Large-N spacetime reduction and the sign and silver-blaze problems of dense QCD

We study the spacetime-reduced (Eguchi-Kawai) version of large-N QCD with nonzero chemical potential. We explore a method to suppress the sign fluctuations of the Dirac determinant in the hadronic phase; the method employs a re-summation of gauge configurations that are related to each other by center transformations. We numerically test this method in two dimensions, and find that it successfully solves the silver-blaze problem. We analyze the system further, and measure its free energy F, the average phase theta of its Dirac determinant, and its chiral condensate . We show that F and are independent of mu in the hadronic phase but that, as chiral perturbation theory predicts, the quenched chiral condensate drops from its mu=0 value when mu~(pion mass)/2. Finally, we find that the distribution of theta qualitatively agrees with further, more recent, predictions from chiral perturbation theory.Comment: 43 pages, 17 figure

Comments on large-N volume independence

We study aspects of the large-N volume independence on R**3 x L**G, where L**G is a G-site lattice for Yang-Mills theory with adjoint Wilson-fermions. We find the critical number of lattice sites above which the center-symmetry analysis on L**G agrees with the one on the continuum S**1. For Wilson parameter set to one and G>=2, the two analyses agree. One-loop radiative corrections to Wilson-line masses are finite, reminiscent of the UV-insensitivity of the Higgs mass in deconstruction/Little-Higgs theories. Even for theories with G=1, volume independence in QCD(adj) may be guaranteed to work by tuning one low-energy effective field theory parameter. Within the parameter space of the theory, at most three operators of the 3d effective field theory exhibit one-loop UV-sensitivity. This opens the analytical prospect to study 4d non-perturbative physics by using lower dimensional field theories (d=3, in our example).Comment: 12 pages; added small clarifications, published versio

Volume dependence of two-dimensional large-N QCD with a nonzero density of baryons

We take a first step towards the solution of QCD in 1+1 dimensions at nonzero density. We regularize the theory in the UV by using a lattice and in the IR by putting the theory in a box of spatial size L. After fixing to axial gauge we use the coherent states approach to obtain the large-N classical Hamiltonian H that describes color neutral quark-antiquark pairs interacting with spatial Polyakov loops in the background of baryons. Minimizing H we get a regularized form of the `t Hooft equation that depends on the expectation values of the Polyakov loops. Analyzing the L-dependence of this equation we show how volume independence, a la Eguchi and Kawai, emerges in the large-N limit, and how it depends on the expectation values of the Polyakov loops. We describe how this independence relies on the realization of translation symmetry, in particular when the ground state contains a baryon crystal. Finally, we remark on the implications of our results on studying baryon density in large-N QCD within single-site lattice theories, and on some general lessons concerning the way four-dimensional large-N QCD behaves in the presence of baryons.Comment: 32 pages, 3 figures. New version much more reader friendly and also emphasizes the exact nature of the approac

First study of the gluon-quark-antiquark static potential in SU(3) Lattice QCD

We study the long distance interaction for hybrid hadrons, with a static gluon, a quark and an antiquark with lattice QCD techniques. A Wilson loop adequate to the static hybrid three-body system is developed and, using a 24^3 x 48 periodic lattice with beta=6.2 and a ~ 0.075 fm, two different geometries for the gluon-quark segment and the gluon-antiquark segment are investigated. When these segments are perpendicular, the static potential is compatible with confinement realized with a pair of fundamental strings, one linking the gluon to the quark and another linking the same gluon to the antiquark. When the segments are parallel and superposed, the total string tension is larger and agrees with the Casimir Scaling measured by Bali. This can be interpreted with a type-II superconductor analogy for the confinement in QCD, with repulsion of the fundamental strings and with the string tension of the first topological excitation of the string (the adjoint string) larger than the double of the fundamental string tension.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 4 figure

Towards a strong-coupling theory of QCD at finite density

We apply strong-coupling perturbation theory to the QCD lattice Hamiltonian. We begin with naive, nearest-neighbor fermions and subsequently break the doubling symmetry with next-nearest-neighbor terms. The effective Hamiltonian is that of an antiferromagnet with an added kinetic term for baryonic "impurities," reminiscent of the t-J model of high-T_c superconductivity. As a first step, we fix the locations of the baryons and make them static. Following analyses of the t-J model, we apply large-N methods to obtain a phase diagram in the (N_c,N_f) plane at zero temperature and baryon density. Next we study a simplified U(3) toy model, in which we add baryons to the vacuum. We use a coherent state formalism to write a path integral which we analyze with mean field theory, obtaining a phase diagram in the (n_B,T) plane.Comment: Lattice2002(nonzerot) - Parallel talk and poster presented at Lattice 2002, Cambridge, MA, USA, June 2002. 6 pages, 6 EPS figure

Casimir scaling of domain wall tensions in the deconfined phase of D=3+1 SU(N) gauge theories

We perform lattice calculations of the spatial 't Hooft k-string tensions in the deconfined phase of SU(N) gauge theories for N=2,3,4,6. These equal (up to a factor of T) the surface tensions of the domain walls between the corresponding (Euclidean) deconfined phases. For T much larger than Tc our results match on to the known perturbative result, which exhibits Casimir Scaling, being proportional to k(N-k). At lower T the coupling becomes stronger and, not surprisingly, our calculations show large deviations from the perturbative T-dependence. Despite this we find that the behaviour proportional to k(N-k) persists very accurately down to temperatures very close to Tc. Thus the Casimir Scaling of the 't Hooft tension appears to be a `universal' feature that is more general than its appearance in the low order high-T perturbative calculation. We observe the `wetting' of these k-walls at T around Tc and the (almost inevitable) `perfect wetting' of the k=N/2 domain wall. Our calculations show that as T tends to Tc the magnitude of the spatial `t Hooft string tension decreases rapidly. This suggests the existence of a (would-be) 't Hooft string condensation transition at some temperature which is close to but below Tc. We speculate on the `dual' relationship between this and the (would-be) confining string condensation at the Hagedorn temperature that is close to but above Tc.Comment: 40 pages, 14 figure

The large N limit of four dimensional Yang-Mills field coupled to adjoint fermions on a single site lattice

We consider the large N limit of four dimensional SU(N) Yang-Mills field coupled to adjoint fermions on a single site lattice. We use perturbative techniques to show that the Z^4_N center-symmetries are broken with naive fermions but they are not broken with overlap fermions. We use numerical techniques to support this result. Furthermore, we present evidence for a non-zero chiral condensate for one and two Majorana flavors at one value of the lattice gauge coupling.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures; a reference added; version to be published in JHEP, small clarifications and references adde

Electric Flux Tube in Magnetic Plasma

In this paper we study a methodical problem related to the magnetic scenario recently suggested and initiated by the authors \cite{Liao_ES_mono} to understand the strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma (sQGP): the electric flux tube in monopole plasma. A macroscopic approach, interpolating between Bose condensed (dual superconductor) and classical gas medium is developed first. Then we work out a microscopic approach based on detailed quantum mechanical calculation of the monopole scattering on electric flux tube, evaluating induced currents for all partial waves. As expected, the flux tube looses its stability when particles can penetrate it: we make this condition precise by calculating the critical value for the product of the flux tube size times the particle momentum, above which the flux tube dissolves. Lattice static potentials indicate that flux tubes seem to dissolve at $T>T_{dissolution} \approx 1.3 T_c$. Using our criterion one gets an estimate of the magnetic density $n\approx 4.4 \sim 6.6 fm^{-3}$ at this temperature.Comment: New version with new referecences added and minor changes. 15 pages, 8 figure