arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P. Cea.
We use a lattice thermal partition functional to study Abelian monopole condensation in full QCD with $N_f=2$ staggered fermions. We present preliminary results on $16^3\times4$ and $32^3\times4$ lattices.
We investigate the scattering of fermions off walls in the presence of a magnetic field. We consider both the bubble wall and the kink domain wall. By solving the Dirac equation for fermions in the presence of a domain wall in an external magnetic field, we investigate the dependence on the magnetic field of the transmission and reflection coefficients. In the case of kink domain wall, we also consider the solutions localized on the wall. The possibile role of the ferromagnetic domain walls in the dynamics of the early Universe is also discussed.
We simulate a four dimensional self-interacting scalar field theory on the lattice at finite temperature. By varying temperature, the system undergoes a phase transition from broken phase to symmetric phase. Our data show that the zero-momentum field renormalization increases by approaching critical temperature. On the other hand, finite-momentum wave-function renormalization remains remarkably constant.
Using lattice simulations of a one-component $(λΦ^4)_4$ theory, we have measured the energy spectrum $ω({\mathbf{k}})$ in the broken phase at various lattice sizes. Our data show that the energy-gap $ω(0)$ is {\it not} the `Higgs mass' $M_h$ but an infrared-sensitive quantity that becomes smaller and smaller by increasing the lattice size and may even vanish in the infinite-volume limit.
The vacuum dynamics of SU(2) and SU(3) lattice gauge theories is studied by means of a gauge-invariant effective action defined using the lattice Schrödinger functional at finite temperature. In the case of the SU(3) gauge theory numerical simulations are performed both at zero and finite temperature. The vacuum is probed using an external constant Abelian chromomagnetic field. At zero temperature, in agreement with our previous studies for the SU(2) theory, the external field is totally screened in the continuum limit. At finite temperature numerical data suggest that confinement is restored by increasing the strength of the applied field.
Recent lattice simulations of $(λΦ^4)_4$ theories in the broken phase show that : a) the shifted field propagator is well reproduced by the simple 2-parameter form ${Z_{\rm prop}\over{p^2 + M^2_h}}$ at finite momenta but strongly differs for $p \to 0$ b) the bare zero-momentum two-point function $Γ_2(0)= \frac{d^2 V_{\rm eff}}{d ϕ^2_B}|_{ϕ_B= \pm v_B}$ gives a value of $Z_ϕ\equiv {{M^2_h}\over{Γ_2(0)}}$ that increases when approaching the continuum limit. This supports theoretical expectations where $v_B$ is related by an infinite re-scaling to the `physical Higgs condensate' $v_R$ defined through $\frac{d^2 V_{\rm eff}}{d ϕ^2_R}|_{ϕ_R= \pm v_R}=M^2_h$. New lattice data collected around the phase transition confirm this scenario. By denoting $M_{\rm SB} \equiv M_h ={\cal O} (v_R)$ the scale of the broken phase, our results suggest the existence of a `hierarchy' of scales $Γ_2(0) \ll M^2_{\rm SB} \ll v^2_B$ that become infinitely far in the continuum limit. This may open unexpected possibilities to reconcile an infinitesimal slope of the effective potential with finite values of $M_h$ and accomodate very different mass scales in the framework of a spontaneously broken theory.
We investigate Abelian monopoles and Abelian vortices condensation in finite temperature SU(2) and SU(3) pure lattice gauge theories.
We comment on the recent preprint hep-ph/0007123 by M.B. Voloshin, claiming that domain walls are diamagnetic. We show that the results presented therein are based on an incorrect treatment of the zero mode contribution to the vacuum energy density. We also shown that the correct treatment leads to the conclusion that domain walls are ferromagnetic, and can generate a primordial magnetic field.
We investigate the scattering of fermions off domain walls at the electroweak phase transition in presence of a magnetic field. We consider both the bubble wall and the kink domain wall. We derive and solve the Dirac equation for fermions with momentum perpendicular to the walls, and compute the transmission and reflection coefficients. In the case of kink domain wall, we briefly discuss the zero mode solutions localized on the wall. The possibile role of the magnetic field for the electroweak baryogenesis is also discussed.
We investigate the Abelian monopole condensation in finite temperature SU(2) and SU(3) pure lattice gauge theories. To this end we introduce a gauge invariant disorder parameter built up in terms of the lattice Schrödinger functional. Our numerical results show that the disorder parameter is different from zero and Abelian monopole condense in the confined phase. On the other hand our numerical data suggest that the disorder parameter tends to zero, in the thermodynamic limit, when the gauge coupling constant approaches the critical deconfinement value. In the case of SU(3) we also compare the different kinds of Abelian monopoles which can be defined according to the choice of the Abelian subgroups.
We investigate (2+1)-dimensional QED coupled with Dirac fermions both at zero and finite temperature. We discuss in details two-components (P-odd) and four-components (P-even) fermion fields. We focus on P-odd and P-even Dirac fermions in presence of an external constant magnetic field. In the spontaneous generation of the magnetic condensate survives even at infinite temperature. We also discuss the spontaneous generation of fermion mass in presence of an external magnetic field.
We investigate the dynamics of lattice gauge theories in an Abelian monopole background field. By means of the gauge-invariant lattice Schrodinger functional we study the Abelian monopole condensation in U(1) lattice gauge theory at zero temperature and in SU(3) lattice gauge theory at finite temperature.
In the Standard Model the Fermi constant is associated with the vacuum expectation value of the Higgs field, `the condensate', usually believed to be a cutoff-independent quantity. General arguments related to the `triviality' of $Φ^4$ theory in 4 space-time dimensions suggest, however, a dramatic renormalization effect in the continuum limit that is clearly visible on the relatively large lattices available today. The result can be crucial for the Higgs phenomenology and in any context where spontaneous symmetry breaking is induced through scalar fields.
Using a high-statistics lattice simulation of the Ising limit of $(λΦ^4)_4$ theory, we have measured the susceptibility and propagator in the broken phase. We confirm our earlier finding of a discrepancy between the field re-scaling implied by the propagator data and that implied by the susceptibility. The discrepancy becomes {\it worse} as one goes closer to the continuum limit; thus, it cannot be explained by residual perturbative effects. The data are consistent with an unconventional description of symmetry breaking and ``triviality'' in which the re-scaling factor for the finite-momentum fluctuations tends to unity, but the re-scaling factor for the condensate becomes larger and larger as one approaches the continuum limit. In the Standard Model this changes the interpretation of the Fermi-constant scale and its relation to the Higgs mass.
A lattice simulation in the broken phase of four-dimensional (lambda Phi^4) theory in the Ising limit suggests that, in the continuum limit, the scalar condensate rescales by a factor different from the conventional wavefunction renormalization. Possible effects on the present bounds of the Higgs mass are discussed.
General arguments related to ``triviality'' predict that, in the broken phase of $(λΦ^4)_4$ theory, the condensate $<Φ>$ re-scales by a factor $Z_ϕ$ different from the conventional wavefunction-renormalization factor, $Z_{prop}$. Using a lattice simulation in the Ising limit we measure $Z_ϕ=m^2 χ$ from the physical mass and susceptibility and $Z_{prop}$ from the residue of the shifted-field propagator. We find that the two $Z$'s differ, with the difference increasing rapidly as the continuum limit is approached. Since $Z_ϕ$ affects the relation of $<Φ>$ to the Fermi constant it can sizeably affect the present bounds on the Higgs mass.
We compute numerically the effective potential for the $(λΦ^4)_4$ theory on the lattice. Three different methods were used to determine the critical bare mass for the chosen bare coupling value. Two different methods for obtaining the effective potential were used as a control on the results. We compare our numerical results with three theoretical descriptions. Our lattice data are in quite good agreement with the ``Triviality and Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking'' picture.
There are two physically different interpretations of ``triviality'' in $(λΦ^4)_4$ theories. The conventional description predicts a second-order phase transition and that the Higgs mass $m_h$ must vanish in the continuum limit if $v$, the physical v.e.v, is held fixed. An alternative interpretation, based on the effective potential obtained in ``triviality-compatible'' approximations (in which the shifted `Higgs' field $h(x)\equiv Φ(x)-<Φ>$ is governed by an effective quadratic Hamiltonian) predicts a phase transition that is very weakly first-order and that $m_h$ and $v$ are both finite, cutoff-independent quantities. To test these two alternatives, we have numerically computed the effective potential on the lattice. Three different methods were used to determine the critical bare mass for the chosen bare coupling value. All give excellent agreement with the literature value. Two different methods for obtaining the effective potential were used, as a control on the results. Our lattice data are fitted very well by the predictions of the unconventional picture, but poorly by the conventional picture.