171 research outputs found
Calorons, Nahm's equations on S^1 and bundles over P^1xP^1
The moduli space of solutions to Nahm's equations of rank (k,k+j) on the
circle, and hence, of SU(2) calorons of charge (k,j), is shown to be equivalent
to the moduli of holomorphic rank 2 bundles on P^1xP^1 trivialized at infinity
with c_2=k and equipped with a flag of degree j along P^1x{0}. An explicit
matrix description of these spaces is given by a monad constructio
Confinement, Chiral Symmetry Breaking, and Axial Anomaly from Domain Formation at Intermediate Resolution
Based on general renormalization group arguments, Polyakov's loop-space
formalism, and recent analytical lattice arguments, suggesting, after Abelian
gauge fixing, a description of pure gluodynamics by means of a Georgi-Glashow
like model, the corresponding vacuum fields are defined in a non-local way.
Using lattice information on the gauge invariant field strength correlator in
full QCD, the resolution scale \La_b, at which these fields become relevant
in the vacuum, is determined. For SU(3) gauge theory it is found that
\La_b\sim 2.4 GeV, 3.1 GeV, and 4.2 GeV for ( MeV), ( MeV), and pure gluodynamics, repectively. Implications for the operator
product expansion of physical correlators are discussed. It is argued that the
emergence of magnetic (anti)monopoles in the vacuum at resolution \La_b is a
direct consequence of the randomness in the formation of a low entropy Higgs
condensate. This implies a breaking of chiral symmetry and a proliferation of
the axial U(1) anomaly at this scale already. Justifying Abelian projection, a
decoupling of non-Abelian gauge field fluctuations from the dynamics occurs.
The condensation of (anti)monopoles at \La_c<\La_b follows from the demand
that vacuum fields ought to have vanishing action at any resolution. As
monopoles condense they are reduced to their cores, and hence they become
massless. Apparently broken gauge symmetries at resolutions \La_c<\La\le\La_b
are restored in this process.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
The semi-classical expansion and resurgence in gauge theories: new perturbative, instanton, bion, and renormalon effects
We study the dynamics of four dimensional gauge theories with adjoint
fermions for all gauge groups, both in perturbation theory and
non-perturbatively, by using circle compactification with periodic boundary
conditions for the fermions. There are new gauge phenomena. We show that, to
all orders in perturbation theory, many gauge groups are Higgsed by the gauge
holonomy around the circle to a product of both abelian and nonabelian gauge
group factors. Non-perturbatively there are monopole-instantons with fermion
zero modes and two types of monopole-anti-monopole molecules, called bions. One
type are "magnetic bions" which carry net magnetic charge and induce a mass gap
for gauge fluctuations. Another type are "neutral bions" which are magnetically
neutral, and their understanding requires a generalization of multi-instanton
techniques in quantum mechanics - which we refer to as the
Bogomolny-Zinn-Justin (BZJ) prescription - to compactified field theory. The
BZJ prescription applied to bion-anti-bion topological molecules predicts a
singularity on the positive real axis of the Borel plane (i.e., a divergence
from summing large orders in peturbation theory) which is of order N times
closer to the origin than the leading 4-d BPST instanton-anti-instanton
singularity, where N is the rank of the gauge group. The position of the
bion--anti-bion singularity is thus qualitatively similar to that of the 4-d IR
renormalon singularity, and we conjecture that they are continuously related as
the compactification radius is changed. By making use of transseries and
Ecalle's resurgence theory we argue that a non-perturbative continuum
definition of a class of field theories which admit semi-classical expansions
may be possible.Comment: 112 pages, 7 figures; v2: typos corrected, discussion of
supersymmetric models added at the end of section 8.1, reference adde
Magnetic Catalysis: A Review
We give an overview of the magnetic catalysis phenomenon. In the framework of
quantum field theory, magnetic catalysis is broadly defined as an enhancement
of dynamical symmetry breaking by an external magnetic field. We start from a
brief discussion of spontaneous symmetry breaking and the role of a magnetic
field in its a dynamics. This is followed by a detailed presentation of the
essential features of the phenomenon. In particular, we emphasize that the
dimensional reduction plays a profound role in the pairing dynamics in a
magnetic field. Using the general nature of underlying physics and its
robustness with respect to interaction types and model content, we argue that
magnetic catalysis is a universal and model-independent phenomenon. In support
of this claim, we show how magnetic catalysis is realized in various models
with short-range and long-range interactions. We argue that the general nature
of the phenomenon implies a wide range of potential applications: from certain
types of solid state systems to models in cosmology, particle and nuclear
physics. We finish the review with general remarks about magnetic catalysis and
an outlook for future research.Comment: 37 pages, to appear in Lect. Notes Phys. "Strongly interacting matter
in magnetic fields" (Springer), edited by D. Kharzeev, K. Landsteiner, A.
Schmitt, H.-U. Yee. Version 2: references adde
Insect herbivores should follow plants escaping their relatives
Neighboring plants within a local community may be separated by many millions of years of evolutionary history, potentially reducing enemy pressure by insect herbivores. However, it is not known how the evolutionary isolation of a plant affects the fitness of an insect herbivore living on such a plant, especially the herbivore's enemy pressure. Here, we suggest that evolutionary isolation of host plants may operate similarly as spatial isolation and reduce the enemy pressure per insect herbivore. We investigated the effect of the phylogenetic isolation of host trees on the pressure exerted by specialist and generalist enemies (parasitoids and birds) on ectophagous Lepidoptera and galling Hymenoptera. We found that the phylogenetic isolation of host trees decreases pressure by specialist enemies on these insect herbivores. In Lepidoptera, decreasing enemy pressure resulted from the density dependence of enemy attack, a mechanism often observed in herbivores. In contrast, in galling Hymenoptera, enemy pressure declined with the phylogenetic isolation of host trees per se, as well as with the parallel decline in leaf damage by non-galling insects. Our results suggest that plants that leave their phylogenetic ancestral neighborhood can trigger, partly through simple density-dependency, an enemy release and fitness increase of the few insect herbivores that succeed in tracking these plants
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