arXiv subjects

Lorenzo Maio

Publications and source records attributed to Lorenzo Maio.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

The QCD topological susceptibility at high temperatures via staggered fermions spectral projectors

The QCD topological observables are essential inputs to obtain theoretical predictions about axion phenomenology, which are of utmost importance for current and future experimental searches for this particle. Among them, we focus on the topological susceptibility, related to the axion mass. We present lattice results for the topological susceptibility in QCD at high temperatures obtained by discretizing this observable via spectral projectors on eigenmodes of the staggered Dirac operator, and we compare them with those obtained with the standard gluonic definition. The adoption of the spectral discretization is motivated by the large lattice artifacts affecting the standard gluonic susceptibility, related to the choice of non-chiral fermions in the lattice action.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2022

Topological susceptibility of $N_f=2+1$ QCD from staggered fermions spectral projectors at high temperatures

We compute the topological susceptibility of $N_f=2+1$ QCD with physical quark masses in the high-temperature phase, using numerical simulations of the theory discretized on a space-time lattice. More precisely we estimate the topological susceptibility for five temperatures in the range from $\sim200$ MeV up to $\sim600$ MeV, adopting the spectral projectors definition of the topological charge based on the staggered Dirac operator. This strategy turns out to be effective in reducing the large lattice artifacts which affect the standard gluonic definition, making it possible to perform a reliable continuum extrapolation. Our results for the susceptibility in the explored temperature range are found to be partially in tension with previous determinations in the literature.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2021

Topology in high-$T$ QCD via staggered spectral projectors

We present preliminary lattice results for the topological susceptibility in high-$T$ $N_f=2+1$ QCD obtained discretizing this observable via spectral projectors on eigenmodes of the staggered operator, and we compare them with those obtained with the standard gluonic definition. The adoption of the spectral discretization is motivated by the large lattice artifacts affecting the continuum scaling of the gluonic susceptibility at high $T$, related to the choice of non-chiral fermions in the action.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2021

Phase diagram of QCD in a magnetic background

We provide numerical evidence that the thermal QCD crossover turns into a first order transition in the presence of large enough magnetic background fields. The critical endpoint is found to be located between $eB = 4$ GeV$^2$ (where the pseudocritical temperature is $T_c = (98 \pm 3)$ MeV) and $eB = 9$ GeV$^2$ (where the critical temperature is $T_c = (63 \pm 5)$ MeV). Results are based on the analysis of quark condensates and number susceptibilities, determined by lattice simulations of $N_f = 2+1$ QCD at the physical point, discretized with three different lattice spacings, $a = 0.114, 0.086$ and $0.057$ fm, via rooted stout staggered fermions and a Symanzik tree level improved pure gauge action. We also present preliminary results regarding the confining properties of the thermal theory, suggesting that they could change drastically going across the phase transition

hep-lat↗

arXiv2021

Confining and chiral properties of QCD in extremely strong magnetic fields

We investigate, by numerical lattice simulations, the static quark-antiquark potential, the flux tube properties and the chiral condensate for $N_f = 2+1$ QCD with physical quark masses in the presence of strong magnetic fields, going up to $eB = 9$ GeV$^2$, with continuum extrapolated results. The string tension for quark-antiquark separations longitudinal to the magnetic field is suppressed by one order of magnitude at the largest explored magnetic field with respect to its value at zero magnetic background, but is still non-vanishing; in the transverse direction, instead, the string tension is enhanced but seems to reach a saturation at around 50 % of its value at $B = 0$. The flux tube shows a consistent suppression/enhancement of the overall amplitude, with mild modifications of its profile. Finally, we observe magnetic catalysis in the whole range of explored fields with a behavior compatible with a lowest Landau level approximation, in particular with a linear dependence of the chiral condensate on $B$ which is in agreement, within errors, with that already observed for $eB \sim 1$ GeV$^2$.

hep-lat↗