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arXiv · 2303.05306

Phase Transitions in Abelian Lattice Gauge Theory: Production and Dissolution of Monopoles and Monopole-Antimonopole Pairs

Loris Di Cairano·Matteo Gori·Matthieu Sarkis·Alexandre Tkatchenko
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Abstract

We combine the microcanonical formulation of lattice gauge theories (LGTs) developed by Callaway and the microcanonical inflection point analysis (MIPA) proposed by Bachmann et al. to achieve a systematic characterization of phase transitions (PTs) in U(1) lattice electrodynamics. Besides identifying the well-known deconfinement PT (DPT) due to the neutral pair dissolution, which we classify as a first-order PT, we unequivocally detect three higher-order PTs. According to MIPA, we observe two independent third-order PTs in the confined phase; instead, in the deconfined (Coulomb) phase, we observe a dependent third-order PT. For a deeper understanding of the physical meaning of these PTs, we numerically compute the average number density of monopolar and pair defects as a function of energy. Our analysis reveals that DPT is only one of the major mechanisms observable in LGT. The independent third-order PTs are associated, respectively, to the first occurrence of monopolar topological defects and to the production of pairs.

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Loris Di Cairano, Matteo Gori, Matthieu Sarkis, Alexandre Tkatchenko. 2023-03-09. Phase Transitions in Abelian Lattice Gauge Theory: Production and Dissolution of Monopoles and Monopole-Antimonopole Pairs. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.05306

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