arXiv subjects

Massimo D'Elia

Publications and source records attributed to Massimo D'Elia.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Large-$N$ expansion and $θ$-dependence of $2d$ $CP^{N-1}$ models beyond the leading order

We investigate the $θ$-dependence of 2-dimensional $CP^{N-1}$ models in the large-$N$ limit by lattice simulations. Thanks to a recent algorithm proposed by M. Hasenbusch to improve the critical slowing down of topological modes, combined with simulations at imaginary values of $θ$, we manage to determine the vacuum energy density up the sixth order in $θ$ and up to $N = 51$. Our results support analytic predictions, which are known up to the next-to-leading term in $1/N$ for the quadratic term in $θ$ (topological susceptibility), and up to the leading term for the quartic coefficient $b_2$. Moreover, we give a numerical estimate of further terms in the $1/N$ expansion for both quantities, pointing out that the $1/N$ convergence for the $θ$-dependence of this class of models is particularly slow.

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arXiv2019

Lattice study of electromagnetic conductivity of quark-gluon plasma in external magnetic field

We study the electromagnetic (e.m.) conductivity of QGP in a magnetic background by lattice simulations with $N_f = 2+1$ dynamical rooted staggered fermions at the physical point. We study the correlation functions of the e.m.~currents at $T=200,\,250$\,MeV and use the Tikhonov approach to extract the conductivity. This is found to rise with the magnetic field in the direction parallel to it and to decrease in the transverse direction, giving evidence for both the Chiral Magnetic Effect and the magnetoresistance phenomenon in QGP. We also estimate the chiral charge relaxation time in QGP.

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arXiv2019

Topology via Spectral Projectors with Staggered Fermions

The spectral projectors method is a way to obtain a theoretically well posed definition of the topological susceptibility on the lattice. Up to now this method has been defined and applied only to Wilson fermions. The goal of this work is to extend the method to staggered fermions, giving a definition for the staggered topological susceptibility and testing it in the pure $SU(3)$ gauge theory. Besides, we also generalize the method to higher-order cumulants of the topological charge distribution.

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arXiv2019

Dependence of the static quark free energy on $μ_B$ and the crossover temperature of $N_f = 2+1$ QCD

We study the dependence of the static quark free energy on the baryon chemical potential for $N_f = 2+1$ QCD with physical quark masses, in a range of temperature spanning from 120~MeV up to 1~GeV and adopting a stout staggered discretization with two different values of the Euclidean temporal extension, $N_t = 6$ and $N_t = 8$. In order to deal with the sign problem, we exploit both Taylor expansion and analytic continuation, obtaining consistent results. We show that the dependence of the free energy on $μ_B$ is sensitive to the location of the chiral crossover, in particular the $μ_B$-susceptibility, i.e. the linear term in $μ_B^2$ in the Taylor expansion of the free energy, has a peak around 150 MeV. We also discuss the behavior expected in the high temperature regime based on perturbation theory, and obtain a good quantitative agreement with numerical results.

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arXiv2019

Spectral Methods and Running Scales in Causal Dynamical Triangulations

The spectrum of the Laplace-Beltrami operator, computed on the spatial slices of Causal Dynamical Triangulations, is a powerful probe of the geometrical properties of the configurations sampled in the various phases of the lattice theory. We study the behavior of the lowest eigenvalues of the spectrum and show that this can provide information about the running of length scales as a function of the bare parameters of the theory, hence about the critical behavior around possible second order transition points in the CDT phase diagram, where a continuum limit could be defined.

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arXiv2018

Topology in full QCD at high temperature: a multicanonical approach

We investigate the topological properties of $N_f = 2+1$ QCD with physical quark masses, at temperatures around 500 MeV. With the aim of obtaining a reliable sampling of topological modes in a regime where the fluctuations of the topological charge $Q$ are very rare, we adopt a multicanonical approach, adding a bias potential to the action which enhances the probability of suppressed topological sectors. This method permits to gain up to three orders of magnitude in computational power in the explored temperature regime. Results at different lattice spacings and physical spatial volumes reveal no significant finite size effects and the presence, instead, of large finite cut-off effects, with the topological susceptibility which decreases by 3-4 orders of magnitude while moving from $a \simeq 0.06$ fm towards the continuum limit. The continuum extrapolation is in agreeement with previous lattice determinations with smaller uncertainties but obtained based on ansatzes justified by several theoretical assumptions. The parameter $b_2$, related to the fourth order coefficient in the Taylor expansion of the free energy density $f(θ)$, has instead a smooth continuum extrapolation which is in agreement with the dilute instanton gas approximation (DIGA); moreover, a direct measurement of the relative weights of the different topological sectors gives an even stronger support to the validity of DIGA.

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arXiv2018

$θ$ dependence in trace deformed $SU(3)$ Yang-Mills theory: a lattice study

In this paper we investigate, by means of numerical lattice simulations, the topological properties of the trace deformed $SU(3)$ Yang-Mills theory defined on $S_1\times\mathbb{R}^3$. More precisely, we evaluate the topological susceptibility and the $b_2$ coefficient (related to the fourth cumulant of the topological charge distribution) of this theory for different values of the lattice spacing and of the compactification radius. In all the cases we find results in good agreement with the corresponding ones of the standard $SU(3)$ Yang-Mills theory on $\mathbb{R}^4$.

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arXiv2018

High-Temperature QCD: theory overview

We review the recent progress achieved in the theoretical investigation of Quantum Chromodynamics in the high temperature regime, with a focus on results achieved by lattice QCD simulations. The discussion covers the structure of the phase diagram and the properties of the strongly interacting medium at finite T and small baryon chemical potential.

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arXiv2018

Effects of a strong magnetic field on the QCD flux tube

In this work we investigate the effect of an external magnetic field B on the shape of flux tubes in QCD by means of lattice simulations, performed with N_f=2+1 flavors of stout improved dynamical staggered quarks with physical masses. After having discussed some difficulties in the practical definition of the flux tube at B=0, we show that these ambiguities do not affect the determination of the flux tube modifications induced by the magnetic field. Different results are obtained depending on the relative orientations of the flux tube and of the magnetic field: they confirm that the magnetic field acts as transverse confinement catalyser and longitudinal confinement inhibitor; moreover, the flux tube itself loses its axial symmetry when it is not directed along the magnetic background.

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arXiv2018

QCD phase diagram in a magnetic background for different values of the pion mass

We investigate the behavior of the pseudo-critical temperature of $N_f = 2+1$ QCD as a function of a static magnetic background field for different values of the pion mass, going up to $m_π\simeq 660$ MeV. The study is performed by lattice QCD simulations, adopting a stout staggered discretization of the theory on lattices with $N_t = 6$ slices in the Euclidean temporal direction; for each value of the pion mass the temperature is changed moving along a line of constant physics. We find that the decrease of $T_c$ as a function of $B$, which is observed for physical quark masses, persists in the whole explored mass range, even if the relative variation of $T_c$ appears to be a decreasing function of $m_π$, approaching zero in the quenched limit. The location of $T_c$ is based on the renormalized quark condensate and its susceptibility; determinations based on the Polyakov loop lead to compatible results. On the contrary, inverse magnetic catalysis, i.e. the decrease of the quark condensate as a function of $B$ in some temperature range around $T_c$, is not observed when the pion mass is high enough. That supports the idea that inverse magnetic catalysis might be a secondary phenomenon, while the modifications induced by the magnetic background on the gauge field distribution and on the confining properties of the medium could play a primary role in the whole range of pion masses

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arXiv2018

Topological properties of $CP^{N-1}$ models in the large-$N$ limit

We investigate, by numerical simulations on a lattice, the $θ$-dependence of 2$d$ $CP^{N-1}$ models for a range of $N$ going from 9 to 31, combining imaginary $θ$ and simulated tempering techniques to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and alleviate the critical slowing down of the topological modes. We provide continuum extrapolations for the second and fourth order coefficients in the Taylor expansion in $θ$ of the vacuum energy of the theory, parameterized in terms of the topological susceptibility $χ$ and of the so-called $b_2$ coefficient. Those are then compared with available analytic predictions obtained within the $1/N$ expansion, pointing out that higher order corrections might be relevant in the explored range of $N$, and that this fact might be related to the non-analytic behavior expected for $N = 2$. We also consider sixth-order corrections in the $θ$ expansion, parameterized in terms of the so-called $b_4$ coefficient: in this case our present statistical accuracy permits to have reliable non-zero continuum estimations only for $N \leq 11$, while for larger values we can only set upper bounds. The sign and values obtained for $b_4$ are compared to large-$N$ predictions, as well as to results obtained for $SU(N_c)$ Yang-Mills theories, for which a first numerical determination is provided in this study for the case $N_c = 2$.

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arXiv2018

The curvature of the chiral pseudocritical line from LQCD: analytic continuation and Taylor expansion compared

We present a determination of the curvature $κ$ of the chiral pseudocritical line from $N_f=2+1$ lattice QCD at the physical point obtained by adopting the Taylor expansion approach. Numerical simulations performed at three lattice spacings lead to a continuum extrapolated curvature $κ= 0.0145(25)$, a value that is in excellent agreement with continuum limit estimates obtained via analytic continuation within the same discretization scheme, $κ= 0.0135(20)$. The agreement between the two calculations is a solid consistency check for both methods.

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arXiv2018

Topological critical slowing down: variations on a toy model

Numerical simulations of lattice quantum field theories whose continuum counterparts possess classical solutions with non-trivial topology face a severe critical slowing down as the continuum limit is approached. Standard Monte-Carlo algorithms develop a loss of ergodicity, with the system remaining frozen in configurations with fixed topology. We analyze the problem in a simple toy model, consisting of the path integral formulation of a quantum mechanical particle constrained to move on a circumference. More specifically, we implement for this toy model various techniques which have been proposed to solve or alleviate the problem for more complex systems, like non-abelian gauge theories, and compare them both in the regime of low temperature and in that of very high temperature. Among the various techniques, we consider also a new algorithm which completely solves the freezing problem, but unfortunately is specifically tailored for this particular model and not easily exportable to more complex systems.

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arXiv2018

Roberge-Weiss endpoint and chiral symmetry restoration in $N_f = 2+1$ QCD

We investigate the fate of the Roberge-Weiss endpoint transition and its connection with the restoration of chiral symmetry as the chiral limit of $N_f = 2+1$ QCD is approached. We adopt a stout staggered discretization on lattices with $N_t = 4$ sites in the temporal direction; the chiral limit is approached maintaining a constant physical value of the strange-to-light mass ratio and exploring three different light quark masses, corresponding to pseudo-Goldstone pion masses $m_π\simeq 100, 70$ and 50 MeV around the transition. A finite size scaling analysis provides evidence that the transition remains second order, in the 3D Ising universality class, in all the explored mass range. The residual chiral symmetry of the staggered action also allows us to investigate the relation between the Roberge-Weiss endpoint transition and the chiral restoration transition as the chiral limit is approached: our results, including the critical scaling of the chiral condensate, are consistent with a coincidence of the two transitions in the chiral limit; however we are not able to discern the symmetry controlling the critical behavior, because the critical indexes relevant to the scaling of the chiral condensate are very close to each other for the two possible universality classes (3D Ising or O(2)).

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arXiv2018

Curvature of the pseudocritical line in QCD: Taylor expansion matches analytic continuation

We determine the curvature of the pseudo-critical line of $N_f = 2 + 1$ QCD with physical quark masses via Taylor expansion in the quark chemical potentials. We adopt a discretization based on stout improved staggered fermions and the tree level Symanzik gauge action; the location of the pseudocritical temperature is based on chiral symmetry restoration. Simulations are performed on lattices with different temporal extent ($N_t = 6, 8, 10$), leading to a continuum extrapolated curvature $κ= 0.0145(25)$, which is in very good agreement with the continuum extrapolation obtained via analytic continuation and the same discretization, $κ= 0.0135(20)$. This result eliminates the possible tension emerging when comparing analytic continuation with earlier results obtained via Taylor expansion.

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arXiv2018

Spectrum of the Laplace-Beltrami Operator and the Phase Structure of Causal Dynamical Triangulation

We propose a new method to characterize the different phases observed in the non-perturbative numerical approach to quantum gravity known as Causal Dynamical Triangulation. The method is based on the analysis of the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors of the Laplace-Beltrami operator computed on the triangulations: it generalizes previous works based on the analysis of diffusive processes and proves capable of providing more detailed information on the geometric properties of the triangulations. In particular, we apply the method to the analysis of spatial slices, showing that the different phases can be characterized by a new order parameter related to the presence or absence of a gap in the spectrum of the Laplace-Beltrami operator, and deriving an effective dimensionality of the slices at the different scales. We also propose quantities derived from the spectrum that could be used to monitor the running to the continuum limit around a suitable critical point in the phase diagram, if any is found.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Portable multi-node LQCD Monte Carlo simulations using OpenACC

This paper describes a state-of-the-art parallel Lattice QCD Monte Carlo code for staggered fermions, purposely designed to be portable across different computer architectures, including GPUs and commodity CPUs. Portability is achieved using the OpenACC parallel programming model, used to develop a code that can be compiled for several processor architectures. The paper focuses on parallelization on multiple computing nodes using OpenACC to manage parallelism within the node, and OpenMPI to manage parallelism among the nodes. We first discuss the available strategies to be adopted to maximize performances, we then describe selected relevant details of the code, and finally measure the level of performance and scaling-performance that we are able to achieve. The work focuses mainly on GPUs, which offer a significantly high level of performances for this application, but also compares with results measured on other processors.

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arXiv2017

Gauge-invariant screening masses and static quark free energies in $N_f = 2+1$ QCD at non-zero baryon density

We discuss the extension of gauge-invariant electric and magnetic screening masses in the Quark-Gluon Plasma to the case of a finite baryon density, defining them in terms of a matrix of Polyakov loop correlators. We present lattice results for $N_f=2+1$ QCD with physical quark masses, obtained using the imaginary chemical potential approach, which indicate that the screening masses increase as a function of $μ_B$. A separate analysis is carried out for the theoretically interesting case $μ_B/T=3 i π$, where charge conjugation is not explicitly broken and the usual definition of the screening masses can be used for temperatures below the Roberge-Weiss transition. Finally, we investigate the dependence of the static quark free energy on the baryon chemical potential, showing that it is a decreasing function of $μ_B$ which displays a peculiar behavior as the pseudocritical transition temperature at $μ_B=0$ is approached.

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