arXiv subjects

Pascal Törek

Publications and source records attributed to Pascal Törek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Testing the mechanism of lepton compositness

Strict gauge invariance requires that physical left-handed leptons are actually bound states of the elementary left-handed lepton doublet and the Higgs field within the standard model. That they nonetheless behave almost like pure elementary particles is explained by the Fröhlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism. Using lattice gauge theory, we test and confirm this mechanism for fermions. Though, due to the current inaccessibility of non-Abelian gauged Weyl fermions on the lattice, a model which contains vectorial leptons but which obeys all other relevant symmetries has been simulated.

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arXiv2020

A composite massless vector boson

In a non-perturbative gauge-invariant formulation of grand-unified theories all low energy vector states need to be composite with respect to the high-scale gauge group, including the photon. We investigate this by using lattice methods to spectroscopically analyze the vector channel in a toy grand-unified theory, an SU(2) adjoint Higgs model. Our results support indeed the existence of a massless composite vector particle.

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arXiv2020

Exploring the worldline formulation of the Potts model

We revisit the issue of worldline formulations for the q-state Potts model and discuss a worldline representation in arbitrary dimensions which also allows for magnetic terms. For vanishing magnetic field we implement a Hodge decomposition for resolving the constraints with dual variables, which in two dimensions implies self-duality as a simple corollary. We present exploratory 2-d Monte Carlo simulations in terms of the worldlines, based on worm algorithms. We study both, vanishing and non-zero magnetic field, and explore q between q = 2 and q = 30, i.e., Potts models with continuous, as well as strong first order transitions.

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arXiv2019

New DoS approaches to finite density lattice QCD

We present two new suggestions for density of states (DoS) approaches to finite density lattice QCD. Both proposals are based on the recently developed and successfully tested DoS FFA technique, which is a DoS approach for bosonic systems with a complex action problem. The two different implementations of DoS FFA we suggest for QCD make use of different representations of finite density lattice QCD in terms of suitable pseudo-fermion path integrals. The first proposal is based on a pseudo-fermion representation of the grand canonical QCD partition sum, while the second is a formulation for the canonical ensemble. We work out the details of the two proposals and discuss the results of exploratory 2-d test studies for free fermions at finite density, where exact reference data allow one to verify the final results and intermediate steps.

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arXiv2019

New canonical and grand canonical DoS techniques for finite density lattice QCD

We discuss two new DoS approaches for finite density lattice QCD. The paper extends a recent presentation of the new techniques based on Wilson fermions, while here we now discuss and test the case of finite density QCD with staggered fermions. The first of our two approaches is based on the canonical formulation where observables at a fixed net quark number $N$ are obtained as Fourier moments of the vacuum expectation values at imaginary chemical potential $θ$. We treat the latter as densities which can be computed with the recently developed FFA method. The second approach is based on a direct grand canonical evaluation after rewriting the QCD partition sum in terms of a suitable pseudo-fermion representation. In this form the imaginary part of the pseudo-fermion action can be identified and the corresponding density may again be computed with FFA. We develop the details of the two approaches and discuss some exploratory first tests for the case of free fermions where reference results for assessing the new techniques may be obtained from Fourier transformation.

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arXiv2019

Probing standard-model Higgs substructures using tops and weak gauge bosons

Manifest gauge-invariance requires that observable states in the standard-model are described by composite operators, which involve additional Higgs contributions beyond perturbation theory. This field-theoretical effect has been confirmed in lattice simulations. It should also be experimentally accessible at high enough precision. Here a few estimates for such signatures at current and future collider experiments will be discussed.

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arXiv2019

Baryon bag simulation of QCD in the strong coupling limit

We explore the possibility of a simulation of strong coupling QCD in terms of so-called baryon bags. In this form the known representation in terms of monomers, dimers and baryon loops is reorganized such that the baryon contributions are collected in space time domains referred to as baryon bags. Within the bags three quarks propagate coherently as a baryon that is described by a free fermion, whereas the rest of the lattice is solely filled with interacting meson terms, i.e., quark and diquark monomers and dimers. We perform a simulation directly in the baryon bag language using a newly developed worm update and show first results in two dimensions.

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arXiv2019

Topology and index theorem with a generalized Villain lattice action -- a test in 2d

Using 2-d U(1) lattice gauge theory we study two definitions of the topological charge constructed from a generalized Villain action and analyze the implementation of the index theorem based on the overlap Dirac operator. One of the two definitions expresses the topological charge as a sum of the Villain variables and treats charge conjugation symmetry exactly, making it particularly useful for studying related physics. Our numerical analysis establishes that for both topological charge definitions the index theorem becomes exact quickly towards the continuum limit.

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arXiv2019

Toward the spectrum of the SU(2) adjoint Higgs model

Scalar particles in the adjoint representation of a non-Abelian gauge theory play an important role in many scenarios beyond the standard model, especially of GUT type. For such theories manifestly gauge-invariant, massless, composite vector particles have been predicted, even at weak coupling, using the Fröhlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism. We use lattice gauge theory to investigate the simplest such theories, a single adjoint scalar coupled to an SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. The results support the existence of such a particle, in accordance with the prediction.

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arXiv2019

On the observable spectrum of theories with a Brout-Englert-Higgs effect

The physical, observable spectrum in gauge theories is made up from gauge-invariant states. The Fröhlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism allows in the standard model to map these states to the gauge-dependent elementary $W$, $Z$ and Higgs states. This is no longer necessarily the case in theories with a more general gauge group and Higgs sector. We classify and predict the physical spectrum for a wide range of such theories, with special emphasis on GUT-like cases, and show that discrepancies between the spectrum of elementary fields and physical particles frequently arise.

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arXiv2019

Exploratory study of the off-shell properties of the weak vector bosons

Gauge invariance requires even in the weak interactions that physical, observable particles are described by gauge-invariant composite operators. Such operators have the same structure as those describing bound states, and consequently the physical versions of the $W^\pm$, the $Z$, and the Higgs should have some kind of substructure. To test this consequence, we use lattice gauge theory to study the physical weak vector bosons off-shell, especially their form-factor and weak radius, and compare the results to the ones for the elementary particles. We find that the physical particles show substantial deviations from the structure of a point-like particle. At the same time the gauge-dependent elementary particles exhibit unphysical behavior.

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arXiv2018

On observable particles in theories with a Brout-Englert-Higgs effect

Even at weak coupling the physical, observable spectrum of gauge theories with a Brout-Englert-Higgs effect can deviate from the elementary one of perturbation theory. This can be analytically described and treated using the Fröhlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism. We confirm this by lattice simulation for an SU(3) gauge theory with a fundamental scalar, a toy model for grand unification. We also show that this has experimentally observable consequence, e.g., in scattering cross-sections of lepton collisions in this toy model.

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arXiv2018

The spectrum of an SU(3) gauge theory with a fundamental Higgs field

In gauge theories, the physical, experimentally observable spectrum consists only of gauge-invariant states. This spectrum can be different from the elementary spectrum even at weak coupling and in the presence of the Brout-Englert-Higgs effect. We demonstrate this for an SU(3) gauge theory with a single fundamental Higgs, a toy theory for grand-unified theories. The manifestly gauge-invariant approach of lattice gauge theory is used to determine the spectrum in four different channels. It is found to be qualitatively different from the elementary one, and especially from the one predicted by standard perturbation theory. The result can be understood in terms of the Froehlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism. In fact, we find that analytic methods based on this mechanism, a gauge-invariant extension of perturbation theory, correctly determines the spectrum, and gives already at leading order a reasonably good quantitative description. Together with previous results this supports that this approach is the analytic method of choice for theories with a Brout-Englert-Higgs effect.

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arXiv2017

A study of how the particle spectra of SU(N) gauge theories with a fundamental Higgs emerge

In gauge theories, the physical, experimentally observable spectrum consists only of gauge-invariant states. In the standard model the Fröhlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism shows that these states can be adequately mapped to the gauge-dependent elementary W, Z, Higgs, and fermions. In theories with a more general gauge group and Higgs sector, appearing in various extensions of the standard model, this has not to be the case. In this work we determine analytically the physical spectrum of $\mathrm{SU}(N>2)$ gauge theories with a Higgs field in the fundamental representation. We show that discrepancies between the spectrum predicted by perturbation theory and the observable physical spectrum arise. We confirm these analytic findings with lattice simulations for $N=3$.

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arXiv2016

Testing gauge-invariant perturbation theory

Gauge-invariant perturbation theory for theories with a Brout-Englert-Higgs effect, as developed by Fröhlich, Morchio and Strocchi, starts out from physical, exactly gauge-invariant quantities as initial and final states. These are composite operators, and can thus be considered as bound states. In case of the standard model, this reduces almost entirely to conventional perturbation theory. This explains the success of conventional perturbation theory for the standard model. However, this is due to the special structure of the standard model, and it is not guaranteed to be the case for other theories. Here, we review gauge-invariant perturbation theory. Especially, we show how it can be applied and that it is little more complicated than conventional perturbation theory, and that it is often possible to utilize existing results of conventional perturbation theory. Finally, we present tests of the predictions of gauge-invariant perturbation theory, using lattice gauge theory, in three different settings. In one case, the results coincide with conventional perturbation theory and with the lattice results. In a second case, it appears that the results of gauge-invariant perturbation theory agree with the lattice, but differ from conventional perturbation theory. In the third case both approaches fail due to quantum fluctuations.

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arXiv2016

Developing and testing the density of states FFA method in the SU(3) spin model

The Density of States Functional Fit Approach (DoS FFA) is a recently proposed modern density of states technique suitable for calculations in lattice field theories with a complex action problem. In this article we present an exploratory implementation of DoS FFA for the SU(3) spin system at finite chemical potential $μ$ - an effective theory for the Polyakov loop. This model has a complex action problem similar to the one of QCD but also allows for a dual simulation in terms of worldlines where the complex action problem is solved. Thus we can compare the DoS FFA results to the reference data from the dual simulation and assess the performance of the new approach. We find that the method reproduces the observables from the dual simulation for a large range of $μ$ values, including also phase transitions, illustrating that DoS FFA is an interesting approach for exploring phase diagrams of lattice field theories with a complex action problem.

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arXiv2016

Towards the spectrum of a GUT from gauge invariance

The description of electroweak physics using perturbation theory is highly successful. Though not obvious, this is due to a subtle field-theoretical effect, the Fröhlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism, which links the physical spectrum to that of the elementary particles. This works because of the special structure of the standard model, and it is not a priori clear whether it works for structurally different theories. Candidates for conflicts are, e.g., grand unified theories. We study this situation in a toy model, a $SU(3)$ gauge theory with two Higgs fields and a breaking pattern $SU(3) \rightarrow SU(2) \rightarrow 1$. This mimics the weak-Higgs sector of the standard model. We determine the leading order predictions for the gauge invariant spectrum in this theory, and discuss a setup to test them using lattice gauge theory.

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arXiv2015

Density of states techniques for lattice field theories using the functional fit approach (FFA)

We discuss a variant of density of states (DoS) techniques for lattice field theories, the so-called "functional fit approach" (FFA). The DoS FFA is based on a density of states rho(x) which is parameterized on small intervals of the argument x of rho(x). On these intervals restricted Monte Carlo simulations with an additional Boltzmann factor exp(lambda x) allow to determine rho(x) very precisely by obtaining its parameters from fitting the Monte Carlo data to a known function of lambda. We describe the method in detail and show its applicability in four different systems, three of which have a complex action problem: The SU(3) spin model with a chemical potential, U(1) lattice gauge theory, the Z(3) spin model with chemical potential, and 2-dimensional U(1) lattice gauge theory with a topological term. In all cases we compare to reference calculations, which partly were done in a dual formulation where the complex action problem is absent. In all four cases we find a very encouraging performance of the DoS FFA.

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