalization scales.

1. Which external and background scales define the proposed application, and what dimensionless ratios characterize their hierarchy? measurement
2. What evidence supports the breakdown scale, and how is it distinguished from the regulator cutoff and renormalization scale? boundary
3. Which thresholds or changes of background require reassessing the validity window? action

Retained and eliminated modes

Record explicit excitations and any excluded modes, including their momentum scaling and the justification for eliminating them.

1. Which fields or momentum regions remain explicit, and what physical excitations do they represent? definition
2. Which modes are integrated out or otherwise excluded, and what supports that choice in this regime? boundary
3. If distinct mode sectors overlap, how is double counting prevented? action

Symmetry realization and breaking

Record transformation rules, symmetry-breaking assumptions and consistency conditions relevant to the operator construction.

1. Which spacetime, gauge and global symmetries constrain this formulation, and how are they realized? definition
2. Which breaking terms, background fields or spurions are admitted, and what fixes their assigned order? provenance

Basis completeness and conventions

Record the retained operator set, normalization conventions and evidence that the basis is sufficient at the claimed order.

1. Which operators are retained, and how is completeness checked under the stated symmetries and power counting? boundary
2. Which redundancies are removed using integration by parts, equations of motion or field redefinitions? definition
3. What coefficient transformations and normalization changes are required before comparing with another basis? action

Counting rules and enhancements

Specify how derivatives, masses, fields, couplings and loops contribute to order, including any promoted terms.

1. What are the expansion parameters, and how do operators and loop contributions scale in them? definition
2. Do large logarithms, shallow bound states, resonances or other enhancements require promotion or resummation? boundary
3. Which coefficient-size assumptions are used, and what evidence could challenge them? provenance

Retained and omitted contributions

Record the contributions included in the observable and the first omitted orders, including interactions between expansions.

1. What explicit powers and loop orders are included, beyond labels such as leading or next-to-leading order? measurement
2. Are interference terms, squared corrections and counterterms treated consistently at the claimed observable order? boundary
3. Which additional contributions are required to reach the requested accuracy? action

Matching or calibration record

Record matching conditions or calibration inputs, their precision and unresolved parameter combinations.

1. Which coefficients come from parent-theory matching, numerical calculations, experimental fits or assumptions? provenance
2. Which amplitudes or observables determine them, at what scale and perturbative or expansion order? measurement
3. Which coefficient combinations remain unconstrained, correlated or dependent on priors? boundary

Consistent scale transport

Record renormalization conventions and the steps needed to use parameters at the calculation scale.

1. Which regulator, subtraction scheme, renormalization scale and operator-mixing conventions define these coefficients? definition
2. What running and threshold matching are required between coefficient determination and prediction? action
3. Does residual scale or regulator dependence behave consistently with the retained order and stated uncertainty? measurement

Prediction and error budget

Record the observable, applicable conditions and uncertainty contributions without treating a single diagnostic as a complete error estimate.

1. Which observable, kinematic cuts and background assumptions define the prediction? definition
2. How is truncation uncertainty estimated, and which assumptions support that estimate? measurement
3. How are coefficient, numerical, experimental-input and truncation uncertainties distinguished and combined? measurement

Independent tests and use decisions

Record independent comparisons, order-by-order behavior and observable-specific conditions for revising the EFT.

1. Which comparisons test predictions independently of the data used to determine coefficients? provenance
2. Do successive orders and discrepancies behave as expected from the proposed expansion within the claimed regime? measurement
3. What evidence warrants restricting the regime, recalibrating coefficients, adding orders or introducing new explicit modes? action

Check these first

Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.

1. Which of these check these first hold for the sense of effective field theory this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Kinds and varieties

Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.

1. Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of effective field theory this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Real-world use

Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.

1. Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of effective field theory this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Typical measurements

Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.

1. Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of effective field theory this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Failure modes and hazards

Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.

1. Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of effective field theory this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart

Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.

1. Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of effective field theory this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance