arXiv subjects

Claudio Bonanno

Publications and source records attributed to Claudio Bonanno.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Real-time topological rate at non-zero momentum in quenched QCD

We present a proof-of-concept numerical study of the real-time topological rate at non-zero momentum in quenched lattice QCD at a temperature $T\simeq 1.24 \, T_c \simeq 360$ MeV, as an important step toward the determination of this quantity in full QCD. Our strategy, already applied to compute the sphaleron rate in pure Yang--Mills and in full QCD, extracts the rate from the resolution of an appropriate inverse problem, solved applying the Hansen--Lupo--Tantalo (HLT) method to the thermal Euclidean time-correlator of the topological charge density. This method requires to control three different limits: continuum limit, limit of vanishing smearing width used in the HLT inverse problem resolution, and limit of vanishing smoothing radius used in the topological charge density correlator computation. Our lattice calculation is based on the standard Wilson discretization for the gauge action, and on three gauge ensembles with up to $N_\tau=16$ temporal points to achieve a controlled continuum limit. In all cases we employed an aspect ratio $LT=4$, which allowed us to compute the topological rate up to momenta as large as $p/T \sim 10$.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

The large-$N$ Yang--Mills $\Lambda$-parameter from step scaling

We use the step-scaling method and results obtained at $N = 3, 5$ and $8$ to determine the $N$-dependence of the dynamically generated scale $\Lambda$ of $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ Yang--Mills theories. We implement the step-scaling method in a suitable finite-volume renormalization scheme based on twisted boundary conditions, introduced to effectively achieve large-$N$ volume independence, and on a coupling defined through the gradient flow. In the $\overline{\mathrm{MS}}$ scheme, we obtain the following values in terms of the gradient flow scale $t_0$: $\sqrt{8t_0}\Lambda_{\scriptscriptstyle{\overline{\mathrm{MS}}}} = 0.577(23)$, $0.632(32)$, and $0.611(43)$ for $N=3,5$ and $8$, respectively. They extrapolate to a large-$N$ value of: $\sqrt{8t_0}\Lambda_{\scriptscriptstyle{\overline{\mathrm{MS}}}} (N=\infty) = 0.639(36)$, and the $N$-dependence is given by $\sqrt{8t_0}\Lambda_{\scriptscriptstyle{\overline{\mathrm{MS}}}}(N)=0.639(36)[1-0.85(62)/N^2+\mathcal{O}(1/N^4)]$. This work represents the first calculation of the Yang--Mills $\Lambda$-parameter in the large-$N$ limit that does not rely on asymptotic scaling strategies.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

The topological susceptibility slope $\chi^\prime$ in the large-$N$ limit

This paper presents the first non-perturbative lattice determination of the Yang--Mills topological susceptibility slope $\chi^\prime$ in the large-$N$ limit. This quantity represents the $\mathcal{O}(p^2)$ term of the momentum expansion of the topological charge density two-point correlator, and has important theoretical and phenomenological implications for strong interactions. This calculation is based on a novel algorithm that avoids topological freezing at large $N$ on fine lattices, and on a novel method to reliably compute $\chi^\prime$ on the lattice. The results of this study are relevant for the description of the proton spin in deep inelastic scattering experiments via the Shore--Veneziano formula.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

Topological Susceptibility and QCD at Finite Theta Angle

In this chapter we provide a pedagogical introduction to the main theoretical aspects related to topology and $\theta$-dependence in Quantum Chromo-Dynamics (QCD), and to their phenomenological relevance in the Standard Model ($\eta^\prime$ physics, neutron electric dipole moment) and beyond (strong CP problem and the axion solution). We then provide an overview of the main analytic predictions for $\theta$-dependence obtained using several different approaches (chiral effective theories, large-$N$ arguments, semiclassical methods) and their regimes of validity, as well as a selection of the most recent numerical results about QCD topology obtained via Monte Carlo simulations of the lattice-discretized theory.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

Exponential Mixing for Hyperbolic Flows on Non-Compact Spaces

We introduce a family of hyperbolic flows on non-compact phase spaces that includes the geodesic flow on the modular surface. For these systems we prove exponential decay of correlations for sufficiently regular observables with respect to its SRB measure. Our approach follows the dynamical method of Dolgopyat and subsequent developments for suspension flows with uniformly hyperbolic Poincar\'e maps satisfying a uniform non-integrability condition. To fit this framework, we construct a suspension model via a triple inducing scheme that yields a uniformly hyperbolic Poincar\'e map with a countable Markov partition. We show that the resulting roof function is cohomologous to one that is constant along stable leaves and satisfies the required non-integrability and tail conditions. As an application, we recover a dynamical proof on Ratner's exponential mixing for the geodesic flow on the modular surface.

math.DS↗

arXiv2026

From strong interactions to Dark Matter: the non-perturbative QCD sphaleron rate

Acceptance plenary talk for the 2025 Kenneth G.~Wilson Award for Excellence in Lattice Field Theory: For significant contributions to the understanding of topology in QCD, QCD-like, and large-$N_c$ gauge theories, including algorithmic developments to reduce topological freezing, studies of Dirac spectral properties, and axion phenomenology.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

Meson spectrum and low-energy constants in large-$N$ QCD

We present new non-perturbative results about the meson spectrum and the low-energy constants of QCD in the 't Hooft large-$N$ limit, $N\to\infty$ with $N_{\scriptscriptstyle{\rm f}}/N\to 0$. These are obtained from lattice Monte Carlo simulations of the Twisted Eguchi-Kawai (TEK) model up to $N=841$. More precisely, we will discuss: our findings for the meson mass spectrum; the determination of the radial Regge trajectories in the $\pi$ and $\rho$ channels; the computation of the coefficients of the $1/N$ expansion of the chiral condensate, of the pion decay constant, and of the next-to-leading-order coupling $\bar{\ell}_4$, up to $\mathcal{O}(1/N^3)$ from the combination of TEK and standard finite-$N$ results.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

A scalable flow-based approach to mitigate topological freezing

As lattice gauge theories with non-trivial topological features are driven towards the continuum limit, standard Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations suffer for topological freezing, i.e., a dramatic growth of autocorrelations in topological observables. A widely used strategy is the adoption of Open Boundary Conditions (OBC), which restores ergodic sampling of topology but at the price of breaking translation invariance and introducing unphysical boundary artifacts. In this contribution we summarize a scalable, exact flow-based strategy to remove them by transporting configurations from a prior with a OBC defect to a fully periodic ensemble, and apply it to 4d SU(3) Yang--Mills theory. The method is based on a Stochastic Normalizing Flow (SNF) that alternates non-equilibrium Monte Carlo updates with localized, gauge-equivariant defect coupling layers implemented via masked parametric stout smearing. Training is performed by minimizing the average dissipated work, equivalent to a Kullback--Leibler divergence between forward and reverse non-equilibrium path measures, to achieve more reversible trajectories and improved efficiency. We discuss the scaling with the number of degrees of freedom affected by the defect and show that defect SNFs achieve better performances than purely stochastic non-equilibrium methods at comparable cost. Finally, we validate the approach by reproducing reference results for the topological susceptibility.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

On the escape rate for intermittent maps with holes shrinking around the indifferent fixed point

We study non-uniformly expanding maps of the unit interval with a parabolic fixed point at the origin that admit an ergodic absolutely continuous invariant measure, which may be finite or infinite. By introducing a hole defined by an interval containing the parabolic fixed point, we analyze the escape rate of the resulting open system and its asymptotic behavior as the hole shrinks. Our approach relies on the transfer operator associated with the dynamical system and on the relationship between the transfer operators of the original system and its induced version. The results extend to this general framework previous investigations which considered special cases.

math.DS↗

arXiv2025

Lattice determination of the QCD low-energy constant $\ell_{\scriptscriptstyle{7}}$

We provide a non-perturbative determination of the scheme- and scale-independent low-energy constant $\ell_{\scriptscriptstyle{7}}$, appearing in the QCD effective chiral Lagrangian at next-to-leading order, by means of lattice QCD simulations with $N_{\scriptscriptstyle{\rm f}}=2+1$ quark flavors. We adopt staggered fermions and extract $\ell_{\scriptscriptstyle{7}}$ from the pion mass splitting by suitably generalizing the method introduced in [Phys. Rev. D 104 (2021) 074513] for the Wilson discretization. Adopting 12 gauge ensembles with 3 different values of the pion mass, and 4 different values of the lattice spacing, we are able to achieve controlled extrapolations towards the continuum, infinite volume, and chiral limits. Our final result $\ell_{\scriptscriptstyle{7}} \,\times \, 10^3 = 2.79(58)_{\scriptscriptstyle{\rm stat}}(19)_{\scriptscriptstyle{\rm syst}} = 2.79(61)_{\scriptscriptstyle{\rm tot}}$ agrees with and substantially improves on previous determinations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Scale setting of SU($N$) Yang--Mills theory, topology and large-$N$ volume independence

We set the scale of SU($N$) Yang--Mills theories for $N=3,5,8$ and in the large-$N$ limit via gradient flow, as a first step towards the computation of the large-$N$ $\Lambda$-parameter using step scaling. We adopt twisted boundary conditions to achieve large-$N$ volume reduction and the Parallel Tempering on Boundary Conditions algorithm to tame topological freezing. This setup allows accurate determinations of the gradient-flow scales down to lattice spacings as fine as $\sim 0.025$ fm for all the explored values of $N$, a regime that has never been reached with ergodic algorithms. Moreover, we are able to precisely estimate the finite-size systematics related to topological freezing, and to show the suppression of finite-volume effects expected by virtue of large-$N$ twisted volume reduction.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Universal Features of Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Large-$N$ QCD

We investigate the universal features of chiral symmetry breaking in large-$N$ QCD by comparing non-perturbative determinations of the low-lying Dirac spectrum with chiral Random Matrix Theory (RMT) predictions. Our numerical Monte Carlo calculations are based on a chiral lattice discretization of the Dirac operator, and exploit twisted volume reduction to reach $N$ as large as 841. Matching lattice data with RMT analytic results, we are able to extract the large-$N$ chiral condensate, which is compared with a recent determination obtained with non-chiral Wilson quarks from twisted volume-reduced models.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Scaling flow-based approaches for topology sampling in $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ gauge theory

We develop a methodology based on out-of-equilibrium simulations to mitigate topological freezing when approaching the continuum limit of lattice gauge theories. We reduce the autocorrelation of the topological charge employing open boundary conditions, while removing exactly their unphysical effects using a non-equilibrium Monte Carlo approach in which periodic boundary conditions are gradually switched on. We perform a detailed analysis of the computational costs of this strategy in the case of the four-dimensional $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ Yang-Mills theory. After achieving full control of the scaling, we outline a clear strategy to sample topology efficiently in the continuum limit, which we check at lattice spacings as small as $0.045$ fm. We also generalize this approach by designing a customized Stochastic Normalizing Flow for evolutions in the boundary conditions, obtaining superior performances with respect to the purely stochastic non-equilibrium approach, and paving the way for more efficient future flow-based solutions.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

The large-$N$ limit of the topological susceptibility of $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ Yang-Mills theories via Parallel Tempering on Boundary Conditions

I present a large-$N$ determination of the topological susceptibility $\chi$ of $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ Yang--Mills theories using non-perturbative numerical Monte Carlo simulations of the lattice-discretized theory for $3\le N \le 6$, and adopting the Parallel Tempering on Boundary Conditions (PTBC) algorithm to bypass topological freezing for $N>3$. Thanks to this algorithm I am able to explore a uniform range of lattice spacings across all values of $N$, and to precisely determine $\chi$ for finer lattice spacings compared to previous studies with periodic or open boundary conditions. By taking the continuum limit at fixed smoothing radius in physical units, I am also able to show the independence of the continuum limit of $\chi$ from this choice. I conclude providing a comprehensive comparison of my new PTBC results with previous determinations of the topological susceptibility in the literature, both at finite $N$ and in the large-$N$ limit.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Strong CP problem, theta term and QCD topological properties

In this chapter we introduce the $\theta$-dependence and the topological properties of QCD, features of the strongly interacting sector which give rise to the strong CP problem in the more general context of the Standard Model of particle physics. We discuss the analytical approaches that can be used to obtain qualitative, or in some cases quantitative, information on the $\theta$-dependence of QCD and QCD-like models, discussing their range of validity and comparing their predictions with the numerical results obtained by means of lattice simulations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Non-perturbative determination of meson masses and low-energy constants in large-$N$ QCD

We provide first-principles non-perturbative determinations of the low-lying meson mass spectrum of large-$N$ QCD in the 't Hooft limit $N_{\scriptscriptstyle{\rm f}}/N\to 0$, as well as of three low-energy constants appearing in the QCD chiral expansion: the quark condensate $\Sigma$, the pion decay constant $F_\pi$, and the next-to-leading-order coupling $\bar{\ell}_4$. Using the excited state masses in the $\pi$ and $\rho$ channels, we are able to investigate the behavior of their radial Regge trajectories. Concerning QCD low-energy constants, we are able to assess the magnitude of sub-leading corrections in $1/N$ by combining our $N=\infty$ results with previous finite-$N$ determinations. Our calculation exploits large-$N$ twisted volume reduction to efficiently perform numerical Monte Carlo simulations of the large-$N$ lattice discretized theory. We employ several values of $N$ up to $N=841$, 5 values of the lattice spacing, and several values of the quark mass, to achieve controlled continuum and chiral extrapolations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Localization in the Dirac spectrum and gauge-field topology

We study localization of the low Dirac modes in 3+1 dimensional pure $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ gauge theory at zero and nonzero imaginary $\theta$ angle, with the aim of better characterizing the relation between low-mode localization and topological features of gauge theories. We show that the mobility edge observed in the deconfined phase at $\theta=0$ is present also at nonzero $\theta$, appearing exactly at the deconfinement transition. We find that the mobility edge is affected by topology only indirectly, through its effects on the ordering of the Polyakov loop. Moreover, the change in the mobility edge is strongly correlated with the change in the Polyakov-loop expectation value, both as one moves along the critical line, and as one departs from it toward higher temperatures. This further strengthens the connection between low-mode localization and deconfinement, showing in particular the key role played by the ordering of the Polyakov loop.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Scale setting of $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ Yang-Mills theories via Twisted Gradient Flow

We present preliminary results for the scale setting of $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ Yang-Mills theories using twisted boundary conditions and the gradient-flow scale $\sqrt{t_0}$. The end goal of this study is to determine the $\mathrm{SU(N)}$ $\Lambda$-parameter through the step-scaling method. The scale $\sqrt{t_0}$, being defined from the flowed action density of the gauge fields, is correlated with their topological charge and thus could be affected by topological freezing. We deal with this problem with the Parallel Tempering on Boundary Conditions algorithm, which we found to be effective for the same numerical setup in a previous work.

hep-lat↗