arXiv subjects

Harvey B. Meyer

Publications and source records attributed to Harvey B. Meyer.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Chiral dynamics in the low-temperature phase of QCD

We investigate the low-temperature phase of QCD and the crossover region with two light flavors of quarks. The chiral expansion around the point $(T,m=0)$ in the temperature vs. quark-mass plane indicates that a sharp real-time excitation exists with the quantum numbers of the pion. An exact sum rule is derived for the thermal modification of the spectral function associated with the axial charge density; the (dominant) pion pole contribution obeys the sum rule. We determine the two parameters of the pion dispersion relation using lattice QCD simulations and test the applicability of the chiral expansion. The time-dependent correlators are also analyzed using the Maximum Entropy Method, yielding consistent results. Finally, we test the predictions of the chiral expansion around the point $(T=0,m=0)$ for the temperature dependence of static observables.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Vector correlator and scale determination in lattice QCD

We implement a proposal made in [arXiv:1107.4388] to determine the lattice spacing by matching the lattice vector correlator at a reference distance scale with the same correlator obtained by a dispersion relation based on the $R$-ratio determined experimentally. We work with the isovector current, requiring a separation of the isovector hadronic final states on the phenomenological side. We also discuss the finite-size effect on the correlator, which must be controlled in order for the method to be applicable.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Theory Uncertainty in Extracting the Proton's Weak Charge: White Paper

We review the state-of-the-art and address open questions relative to the theory uncertainty of the $γ-Z$ box contribution to the $A_{PV}$ measurement within the QWEAK experiment at Jefferson Lab. This white paper summarizes the contributions by participants and discussion sessions on this topic within the MITP Workshop on Precision Electroweak Physics held in Mainz, Germany, September 23 - October 11, 2013 \url{http://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=248072

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Adler function and hadronic vacuum polarization from lattice vector correlators

We study a representation of the hadronic vacuum polarization based on the time-momentum representation of the vector correlator. This representation suggests a way to compute the hadronic vacuum polarization and the associated Adler function for any value of virtuality, irrespective of the flavor structure of the current. We present results on both of these phenomenologically important functions, derived from local-conserved two-point lattice vector correlation functions, computed on a subset of light two-flavor ensembles made available to us through the CLS effort.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

QCD thermodynamics with O(a) improved Wilson fermions at Nf=2

We present an update of our study of the phase diagram of two-flavour QCD at zero baryon density with dynamical $O(a)$ improved Wilson quarks. All simulations are done on lattices with a temporal extent of $N_t=16$ and spatial extent $L=32,48$ and 64, ensuring that discretisation effects are small and finite size effects can be controlled. In the approach to the chiral limit we currently have three scans with pion masses between 540 and 200 MeV. In this proceedings article the focus is on the new scan at $m_π=200$ MeV and the measurement of screening masses. We also present first results concerning a test of scaling in the approach to the chiral limit and the chiral extrapolation of the difference of screening masses in scalar and pseudoscalar channels, which provides a measure for the strength of the anomalous breaking of the $U_A(1)$ symmetry.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Thermal field theories and shifted boundary conditions

The analytic continuation to an imaginary velocity of the canonical partition function of a thermal system expressed in a moving frame has a natural implementation in the Euclidean path-integral formulation in terms of shifted boundary conditions. The Poincare' invariance underlying a relativistic theory implies a dependence of the free-energy on the compact length L_0 and the shift xi only through the combination beta=L_0(1+xi^2)^(1/2). This in turn implies that the energy and the momentum distributions of the thermal theory are related, a fact which is encoded in a set of Ward identities among the correlators of the energy-momentum tensor. The latter have interesting applications in lattice field theory: they offer novel ways to compute thermodynamic potentials, and a set of identities to renormalize non-perturbatively the energy-momentum tensor. At fixed bare parameters the shifted boundary conditions also provide a simple method to vary the temperature in much smaller steps than with the standard procedure.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Renormalization of the momentum density on the lattice using shifted boundary conditions

In order to extract transport quantities from energy-momentum-tensor (EMT) correlators in Lattice QCD there is a strong need for a non-perturbative renormalization of these operators. This is due to the fact that the lattice regularization explicitly breaks translational invariance, invalidating the non-renormalization-theorem. Here we present a non-perturbative calculation of the renormalization constant of the off-diagonal components of the EMT in SU(3) pure gauge theory using lattices with shifted boundary conditions. This allows us to induce a non-zero momentum in the system controlled by the shift parameter and to determine the normalization of the momentum density operator.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Antiscreening of the Ampere force in QED and QCD plasmas

The static forces between electric charges and currents are modified at the loop level by the presence of a plasma. While electric charges are screened, currents are not. The effective coupling constant at long distances is enhanced in both cases as compared to the vacuum, and by different amounts, a clear sign that Lorentz symmetry is broken. We investigate these effects quantitatively, first in a QED plasma and secondly using non-perturbative simulations of QCD with two light degenerate flavors of quarks.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

A new representation of the Adler function for lattice QCD

We address several aspects of lattice QCD calculations of the hadronic vacuum polarization and the associated Adler function. We implement a representation derived previously which allows one to access these phenomenologically important functions for a continuous set of virtualities, irrespective of the flavor structure of the current. Secondly we present a theoretical analysis of the finite-size effects on our particular representation of the Adler function, based on the operator product expansion at large momenta and on the spectral representation of the Euclidean correlator at small momenta. Finally, an analysis of the flavor structure of the electromagnetic current correlator is performed, where a recent theoretical estimate of the Wick-disconnected diagram contributions is rederived independently and confirmed.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Lattice QCD and the two-photon decay of the neutral pion

Two-photon decays probe the structure of mesons and represent an important contribution to hadronic light-by-light scattering. For the neutral pion, the decay amplitude tests the effects of the chiral anomaly; for a heavy quarkonium state, it measures the magnitude of its wavefunction at the origin. We rederive the expression of the decay amplitude in terms of a Euclidean correlation function starting from the theory defined on the torus. The derivation shows that for timelike photons the approach to the infinite-volume decay amplitude is exponential in the periodic box size.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Two-flavour lattice QCD correlation functions in the deconfinement transition region

We report on a lattice QCD calculation with two dynamical flavors of the isovector vector correlator in the high-temperature phase. We analyze the correlator in terms of the associated spectral function by performing a fit for the difference of the thermal and vacuum spectral functions, using also an exact sum rule that constrains this difference. Additonally we carry out a direct fit for the thermal spectral function, and obtain good agreement between the two analyses for frequencies below the two-pion threshold. Under the assumption that the spectral function is smooth in that region, we give an estimate of the electrical conductivity.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Thermal Correlators in the ρ channel of two-flavor QCD

We present a lattice QCD calculation with two dynamical flavors of the isovector vector correlator in the high-temperature phase. We analyze the correlator in terms of the associated spectral function, for which we review the theoretical expectations. In our main analysis, we perform a fit for the difference of the thermal and vacuum spectral functions, and we use an exact sum rule that constrains this difference. We also perform a direct fit for the thermal spectral function, and obtain good agreement between the two analyses for frequencies below the two-pion threshold. Under the assumption that the spectral function is smooth in that region, we give an estimate of the electrical conductivity.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Implications of Poincare symmetry for thermal field theories in finite-volume

The analytic continuation to an imaginary velocity $iξ$ of the canonical partition function of a thermal system expressed in a moving frame has a natural implementation in the Euclidean path-integral formulation in terms of shifted boundary conditions. Writing the Boltzmann factor as $\exp[-L_0(H-iξ.P)]$, the Poincare invariance underlying a relativistic theory implies a dependence of the free-energy on $L_0$ and the shift $ξ$ only through the combination $β= L_0 \sqrt{1+ξ^2}$. This in turn implies a set of Ward identities, some of which were previously derived by us, among the correlators of the energy-momentum tensor. In the infinite-volume limit they lead to relations among the cumulants of the total energy distribution and those of the momentum, i.e. they connect the energy and the momentum distributions in the canonical ensemble. In finite volume the Poincare symmetry translates into exact relations among partition functions and correlation functions defined with different sets of (generalized) periodic boundary conditions. They have interesting applications in lattice field theory. In particular, they offer Ward identities to renormalize non-perturbatively the energy-momentum tensor and novel ways to compute thermodynamic potentials. At fixed bare parameters they also provide a simple method to vary the temperature in much smaller steps than with the standard procedure.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Excited state systematics in extracting nucleon electromagnetic form factors

We present updated preliminary results for the nucleon electromagnetic form factors for non-perturbatively $\mathcal{O}(a)$ improved Wilson fermions in $N_f=2$ QCD measured on the CLS ensembles. The use of the summed operator insertion method allows us to suppress the influence of excited states in our measurements. A study of the effect that excited state contaminations have on the $Q^2$ dependence of the extracted nucleon form factors may then be made through comparisons of the summation method to standard plateau fits, as well as to excited state fits.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

QCD thermodynamics with two flavours of Wilson fermions on large lattices

We explore the phase diagram of two flavour QCD at vanishing chemical potential using dynamical O(a)-improved Wilson quarks. In the approach to the chiral limit we use lattices with a temporal extent of N_t=16 and spatial extent L=32,48 and 64 to enable the extrapolation to the thermodynamic limit with small discretisation effects. In addition to an update on the scans at constant κ, reported earlier, we present first results from scans along lines of constant physics at a pion mass of 290 MeV. We probe the transition using the Polyakov loop and the chiral condensate, as well as spectroscopic observables such as screening masses.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Lattice QCD and the Timelike Pion Form Factor

We present a formula that allows one to calculate the pion form factor in the timelike region 2mpi <= sqrt{s} <= 4mpi in lattice QCD. The form factor quantifies the contribution of two-pion states to the vacuum polarization. It must be known very accurately in order to reduce the theoretical uncertainty on the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. At the same time, the formula constitutes a rare example where, in a restricted kinematic regime, the spectral function of a conserved current can be determined from Euclidean observables without an explicit analytic continuation.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Vector Correlators in Lattice QCD: methods and applications

We discuss the calculation of the leading hadronic vacuum polarization in lattice QCD. Exploiting the excellent quality of the compiled experimental data for the e^+e^- --> hadrons cross-section, we predict the outcome of large-volume lattice calculations at the physical pion mass, and design computational strategies for the lattice to have an impact on important phenomenological quantities such as the leading hadronic contribution to (g-2)mu and the running of the electromagnetic coupling constant. First, the R(s) ratio can be calculated directly on the lattice in the threshold region, and we provide the formulae to do so with twisted boundary conditions. Second, the current correlator projected onto zero spatial momentum, in a Euclidean time interval where it can be calculated accurately, provides a potentially critical test of the experimental R(s) ratio in the region that is most relevant for (g-2)mu. This observation can also be turned around: the vector correlator at intermediate distances can be used to determine the lattice spacing in fm, and we make a concrete proposal in this direction. Finally, we quantify the finite-size effects on the current correlator coming from low-energy two-pion states and provide a general parametrization of the vacuum polarization on the torus.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Photodisintegration of a Bound State on the Torus

In this article the cross-section for the photodisintegration of a bound state is expressed, order by order in the multipole expansion, in terms of matrix elements between states living on the three-dimensional torus. The motivation is to make the process amenable to Monte-Carlo simulations. The case of the deuteron is discussed.

hep-lat↗