U(1) flux tube profiles from Hamiltonian lattice gauge theory using a random walk ground-state projector

We use a self-guided random walk to solve the ground-state problem of Hamiltonian U(1) pure gauge theory in 2+1 dimensions in the string sector. By making use of the electric-field representation, we argue that the spatial distribution of the electric field can be more easily measured than in ordinary Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 3 pages, contribution to Lattice 94, uuencoded compressed Postscrip

Monopole Loop Distribution and Confinement in SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory

The abelian-projected monopole loop distribution is extracted from maximal abelian gauge simulations. The number of loops of a given length falls as a power of the length nearly independent of lattice size. This power increases with $\beta=4/g^2$, reaching five around $\beta=2.85$, beyond which loops any finite fraction of the lattice size vanish in the infinite lattice limit, suggesting the continuum theory lacks confinement.Comment: 6 pages Latex, 4 eps figures. Minor editing. Final version, to appear in Physics Letters

On the screening of the potential between adjoint sources in QCD3QCD_3

We calculate the potential between adjoint sources in $SU(2)$ pure gauge theory in three dimensions. We investigate whether the potential saturates at large separations due to the creation of a pair of gluelumps, colour-singlet states formed when glue binds to an adjoint source.Comment: 3 pages, uuencoded Z-compressed postscript file, contribution to Lattice '9

Topological charge density around static colour sources in lattice QCD with dynamical quarks

We update our numerical investigation of topological structures around static quarks in pure gauge QCD by results of the first runs including dynamical quarks. Simulations were performed on an $8^3\times4$ lattice, with $SU(3)$ Wilson action, with 3 flavours of quarks of equal mass, both in the confinement and deconfinement phase. In the confinement phase we observe indications for the existence of a flux tube between a static quark and antiquark, flux-tube breaking for large separations, and local correlation between the topological charge density and chiral condensate. In the deconfinement phase almost all configurations turn out to be topologically trivial.Comment: 3 pages, PostScript, uuencoded and compressed tar file (Contribution to LATTICE 94 in Bielefeld.

``GLUELUMP'' SPECTRUM AND ADJOINT SOURCE POTENTIAL IN LATTICE QCD3_3

We calculate the potential between ``quarks'' which are in the adjoint representation of SU(2) color in the three-dimensional lattice theory. We work in the scaling region of the theory and at large quark separations $R$. We also calculate the masses $M_{Qg}$ of color-singlet bound states formed by coupling an adjoint quark to adjoint glue (``gluelumps''). Good scaling behavior is found for the masses of both magnetic (angular momentum $J=0$) and electric ($J=1$) gluelumps, and the magnetic gluelump is found to be the lowest-lying state. It is naively expected that the potential for adjoint quarks should saturate above a separation $R_{\rm scr}$ where it becomes energetically favorable to produce a pair of gluelumps. We obtain a good estimate of the naive screening distance $R_{\rm scr}$. However we find little evidence of saturation in the potential out to separations $R$ of about twice $R_{\rm scr}$.Comment: 8 pages plus 8 figures in 2 postscript files (uuencoded

Can a Logarithmically Running Coupling Mimic a String Tension?

It is shown that a Coulomb potential using a running coupling slightly modified from the perturbative form can produce an interquark potential that appears nearly linear over a large distance range. Recent high-statistics SU(2) lattice gauge theory data fit well to this potential without the need for a linear string-tension term. This calls into question the accuracy of string tension measurements which are based on the assumption of a constant coefficient for the Coulomb term. It also opens up the possibility of obtaining an effectively confining potential from gluon exchange alone.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, two figures not included, available from author. revision - Line lengths fixed so it will tex properl