Efficient Hadronic Operators in Lattice Gauge Theory

We study operators to create hadronic states made of light quarks in quenched lattice gauge theory. We construct non-local gauge-invariant operators which provide information about the spatial extent of the ground state and excited states. The efficiency of the operators is shown by looking at the wave function of the first excited state, which has a node as a function of the spatial extent of the operator. This allows one to obtain an uncontaminated ground state for hadrons.Comment: 18 pages, Latex text, followed by 11 postscript figures in self-unpacking file. Also available at ftp://suna.amtp.liv.ac.uk/pub/cmi/wavefn

Nucleon and gamma N -> Delta lattice form factors in a constituent quark model

A covariant quark model, based both on the spectator formalism and on vector meson dominance, and previously calibrated by the physical data, is here extended to the unphysical region of the lattice data by means of one single extra adjustable parameter - the constituent quark mass in the chiral limit. We calculated the Nucleon (N) and the gamma N -> Delta form factors in the universe of values for that parameter described by quenched lattice QCD. A qualitative description of the Nucleon and gamma N -> Delta form factors lattice data is achieved for light pions.Comment: To appear in J.Phys.

Chiral and Continuum Extrapolation of Partially-Quenched Hadron Masses

Using the finite-range regularisation (FRR) of chiral effective field theory, the chiral extrapolation formula for the vector meson mass is derived for the case of partially-quenched QCD. We re-analyse the dynamical fermion QCD data for the vector meson mass from the CP-PACS collaboration. A global fit, including finite lattice spacing effects, of all 16 of their ensembles is performed. We study the FRR method together with a naive polynomial approach and find excellent agreement ~1% with the experimental value of M_rho from the former approach. These results are extended to the case of the nucleon mass.Comment: 6 pages, Contribution to Lattice2005, PoS styl

Fitting Correlated Hadron Mass Spectrum Data

We discuss fitting hadronic Green functions versus time $t$ to extract mass values in quenched lattice QCD. These data are themselves strongly correlated in $t$. With only a limited number of data samples, the method of minimising correlated $\chi^2$ is unreliable. We explore several methods of modelling the correlations among the data set by a few parameters which then give a stable and sensible fit even if the data sample is small. In particular these models give a reliable estimate of the goodness of fit.Comment: 14 pages, Latex text, followed by 3 postscript figures in self-unpacking file. Also available at ftp://suna.amtp.liv.ac.uk/pub/cmi/corfit

Thermodynamics of Two Flavor QCD to Sixth Order in Quark Chemical Potential

We present results of a simulation of 2-flavor QCD on a 4x16^3 lattice using p4-improved staggered fermions with bare quark mass m/T=0.4. Derivatives of the thermodynamic grand canonical partition function Z(V,T,mu_u,mu_d) with respect to chemical potentials mu_(u,d) for different quark flavors are calculated up to sixth order, enabling estimates of the pressure and the quark number density as well as the chiral condensate and various susceptibilities as functions of mu_q = (mu_u + mu_d)/2 via Taylor series expansion. Furthermore, we analyze baryon as well as isospin fluctuations and discuss the relation between the radius of convergence of the Taylor series and the chiral critical point in the QCD phase diagram. We argue that bulk thermodynamic observables do not, at present, provide direct evidence for the existence of a chiral critical point in the QCD phase diagram. Results are compared to high temperature perturbation theory as well as a hadron resonance gas model.Comment: 38 pages, 30 encapsulated postscript figures, typo corrected, 1 footnote adde

Unified chiral analysis of the vector meson spectrum from lattice QCD

The chiral extrapolation of the vector meson mass calculated in partially-quenched lattice simulations is investigated. The leading one-loop corrections to the vector meson mass are derived for partially-quenched QCD. A large sample of lattice results from the CP-PACS Collaboration is analysed, with explicit corrections for finite lattice spacing artifacts. To incorporate the effect of the opening decay channel as the chiral limit is approached, the extrapolation is studied using a necessary phenomenological extension of chiral effective field theory. This chiral analysis also provides a quantitative estimate of the leading finite volume corrections. It is found that the discretisation, finite-volume and partial quenching effects can all be very well described in this framework, producing an extrapolated value of M_\rho in excellent agreement with experiment. This procedure is also compared with extrapolations based on polynomial forms, where the results are much less enlightening.Comment: 30 pages, 13 fig

Results from Lattice QCD

I present our recent results on the critical end point in the \mu_B-T phase diagram of QCD with two flavours of light dynamical quarks and compare them with similar results from other groups. Implications for a possible energy scan at the RHIC are discussed. I also comment briefly on the new results of great relevance to heavy ion collisions from finite temperature lattice QCD simulations on speed of sound, specific heat and on the fate of J/\psi.Comment: Invited Plenary Talk given at 5th International Conference on Physics and Astrophysics of Quark Gluon Plasma, Kolkata, India, February 8-12, 2005; LaTeX in Journal of Physics G style; 9 pages including figure