Eigenvalue Distributions of the QCD Dirac Operator

We compute by Monte Carlo methods the individual distributions of the $k$th smallest Dirac operator eigenvalues in QCD, and compare them with recent analytical predictions. We do this for both massless and massive quarks in an SU(3) gauge theory with staggered fermions. Very precise agreement is found in all cases. As a simple by-product we also extract the microscopic spectral density of the Dirac operator in SU(3) gauge theory with dynamical massive fermions for $N_f=1$ and 2, and obtain high-accuracy agreement with analytical expressions.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, 9 postscript figures. Very minor correction

Smooth Non-Abelian Bosonization

We present an extension of ``smooth bosonization'' to the non-Abelian case. We construct an enlarged theory containing both bosonic and fermionic fields which exhibits a local chiral gauge symmetry. A gauge fixing function depending on one real parameter allows us to interpolate smoothly between a purely fermionic and a purely bosonic representation. The procedure is, in the special case of bosonization, complementary to the approach based on duality.Comment: LaTeX, 13 pages, CERN--TH-7347/9

Looking for Effects of Topology in the Dirac Spectrum of Staggered Fermions

We classify SU(3) gauge field configurations in different topological sectors by the smearing technique. In each sector we compute the distribution of low lying eigenvalues of the staggered Dirac operator. In all sectors we find perfect agreement with the predictions for the sector of topological charge zero. The smallest Dirac operator eigenvalues of staggered fermions at presently realistic lattice couplings are thus insensitive to gauge field topology. On the smeared configurations, $4\nu$ eigenvalues go to zero in agreement with the index theorem.Comment: Poster at Lattice99(topology), 3 page

Qualitons from QCD

Qualitons, topological excitations with the quantum numbers of quarks, may provide an accurate description of what is meant by constituent quarks in QCD. Their existence hinges crucially on an effective Lagrangian description of QCD in which a pseudoscalar colour-octet of fields enters as a new variable. We show here how such new fields may be extracted from the fundamental QCD Lagrangian using the gauge-symmetric collective field technique.Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, CERN--TH-7073/9

The C-Theorem and Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Asymptotically Free Vectorlike Gauge Theories

We confront Cardy's suggested c-function for four-dimensional field theories with the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetries in asymptotically free vectorlike gauge theories with fermions transforming according to different representations under the gauge group. Assuming that the infrared limit of the c-function is determined by the dimension of the associated Goldstone manifold, we find that this c-function always decreases between the ultraviolet and infrared fixed points.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, a few references adde

Patterns of Spontaneous Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Vectorlike Gauge Theories

It has been conjectured that spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in strongly coupled vectorlike gauge theories falls into only three different classes, depending on the gauge group and the representations carried by the fermions. We test this proposal by studying SU(2), SU(3) and SU(4) lattice gauge theories with staggered fermions in different irreducible representations. Staggered fermions away from the continuum limit should, for all complex representations, still belong to the continuum class of spontaneous symmetry breaking. But for all real and pseudo-real representations we show that staggered fermions should belong to incorrect symmetry breaking classes away from the continuum, thus generalizing previous results. As an unambiguous signal for whether chiral symmetry breaks, and which breaking pattern it follows, we look at the smallest Dirac eigenvalue distributions. We find that the patterns of symmetry breaking are precisely those conjectured.Comment: LaTeX, 17 pages. Typos in eq (17) correcte

Non abelian bosonisation in three dimensional field theory

We develop a method based on the generalised St\"uckelberg prescription for discussing bosonisation in the low energy regime of the SU(2) massive Thirring model in 2+1 dimensions. For arbitrary values of the coupling parameter the bosonised theory is found to be a nonabelian gauge theory whose physical sector is explicitly obtained. In the case of vanishing coupling this gauge theory can be identified with the SU(2) Yang-Mills Chern-Simons theory in the limit when the Yang-Mills term vanishes. Bosonisation identities for the fermionic current are derived.Comment: Latex version, 14 pages; 23 reference

BRST Gauge Fixing and Regularization

In the presence of consistent regulators, the standard procedure of BRST gauge fixing (or moving from one gauge to another) can require non-trivial modifications. These modifications occur at the quantum level, and gauges exist which are only well-defined when quantum mechanical modifications are correctly taken into account. We illustrate how this phenomenon manifests itself in the solvable case of two-dimensional bosonization in the path-integral formalism. As a by-product, we show how to derive smooth bosonization in Batalin-Vilkovisky Lagrangian BRST quantization.Comment: LaTeX, 12 page

Low-lying Eigenvalues of the QCD Dirac Operator at Finite Temperature

We compute the low-lying spectrum of the staggered Dirac operator above and below the finite temperature phase transition in both quenched QCD and in dynamical four flavor QCD. In both cases we find, in the high temperature phase, a density with close to square root behavior, $\rho(\lambda) \sim (\lambda-\lambda_0)^{1/2}$. In the quenched simulations we find, in addition, a volume independent tail of small eigenvalues extending down to zero. In the dynamical simulations we also find a tail, decreasing with decreasing mass, at the small end of the spectrum. However, the tail falls off quite quickly and does not seem to extend to zero at these couplings. We find that the distribution of the smallest Dirac operator eigenvalues provides an efficient observable for an accurate determination of the location of the chiral phase transition, as first suggested by Jackson and Verbaarschot.Comment: LaTeX, 20 pages, 13 postscript figures. Reference added. To appear in Nucl. Phys.

Collective Fields for QCD

A gauge-symmetric approach to effective Lagrangians is described with special emphasis on derivations of effective low-energy Lagrangians from QCD. The examples we discuss are based on exact rewritings of cut-off QCD in terms of new collective degrees of freedom. These cut-off Lagrangians are thus ``effective'' in the sense that they explicitly contain some of the physical long-distance degrees of freedom from the outset.(Talk presented by P.H. Damgaard at the workshop on ``Quantum Field Theoretical Methods in High Energy Physics'', Kyffhauser, Germany, Sept. 1993. To appear in those proceedings).Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, CERN--TH-7035/9