arXiv subjects

Barak Bringoltz

Publications and source records attributed to Barak Bringoltz.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Breakdown of large-N quenched reduction in SU(N) lattice gauge theories

We study the validity of the large-N equivalence between four-dimensional SU(N) lattice gauge theory and its momentum quenched version--the Quenched Eguchi-Kawai (QEK) model. We find that the assumptions needed for the proofs of equivalence do not automatically follow from the quenching prescription. We use weak-coupling arguments to show that large-N equivalence is in fact likely to break down in the QEK model, and that this is due to dynamically generated correlations between different Euclidean components of the gauge fields. We then use Monte-Carlo simulations at intermediate couplings with 20 <= N <= 200 to provide strong evidence for the presence of these correlations and for the consequent breakdown of reduction. This evidence includes a large discrepancy between the transition coupling of the "bulk" transition in lattice gauge theories and the coupling at which the QEK model goes through a strongly first-order transition. To accurately measure this discrepancy we adapt the recently introduced Wang-Landau algorithm to gauge theories.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2008

Closed k-strings in SU(N) gauge theories : 2+1 dimensions

We calculate the ground state energies of closed k-strings in (2+1)-dimensional SU(N) gauge theories, for N=4,5,6,8 and k=2,3,4. From the dependence of the ground state energy on the string length, we infer that such k-strings are described by an effective string theory that is in the same bosonic universality class (Nambu-Goto) as the fundamental string. When we compare the continuum k-string tensions to the corresponding fundamental string tensions, we find that the ratios are close to, but typically 1-2 percent above, the Casimir scaling values favoured by some theoretical approaches. Fitting the N-dependence in a model-independent way favours an expansion in 1/N (as in Casimir scaling) rather than the 1/N^2 that is suggested by naive colour counting. We also observe that the low-lying spectrum of k-string states falls into sectors that belong to particular irreducible representations of SU(N), demonstrating that the dynamics of string binding knows about the full gauge group and not just about its centre.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2007

The spectrum of closed loops of fundamental flux in D=2+1 SU(N) gauge theories

We study the closed-string spectrum of SU(N) gauge theories in the fundamental representation in 2+1 dimensions. We calculate the energies of the lowest lying ~ 30 states using a large variety of operators characterised by the quantum numbers of parity and longitudinal momentum. We find that our results for the ground state are very well approximated by the Nambu-Goto (NG) predictions even for short strings. For the excited states, we observe significant deviations from the NG predictions only for very short strings and they decrease rapidly with increasing string length. Finally, we see that Nambu-Goto provides a much better description of our results than the effective string theoretical predictions. We discuss the continuum and large-N limits.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2007

The closed string spectrum of SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions

We use lattice techniques to study the closed-string spectrum of SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions. We calculate the energies of the lowest lying ~30 states for strings with lengths between l ~ 0.45 fm and l ~ 3 fm, and compare to different theoretical predictions. We obtain unambiguous evidence that the closed-strings are in the universality class of the Nambu-Goto free bosonic string. Moreover, we clearly see that our data can be described by a covariant string theory with a small/moderate correction down to very short distance scales, and possibly on all distance scales at large-N.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2007

Strings in SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions: beyond the fundamental representation

We calculate energies and tensions of closed k-strings in (2+1)-dimensional SU(N) gauge theories with N=4,5,6,8. When we study the dependence of the ground state energy on the string length, we find that it is well described by a Nambu-Goto (NG) free bosonic string for large lengths. At shorter lengths we see deviations which we fit, and this allows us to control the systematic error involved in extracting the tension. We compare the resulting string tensions with Casimir scaling, which we find to be lower than our data by 1%-4%. Extrapolating our results to N=oo we see that our data fits more naturally to 1/N rather than 1/N^2 corrections. Finally, we see that the full spectrum of the k-string states falls into sectors that belong to particular irreducible representations of SU(N).

hep-lat↗

arXiv2006

Chiral crystals in strong-coupling lattice QCD at nonzero chemical potential

We study the effective action for strong-coupling lattice QCD with one-component staggered fermions in the case of nonzero chemical potential and zero temperature. The structure of this action suggests that at large chemical potentials its ground state is a crystalline `chiral density wave' that spontaneously breaks chiral symmetry and translation invariance. In mean-field theory, on the other hand, we find that this state is unstable. We show that lattice artifacts are partly responsible for this, and suggest that if this phase exists in QCD, then finding it in Monte-Carlo simulations would require simulating on relatively fine lattices. In particular, the baryon mass in lattice units, m_B, should be considerably smaller than its strong-coupling limit of m_B~3.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2006

A precise calculation of the fundamental string tension in SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions

We use lattice techniques to calculate the continuum string tensions of SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions. We attempt to control all systematic errors at a level that allows us to perform a precise test of the analytic prediction of Karabali, Kim and Nair. We find that their prediction is within 3% of our values for all N and that the discrepancy decreases with increasing N. When we extrapolate our results to N=oo we find that there remains a discrepancy of ~ 1%, which is a convincing ~6 sigma effect. Thus, while the Karabali-Nair analysis is remarkably accurate at N=oo, it is not exact.

hep-th↗

arXiv2006

String tensions of SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions

We calculate the energy spectrum of closed strings in SU(N) gauge theories with N=2,3,4,6,8 in 2+1 dimensions to a high accuracy. We attempt to control all systematic errors, and this allows us to perform a precise comparison with different theoretical predictions. When we study the dependence of the string mass on its length L we find that the Nambu-Goto prediction is a very good approximation down to relatively short lengths, where the Luscher term alone is insufficient. We then isolate the corrections to the Luscher term, and compare them to recent theoretical predictions, which indeed seem to be mildly preferred by the data. When we take these corrections into account and extract string tensions from the string masses, we find that their continuum limit is lower by 2%-1% from the predictions of Karabli, Kim, and Nair. The discrepancy decreases with N, but when we extrapolate our results to N=oo we still find a discrepancy of 0.88% which is a 4.5 sigma effect.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2006

The critical region of strong-coupling lattice QCD in different large-N limits

We study the critical behavior at nonzero temperature phase transitions of an effective Hamiltonian derived from lattice QCD in the strong-coupling expansion. Following studies of related quantum spin systems that have a similar Hamiltonian, we show that for large $N_c$ and fixed $g^2N_c$, mean field scaling is not expected, and that the critical region has a finite width at $N_c=\infty$. A different behavior rises for $N_f\to \infty$ and fixed $N_c$ and $g^2/N_f$, which we study in two spatial dimensions and for $N_c=1$. We find that the width of the critical region is suppressed by $1/N_f^p$ with $p=1/2$, and argue that a generalization to $N_c>1$ and to three dimensions will change this only in detail (e.g. the value of $p>0$), but not in principle. We conclude by stating under what conditions this suppression is expected, and remark on possible realizations of this phenomenon in lattice gauge theories in the continuum.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2006

In search of a Hagedorn transition in SU(N) lattice gauge theories at large-N

We investigate on the lattice the metastable confined phase above Tc in SU(N) gauge theories, for N=8,10, and 12. In particular we focus on the decrease with the temperature of the mass of the lightest state that couples to Polyakov loops. We find that at T=Tc the corresponding effective string tension σ_{eff}(T) is approximately half its value at T=0, and that as we increase T beyond Tc, while remaining in the confined phase, σ_{eff}(T) continues to decrease. We extrapolate σ_{eff}(T) to even higher temperatures, and interpret the temperature where it vanishes as the Hagedorn temperature T_H. For SU(12) we find that T_H/Tc=1.116(9), when we use the exponent of the three-dimensional XY model for the extrapolation, which seems to be slightly preferred over a mean-field exponent by our data.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2005

Bulk Thermodynamics of SU(N) Lattice Gauge Theories at Large-N

We present a study of bulk thermodynamical quantities in the deconfined phase of pure lattice SU(N) gauge theories. We find that the deficit in pressure and entropy with respect to their free-gas values, for N=4,8, is remarkably close to that of SU(3). Th is suggests that understanding the strongly interacting nature of the deconfined phase, which is crucial for RHIC physics, can be done at large N. There, different analytical approaches simplify or become soluble, and one can check their predictions and point to their important ingredients.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2005

The pressure of the SU(N) lattice gauge theory at large-N

We calculate bulk thermodynamic properties, such as the pressure, energy density, and entropy, in SU(4) and SU(8) lattice gauge theories, for the range of temperatures T <= 2.0Tc and T <= 1.6Tc respectively. We find that the N=4,8 results are very close to each other, and to what one finds in SU(3), and are far from the asymptotic free-gas value. We conclude that any explanation of the high-T pressure (or entropy) deficit must be such as to survive the N-->oo limit. We give some examples of this constraint in action and comment on what this implies for the relevance of gravity duals.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2005

The pressure and a possible hidden Hagedorn transition at large-N

In the first part of this contribution we present a numerical study motivated by recent attempts to understand the nonperturbative aspects of QCD at temperatures T~ a few times the deconfinement temperature Tc. We focus on the pure gauge theory, and ask whether the deficit in pressure and entropy, with respect to their free-gas values, is particular to SU(3). We find that the deficit in SU(4),SU(8) for T>= 2Tc,1.6 Tc, respectively, is remarkably close to that of SU(3). This suggests a similar deficit for SU(oo), which is fortunate since this theory is simpler, and can serve to constrain the possible dynamics underlying the deficits. In the second part we seek for signs of a Hagedorn temperature T_H in pure lattice SU(N) gauge theories with N=8,10,12. Since one expects T_H>Tc, we measure masses of strings in the metastable confined phase above Tc, and extrapolatethem to zero to estimate T_H. For SU(12) we find that T_H/Tc=1.116(9), when we extrapolate with a critical exponentof the three dimensional XY model, which seems to be preferred over a mean field exponent by our data.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2004

Dense baryonic matter in strong coupling lattice gauge theory

We investigate the strong coupling limit of lattice QCD in the Hamiltonian formulation for systems with non-zero baryon density. In leading order the Hamiltonian looks like an antiferromagnet that is invariant under global U(N_f)xU(N_f) and local SU(N_c). Physically it describes meson dynamics with a fixed background of baryon density. We study this Hamiltonian with several baryon number distributions, and concentrate on the global symmetries of the ground state and on the properties of low lying excitations. In particular, for uniform non-zero baryon density we write the partition function as a path integral that is tractable in the limit of large N_c. We find that the ground state spontaneously breaks chiral symmetry as well as discrete lattice rotations in a way that depends on N_f and the density. The low energy excitations include type I and type II Goldstone bosons. The energies of the latter are of order 1/N_c, and are quadratic in momentum. Bosons of either type can develop anisotropic dispersion relations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2004

Anisotropic Goldstone bosons of strong-coupling lattice QCD at high density

We calculate the spectrum of excitations in strong-coupling lattice QCD in a background of fixed baryon density, at a substantial fraction of the saturation density. We employ a next-nearest-neighbor fermion formulation that possesses the SU(N_f)xSU(N_f) chiral symmetry of the continuum theory. We find two types of massless excitations: type I Goldstone bosons with linear dispersion relations and type II Goldstone bosons with quadratic dispersion relations. Some of the type I bosons originate as type II bosons of the nearest-neighbor theory. Bosons of either type can develop anisotropic dispersion relations, depending on the value of N_f and the baryon density.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2003

Order from disorder in lattice QCD at high density

We investigate the properties of the ground state of strong coupling lattice QCD at finite density. Our starting point is the effective Hamiltonian for color singlet objects, which looks at lowest order as an antiferromagnet, and describes meson physics with a fixed baryon number background. We concentrate on uniform baryon number backgrounds (with the same baryon number on all sites), for which the ground state was extracted in an earlier work, and calculate the dispersion relations of the excitations. Two types of Goldstone boson emerge. The first, antiferromagnetic spin waves, obey a linear dispersion relation. The others, ferromagnetic magnons, have energies that are quadratic in their momentum. These energies emerge only when fluctuations around the large-N_c ground state are taken into account, along the lines of ``order from disorder'' in frustrated magnetic systems. Unlike other spectrum calculations in order from disorder, we employ the Euclidean path integral. For comparison, we also present a Hamiltonian calculation using a generalized Holstein-Primakoff transformation. The latter can only be constructed for a subset of the cases we consider.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2003

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in strong-coupling lattice QCD at high density

We determine the patterns of spontaneous symmetry breaking in strong-coupling lattice QCD in a fixed background baryon density. We employ a next-nearest-neighbor fermion formulation that possesses the SU(N_f)xSU(N_f) chiral symmetry of the continuum theory. We find that the global symmetry of the ground state varies with N_f and with the background baryon density. In all cases the condensate breaks the discrete rotational symmetry of the lattice as well as part of the chiral symmetry group.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2002

Lattice gauge theory with baryons at strong coupling

We study the effective Hamiltonian for strong-coupling lattice QCD in the case of non-zero baryon density. In leading order the effective Hamiltonian is a generalized antiferromagnet. For naive fermions, the symmetry is U(4N_f) and the spins belong to a representation that depends on the local baryon number. Next-nearest-neighbor (nnn) terms in the Hamiltonian break the symmetry to U(N_f) x U(N_f). We transform the quantum problem to a Euclidean sigma model which we analyze in a 1/N_c expansion. In the vacuum sector we recover spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry for the nearest-neighbor and nnn theories. For non-zero baryon density we study the nearest-neighbor theory only, and show that the pattern of spontaneous symmetry breaking depends on the baryon density.

hep-lat↗